Pockets of liberalism: the exceptions that proved the rule.

Still from the Chāy-e Narges 70s Iranian ad

Yesterday I was made aware of the 70s ad in Iran for Chāy-e Narges (here), in it, a model sporting a tank top and a mini skirt with long uncovered hair does what every model does since time immemorial. Behind her, sitting, seems what are relatives much more conservatively dressed with an elderly woman having a scarf tied on her head (not the classic "veil" but a head-cover none-the-less).

Of course, this, according to the internet is hailed as being as to how Iran was permissive, progressive, and liberal it was before the Islamic revolution. Well, of course, everything is reductive, stereotypical and generalized. Let me give another example, on January 1rst 1978 Elias Rahbani (and his orchestra) released Liza Liza - the quasi immortal disco anthem. The cover had - literally - a bare-chested woman on it. Below is a censored version to avoid offending anyone.

The point is, neither Chāy-e Narges nor the Liza Liza vinyl cover say anything about Iranian or Lebanese society at the time nor about the cultural, ethical and social norms that governed both societies then. If anything, those were the exceptions that proved the rule.

When I tell foreigners Lebanon is conservative, the immediate culprit is the Muslim part of the Lebanese population. The Marie France incident (here) is a good example how conservatism runs rampant in all factions of the population - Christians and Muslims alike. And this has nothing to do with the levels of "education" some people boast about (here). Being a "technocrat" does not divorce your from beliefs that run rampant with less-educated people.

Images of Beirut in the 70s, which, yes, also include tank tops and mini skirts are "always" indicative as to how the country got radicalized to what it is today. Yet, the country that was shown, was one in urban dwellings where morals and habits are much loser than in rural dwellings, and even by city-standards, conservatism is still there in many shapes and forms - anything from rituals (fasting, attending religious edifices) to less noted signs and signifiers - such as wearing long sleeves for women, or curfews (mostly applied to daughters rather than sons), etc...

The image below by Rudolf Dietrich, can be a very good indicator of how economic and social disparity can be a much better indicator of social norms.

To quote again, what I wrote earlier (here): Under the Al Shams building, one of the most celebrated jewels of modernist architecture (by architect Joseph Philippe Karam) and in the pathways that made way to the sea, lived people in extreme Poverty, in makeshift houses. Literally at a stone throw from one of the most luxurious buildings of Beirut at the time.

So to reiterate the point, liberal bubbles were mostly the exceptions that proved the rule, rather than anything else.

Fairouz vs Elissa: Why is everyone forgetting that "Hanna el Sekran" is an Elias Rahbani song?

Image credit: Rima Rahbani

First the facts:

Ultra popular singer Elissa recently sang on stage a song. "Hanna el Sekran" (Hanna the drunk), altering the words "ysawer bint el jiran" (drawing the girl next door) to "yzabit bit el jiran" (screw the girl next door). 

Cue the uproar.

Enter Rima Rahbani daughter of iconic singer Fairouz who herself had a version of that song (and one of its most renowned interpretations of it). Who - in her usual - fiery but sometimes trashy replies put the blame above and beyond Elissa on her own cousin Oussama Rabhani (Oussama having organized the concert where the snafu happened). She is by the way, not only the daughter of Fairouz but also Assi Rahbani, one half of the super-song writing duo "Rahbani Brothers" (Assi and Mansour - Oussama being Mansour's son).

Yes, I know, quite complicated.

Now Rima is up in arms that no one should sing "her mother's songs". Which technically is not true. Because in the copyright laws once you pay the legal fees to the writers/composers you actually can. Plus in certain cases, performing publicly a song you can waive such rights.

The other problem? Hanna el Sekran is actually an Elias Rahbani composition (younger brother of the Assi and Mansour). Meaning neither of his eldest brothers had anything to do with it, and the first version was in the voice of the late (great) Melhem Barakat before Fairouz put her stamp on it. I digress, but one of Fairouz's songs I love best - El Bosta - was originally a Joseph Sakr song (written by Fairouz's son - legendary composer and writer Ziad Rahbani for him (Sakr) to interpret in one of Ziad's plays Nazl El Sourour).

Which brings us to - why is everyone forgetting that the song originally had nothing to do with either parents of Rima Rahbani?

This does not absolve Elissa. But also does not Absolve Rima either.

The only redeeming factor? Rima just published an updated photo of her mother arranging a flower in a vase. 

Swoon....

The strange double life of the Barilla jingle in Lebanese pop culture

Credit: Lebanon Dikkene

That Barilla jingle! The one drilled into the collective memory of the Lebanese population. Yes, that one! One of the many many achievements of multi-hyphenate creative Elias Rahbani who left us at the beginning of this year. But you know how it happens, a musician produces a hit song, the song gets used in an ad - it happened gazillions of times.

But what if I told you the reverse happened in this instance. Case in point? Our legendary diva Sabah and her own hit single "wa3douni w nattarouni" - you will realize that it is the exact same beat as Barilla.

Usually this means that the hit was produced (by Elias Rahbani) and he was commissioned by Barilla to put new lyrics to it (side note - Rahbani who composed "Tafta hindi" for Raja Badr did exactly that for Niers luncheon meat in an ad starring Dalida Baroud when she was still at LBC in the 80s). Actually, in the case of Barilla, Sabah who had an ear for potential hits and a great sense of hype, heard the Barilla jingle and asked Rahbani to pen a song on the same music. Naturally, a mega hit was born. But as I said, it was born "the other way around" - with the advertising coming first.

Elias Rahbani RIP

 

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

Elias Rahbani passed way. Really I cannot even begin to state what this man did to popular Arabic music. I am not a musicologist but I am a researcher in pop culture and his influence cannot even begin to be measured, and no, not just the Fairouz repertoire - I am talking everyone else, the whole artists he fostered and those whose careers he pampered, or the greats he collaborated with (many of the late Sabah songs were his compositions!) not to mention advertising jingles galore (Barilla anyone?), or the songs he made for children (3ammi bou massoud) or the eternal theme songs (Allo? Hayete) and the list goes on!