AÏcha




















Khaled's French & Arabic lyrics followed by Outlandish's English lyrics *
Comme si je n’existais pas, elle est passée à côté de moi Sans un regard, reine de “Saba”, j’ai dit Aïcha prends tout est pour toi

Voici les perles les bijoux, aussi l’or autour de ton cou Les fruits, biens mûrs au goût de miel, ma vie, Aïcha si tu m’aimes

J’irai où ton souffle nous mène, dans les pays d’ivoire et d’ébène J’effacerai tes larmes ou tes peines, rien n’est trop beau pour une si belle
Aïcha, Aïcha écoute moi, Aïcha, Aïcha t’en vas pas Aïcha, Aïcha regarde moi, Aïcha, Aïcha réponds-moi J

e dirai les mots des poèmes, je jouerai les musiques du ciel Je prendrai les rayons du soleil, pour éclairer tes yeux de reine Aïcha, Aïcha écoute moi,

Aïcha, Aïcha t’en vas pas Aïcha, Aïcha regarde moi, Aïcha, Aïcha réponds-moi

Elle m’a dit: « Garde tes trésors, moi je vaux mieux que tout ça Des barreaux sont des barreaux, même en or Je veux les mêmes droits que toi Et du respect pour chaque jour, moi je ne veux que de l’amour »

Nbrik Aicha ou nmout allik ’Hhadi kisat hayaty wa habbi Inti omri wa inti hayati Tmanit niish maake ghir inti

Outlandish's Aïcha
So sweet, so beautiful
Everyday like a queen on her throne
Don't nobody knows how she feels
Aicha, Lady one day it will be real
She moves, she moves like a breeze
I swear I can't get her out of my dreams
To have her shining right here by my side
I'd sacrifice all them tears in my eyes

Aicha Aicha - passing me by (there she goes again)
Aicha Aicha - my my my (is it really real)
Aicha Aicha - smile for me now
Aicha Aicha - in my life

She holds her child to her heart
Makes her feel like she is blessed from above
Falls asleep underneath her sweet tears
Her lullaby fades away with his fears

She needs somebody to lean on
Someone body, mind & soul
To take her hand, to take her world
And show her the time of her life, so true
Throw the pain away for good
No more contemplating boo
Lord knows the way she feels
Everyday in his name she begins
To have her shining right here by my side
I'd sacrifice all them tears in my eyes
Aicha Aicha - ecoute moi
*Outlandish's English lyrics are not a tranlation of the original AÏcha, but rather an inspired interpretation of the original song.



AÏcha, emancipation of women, and Khaled's role

AÏcha was first song by the King of Rai music, Khaled. Khaled's version of AÏcha is fresh and unique to an American’s ears. His voice is pure with the simple instrumentation in the background. The pace picks up slightly and gives a beautiful contrast between the upbeat percussion and Khaled’s sometime heart-ache filled voice and his distinctly Arabic melisma. The mixture of French and Arabic lyrics is an appropriate symbol of the the melange of cultures that is the Mediterranean. This can also be seen in the music of the song, which combines pop and Arabic music in one song for an overall lovely song, that is perfect for Khaled given his connection to both Algeria and France. The words in the song are most powerful when Khaled sings AÏcha’s response to her admirer. The words can be, and are, inspirational to even women in America where women are regarded more equivalently in society because they have a universal moral. The woman explains that she is worth more than the gold and jewelry she is being offered and in a materialistic society such as ours it is an empowering message to hear, especially from a woman who has few rights and little else to hope for.

Khaled, the king of rai music, has sung music with a powerful message throughout his career (much to the displeasure of the fundamentalists in power) so AÏcha was not his first song with great significance. In his country of Algeria, women are not socially and legally equal to men. According to Freedom House, “While the constitution guarantees equality between genders, the 1984 family code, a set of laws based largely on Islamic law interpretations, treats women as minors under the legal guardianship of their husbands and fathers. The restriction of women's personal freedoms under the law has served to reinforce women's inferior status within society. Thousands of Algerian women who refuse to follow FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) calls for the Islamization of Algerian society have also faced violence, displacement, and exile.” This background may have added to Khaled’s desire to contribute to this song. Source: Freedomhouse.org

the writer

AÏcha was written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, a French singer and songwriter, who collaborated on the lyrics with Khaled, the famous Algerian rai singer. According to IMDB.com Goldman wrote songs for many famous musicians including Celine Dion, Ray Charles, Johnny Hallyday, and Khaled.

According to Radio France Internationale, Goldman is a “one-man hit-machine.” Although he is not overtly political, Goldman has supported humanitarian causes. He participated in various events and concerts for the homeless, starving people in Ethiopia, and concert against racism. Goldman’s career spaned many decades and he has written many songs before Aicha, including one about women’s emancipation titled “Elle a fait une bébé toute seule” (She’s had a baby on her own.) Goldman has spent a career performing benefit concerts and on behalf of human rights. In 1997 Goldman and Algerian rai singer Khaled wrote the song “Aicha,” for which Khaled won Best Single at the “Victoires de la Musique.” The collaboration between Khaled and Goldman brought together two talented socially conscious musicians for the creation of the song AÏcha. source: Radio France International.

The Performers

Khaled

Perhaps the combination of Jean-Jacques Goldman’s and Khaled’s social consciousness was the biggest benefit to the song Aicha which the duo co-wrote. The song’s message is about the emancipation of women, sung from the perspective of a man who is in love with a woman with very few rights. There is something beautiful in the way that these men were able to put words to the ideal of women’s emancipation in such a way so as to captivate man’s misunderstanding of the true desires of this woman (freedom) and in the act of writing and singing the song, his capability of understanding what she truly wants and needs. It is not until near the end of the song that it becomes a song about more than unrequited love. Perhaps as a mimic of Arabic music with the long (instrumental) introduction, most of the song is an introduction to the heart of the song, at which point in the last verse Aicha denies the man saying, ““Keep your treasures/ I’m worth more than all that./ Bars are bars – even if they’re gold./ I want the same rights as you/ And respect for each day/ I don’t want anything but love.” photo- flickr.com

Outlandish

The Danish group Outlandish gives Aicha a much more modern, familiar sound in their version, with less of a rai or Arabic sound to the song. It turns Khaled’s song into a soothing pop/hip-hop song with a relaxing feel. The song has the same meaning and is a great cover for a band that is so socially conscious. The three members of Outlandish represent various cultures; Isam Bachiri is from Morocco, Waqas Wadri is from Pakistan, and Lenny Martinez is from Honduras but the three grew up north of Copenhagen. Their various origins are proudly on display in the band's name, "Outlandish" which in English means "of a foreign country or land," derived from Germanic languages from which foreigner translates literally to outlander [i.e. Auslander in German.] Isam, Waqas and Lenny inspire self-dignity in ways beyond their band's name – the members of the group encourage their fans to express their values, remember their past and believe in themselves. In an introduction to a live performance of Aicha, Waqas recites a quote he heard recently and it really conveys the group's beliefs regarding women’s rights. Waqas says, “If you educate a man, you educate one person. If you educate a woman, you liberate a nation.” In this same performance near the end of the song Lenny raps in Spanish, linking Outlandish’s version to Khaled’s Aicha where the rai singer ends the song with an Arabic verse.

AÏcha. How a song is crossing boarders

The song AÏcha has ties to Algeria (Khaled), France (Jean-Jacques Goldman & Khaled once again), Denmark (Outlandish) and the countries from which the Outlandish members come; Morocco, Honduras and Pakistan. Both versions of the song have an appeal that extends globally, making it a song that truly crosses stereotypes and national borders.

all the pictures came from flickr.com but the additions to the last picture of the world map were mine.

Outlandish's music video of Aïcha
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vu077-j95k8

Khaled's music video of Aïcha
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D2DPa1eGMpo

Outlandish, live....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=E50ryYhN2T4&feature=related
Its not great quality (however it does get better after the first few seconds), but the video provides an introduction to the song, by Isam and then Waqas, that is very insightful.