Thread: BBC Article on ME pop music

For all the middle eastern pop music fans who have been hanging out on the recent pop music threads, here's an interesting article on the emergence and influence of Arab pop music.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6666725.stm

This is a similar piece, but about egyptian pop stars like Ruby

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/4722945.stm

What I don't get is why they need to say that there is an either..or situation with pop and Khalsoum. Surely it's more about what is appropriate at the time and generation. Appreciation of Sinatra or Bach didn't die out when the Beatles started up and neither will Oum Khalsoum now that ruby is here.

Originally Posted by waldim10

What I don't get is why they need to say that there is an either..or situation with pop and Khalsoum. Surely it's more about what is appropriate at the time and generation. Appreciation of Sinatra or Bach didn't die out when the Beatles started up and neither will Oum Khalsoum now that ruby is here.

No, never. Oum Khalsoum will outlive all of the newer stars. The people love her and older stars like Abdel Halim Hafiz much more. The "in" music has all the hype for a few months, but then people will return back for "real music". Most of the people in every generation say that old songs used to have message or story in the lyrics. They have meaning. That's why they are much better. I wrote about this in Finnish dance magazine, so asked around about this form many people.

Music and dance is changing but classical willalways remain classical like Oum kolthoum and Nagat.

Originally Posted by waldim10

What I don't get is why they need to say that there is an either..or situation with pop and Khalsoum. Surely it's more about what is appropriate at the time and generation. Appreciation of Sinatra or Bach didn't die out when the Beatles started up and neither will Oum Khalsoum now that ruby is here.

And every no musical movement in the west is always at some point called "Not Your Father's xyz" It's a music journalism mad lib: Fill in the blanks with the hot new band, call the previous generation's music stodgy and tired, get paid for writing the same article umpteen million people have written before.