Thread: The Song "Wah Wah"

Can anybody give me background information on the song Wah Wah? It has a Khaleegy beat, and it appeared briefly on the video Nadia Gamal - The Legend. I have a translation of it on my web site at Arabic Music: Translated Lyrics To Wah Wah Adanou Adanou along with a RealAudio clip of it that you can listen to if you have the RealAudio player.

The clip I used on the page with the translation comes from an old cassette tape by a band called MB Orchestra that used to play in the Seattle area. (Do they still?)

Questions I have about the song:

1. Does anyone happen to know who the musician/band was that originally made the song popular in the Arab world?

2. Can anyone steer me to a vendor that sells a CD with this song on it by the original artist that made it famous?

3. Does anyone know of any other bands who have recorded CD's with this song on it? Ie, other versions available that I could buy? (Yes, I still have the MB Orchestra cassette tape, but I'm interested in discovering other versions as well.)

If this is the song that I think it is, I have a version of it from a Khaleegi workshop I took with Faten Salama about 3 years ago. Big coincedence . . . someone asked me today if I knew where she could find a translation and your site was one of the links I gave her!! Strange!!

There's a version on Bassam Ayoub's Raks Balady

Dahlal Internationale

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

There's a version on Bassam Ayoub's Raks Balady

Dahlal Internationale

Thanks so much! I've ordered it!

Any other CD's with this song anyone wants to recommend? Or any more background anyone wants to share on it?

Hi Shira,

Do you have Hossam Ramzy's CD "Egyptian Rai"? There's a version of Wah Wah on it, I haven't listened to it for ages but I think it's about a six/seven minute instrumental version.

I'll dig it out later this morning and look at the liner notes, I'm sure it says something about the song.

Incidentally, I remember that Nadia Gamal and her dancers dance to this son on the end of the HMC Nadia the Legend DVD.

Love Nikki XXX

Originally Posted by cbarros

If this is the song that I think it is, I have a version of it from a Khaleegi workshop I took with Faten Salama about 3 years ago. Big coincedence . . . someone asked me today if I knew where she could find a translation and your site was one of the links I gave her!! Strange!!

I forgot to mention that Faten did sell one of those compilation CDs, which contains the music she uses for her workshops: Faten Salama Present Khaber-Eih, Great Dance Songs (it is not listed for sale on her website anymore).

Ragheb Alama sang it.

Norma, thanks for pointing me to Ragheb Alama! I just trudged through every CD description of his on maqam.com without seeing any songs titled "Wah Wah". Do you happen to know whether the song is sometimes known by another title?

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Norma, thanks for pointing me to Ragheb Alama! I just trudged through every CD description of his on maqam.com without seeing any songs titled "Wah Wah". Do you happen to know whether the song is sometimes known by another title?

I looked on rashid.com and couldn't find it either. I think it might be called something else but I can't recall. We always called it Wa Wa but I think even back then it was just a "nickname" for the song. I can't think of any of the lyrics before the wa wa. Something like hadouni maybe? I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure it is him.

I'll ask around.

Originally Posted by norma

I looked on rashid.com and couldn't find it either. I think it might be called something else but I can't recall. We always called it Wa Wa but I think even back then it was just a "nickname" for the song. I can't think of any of the lyrics before the wa wa. Something like hadouni maybe? I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure it is him.

I'll ask around.

I think I've heard it called "Wah Wah Adanou Adanou" but the transliteration I got from Yasmina Ramzy several years ago doesn't have "adanou" anywhere in the lyrics. Puzzling. Though I suppose it's possible that what I got from Yasmina may have been only part of the song. I guess I could email her to ask too!

Please do ask around - I'd love to get a version of the song by the original artist!

Oh, I have a version of this kicking around somewhere - if I can dig it up when I get back from campus, will let you know shira. I fell in love with this song via the Nadia video too! It was really hard to track down.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Norma, thanks for pointing me to Ragheb Alama! I just trudged through every CD description of his on maqam.com without seeing any songs titled "Wah Wah". Do you happen to know whether the song is sometimes known by another title?

Ragheb Alama sang "Wadana" which I think has the "Wah wah" in the choruses between verses. OTOH, I may be misremembering this. It's buried somewhere in my cassette collection. The "wah wah" is pronounced "wa ho waa", that is you have to pronounce the 'h' in the middle.

Originally Posted by leylalanty

Ragheb Alama sang "Wadana" which I think has the "Wah wah" in the choruses between verses. OTOH, I may be misremembering this. It's buried somewhere in my cassette collection. The "wah wah" is pronounced "wa ho waa", that is you have to pronounce the 'h' in the middle.

Hmmm, maqam.com is selling a Ragheb Alama CD titled Wadana Wadana. Unfortunately, the link to the sound clip on their web site doesn't seem to be working. Considering that others have told me in the past that the song title was "Wah Wah Adanou Adanou", this would fit, despite the fact that the translation I got from Yasmina doesn't have the word "adanou" in it.

Maybe I'll be brave and order that CD titled Wadana Wadana and hope for the best! Even if it turns out to NOT be the song I'm looking for, maybe I'll like it anyway!

Originally Posted by leylalanty

Ragheb Alama sang "Wadana" which I think has the "Wah wah" in the choruses between verses. OTOH, I may be misremembering this. It's buried somewhere in my cassette collection. The "wah wah" is pronounced "wa ho waa", that is you have to pronounce the 'h' in the middle.

I listened to the sound clip of Wadana and it didn't sound like the same song to me at all.

I asked an Arabic musician and he thought the name of the song was Wah Wah Adouna Adouna and the singer Walid Tawfic. But I can't find it under him either on Rashid and Maqam doesn't list the titles.

http://www.mazikana.com/Songs/R/Ragh...a---Wadana.mp3

Hi Shira, I dont think this is the song you're thinking of...

Faten's khaleegy class is currently working on her choreography to this song. I'll ask on Friday if she knows whose version it is. I have the compilation CD around here somewhere, but it most likely does not identify the artist.

It is on Faten's Best of 2005 CD. I knew I had it somewhere.

Originally Posted by david

http://www.mazikana.com/Songs/R/Ragh...a---Wadana.mp3

Hi Shira, I dont think this is the song you're thinking of...

Right, I listened - it's not.

I've uploaded a 50-second clip from the song to help people identify / confirm which song I'm talking about. I can't figure out how to link directly to this specific song, but if you go to the "Audios" section of bhuz at http://www.bhuz.com/index.php?cmd=/public/music/ you'll see that I've uploaded it under the title of Wah Wah Adanou Adanou.

The version I uploaded comes from a cassette tape I bought years ago from Orchestra MB, a fabulous band in Seattle. It really is a great version, though I'd still like to track down a recording by the original artist!

Faten reports that the original is by Waleed Tawfik. It's on her Best of 2005 and Khaber-Eih CDs, but I haven't yet found it anywhere else.

Zana, thanks so much for asking Faten! It's always possible that the original can no longer be purchased, but I think I'll dig around and see if I can find it!

I just listened to the Orchestra MB version again a few days ago, and I just can't sit still once that song gets going! It's so much fun!

Shira, I suggest calling Maqam and asking them. They carry a lot of Walid Tawfic CD's they just don't list the titles on their website.

I would still like to find the Walid Toufic version of this song on CD or mp3 I finally found it on youtube!

And the original