I can't believe no one's commented on this song yet. Anais is known for incorporating literature and journalism, but she outdoes herself on this one. With a line like "i could tell you stories like the government tell lies", how could you go wrong?
I read that the song is about a middle-aged Egyptian woman. She calls on her "mother" Om Kalthoum, an immensely popular Egyptian singer, who used to give performances on the radio on Thursday nights.
She also calls on her "grandmother', Scheherazade, the woman who married the sultan and spun the tales for one thousand and one nights.
And finally, "in the rooms the women come and go talking on the mobile phones" is a nearly direct quote from T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".
Absolutely! This is definitely one of her best songs, in my opinion.
Absolutely! This is definitely one of her best songs, in my opinion.
I had caught the references to Oum Kalthoum and Scheherazade, but had no idea about the T.S. Eliot paraphrase. That's interesting, I'll have to read that poem. Thanks for explaining that!
I had caught the references to Oum Kalthoum and Scheherazade, but had no idea about the T.S. Eliot paraphrase. That's interesting, I'll have to read that poem. Thanks for explaining that!
@Hasana I was aware of Umm Kulthum because of the song Omar Sharif from the Band's Visit and in fact thought of her when I heard the lyrics but didn't know that it was a direct reference. Thank you for the info. What a beautiful song and haunting melody.
@Hasana I was aware of Umm Kulthum because of the song Omar Sharif from the Band's Visit and in fact thought of her when I heard the lyrics but didn't know that it was a direct reference. Thank you for the info. What a beautiful song and haunting melody.
I can't believe no one's commented on this song yet. Anais is known for incorporating literature and journalism, but she outdoes herself on this one. With a line like "i could tell you stories like the government tell lies", how could you go wrong? I read that the song is about a middle-aged Egyptian woman. She calls on her "mother" Om Kalthoum, an immensely popular Egyptian singer, who used to give performances on the radio on Thursday nights. She also calls on her "grandmother', Scheherazade, the woman who married the sultan and spun the tales for one thousand and one nights. And finally, "in the rooms the women come and go talking on the mobile phones" is a nearly direct quote from T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".
Absolutely! This is definitely one of her best songs, in my opinion.
Absolutely! This is definitely one of her best songs, in my opinion.
I had caught the references to Oum Kalthoum and Scheherazade, but had no idea about the T.S. Eliot paraphrase. That's interesting, I'll have to read that poem. Thanks for explaining that!
I had caught the references to Oum Kalthoum and Scheherazade, but had no idea about the T.S. Eliot paraphrase. That's interesting, I'll have to read that poem. Thanks for explaining that!
@Hasana I was aware of Umm Kulthum because of the song Omar Sharif from the Band's Visit and in fact thought of her when I heard the lyrics but didn't know that it was a direct reference. Thank you for the info. What a beautiful song and haunting melody.
@Hasana I was aware of Umm Kulthum because of the song Omar Sharif from the Band's Visit and in fact thought of her when I heard the lyrics but didn't know that it was a direct reference. Thank you for the info. What a beautiful song and haunting melody.