Thread: over used songs?

Q for those who are lucky enough to frequent haflas?

Which songs are overused?

I think it really depends on the locality - we've had threads before where one person says a song is wayyyyy overplayed in their community, but others say it's rare to hear in theirs.

In my neck of the woods, I would say "Simarik" (Tarkan's "Kiss Kiss" song) and almost anything off of BDSS 1, 2 or 3 is past it's due date.

You know, there will be songs I'm TOTALLY sick of, never want to hear ever again. Alf Leyla wa Leyla was one, and most definitely Habibi ya Eini which would make me want to run for the door with my fingers in my ears. But then . . . I'll hear some wonderful different arrangement, some recording I never heard before, and I'll see the song in a whole new light and I'll be performing to it. So I'm thinking it's not the songs themselves I'm sick of, just certain recordings that are overplayed.
Rosette

The one I always mention on threads like this. Sahra Saidi. Just don't. Really. Its a very nice drum solo - but at a large show, its guaranteed to see AT LEAST 10 dancers perform to it....

(I'm one of those Habibi Ya Eyni lovers, but I've never actually performed with it in a belly dance audience situation, cause I know it's overused.)

Simarik, El Wala Wala, Sahra Saidi, and a couple of other songs that I don't actually know the name of, I just recognize them frequently.

Evrything from the BDSS cd's, but especially...ice queen with isis wings. I sat through haf'la's with three performers using this song and doing a rather poor siswings choreo. Then I went to the BDotW contest in Duisburg, and another fifteen people used it.

One of the judges mentioned afterwards that she never wanted to hear the BDSS songs ever again.

Anything Amir Diab, Hakim, or Natacha Atlas (don't get me wrong I like their music but arabic pop is like a gateway drug to richer more evocative arabic music and many newbies refer to the pop songs because they may be more relatable.)

BDSS 1,2 & 3

That Sting song "Desert Rose"

I've heard a lot of Batwanes Beek lately (but I love it so I'm not sick of it)

Enta Omri (beautiful song, but dance it right and there's no problem)

Shashkin

Originally Posted by mekyria

Then I went to the BDotW contest in Duisburg, and another fifteen people used it.

..l;,..l;,..l;,

I feel your pain...

I'm probably the only dancer on the planet who hasn't done Isis wings to "Ice Queen" - I probably should just to make my career complete...

Originally Posted by _Tanya_

Anything Amir Diab, Hakim, or Natacha Atlas...

I'll second you on Hakim - 'cause I can't stand his blaring voice - but I love "I put a spell on you"... ..l;,

'round here, you can plan on several newbies and their sisters to do whatever Rachel Brice-The Indigo performed most recently.

I can't believe I forgot Desert Rose. I love the song, but I don't want to ever see another performance done to it. Ditto anything by Shakira. Though I'm sure that goes without saying.
To me Hakim just sounds like constant yelling.

Oh! OK, I'm dating myself but for a while there it was Marco Polo and Warda's Harramt Ahebbak

Maybe I should pull those out and dust them off.

When I first started dancing, "Desert Rose" was all the rage, but I don't think I've seen anyone perform to it in at least a couple of years here.

shik.
shak.
shok.

nuff said.

I must agree with all that has been mentioned.

Especially, BDSS... I love them, but I am not into buying their CDs anymore just for this reason. I feel like I am listening to my local radio station that plays the songs over and over again.

Alf Leyla wa Leyla was one,

I have to smack my BF every time a dancer uses this. He HATES this song. I don't think he was a fan to begin with but I started using it as a closing song (really identifiable no matter what I'm doing) and he heard it a lot at that point.

I'm sick of every song on 1001 Nights. My former teacher used it in class almost every week and so it was at every student night and show from then on.

ETA: Crap now I have "Desert Rose" overlaying "Shik Shak Shok" in my head.

Wow I would have to agree to EVERYTHING on all these lists!!

What about Habibi Dah? And of course that Egyptian-Spanish pop song that I have heard so many times and totally banned out of my brain so that I can't even remember the title. You all know it and probably have seen half a dozen wannabe Oriental-Flamenco choreos to it...

But the absolute numero uno of all times "overused song of the universe" is that drum solo from Jalilah's Raks Sharki Vol. 1
You aren't a complete bellydancer if you haven't learned at least 2 choreos on this ..l;,

MEISSOUN

Guess I'm not complete! ..l;, I've only learned one.

Originally Posted by meissoun

But the absolute numero uno of all times "overused song of the universe" is that drum solo from Jalilah's Raks Sharki Vol. 1
You aren't a complete bellydancer if you haven't learned at least 2 choreos on this ..l;,

MEISSOUN

Hmmmm.. I'm not feeling this way about anything at the moment!

Yay!!

A couple of years ago, it was Simarik, Sahra Saidi, Nour el Ayn, Desert Rose, Chicky, some Natacha Atlas, and everything on BDSS 1.

But that all died down and nothing new has been overplayed so badly recently.

shik shack crap
shikira

i detest hips dont lie and ice/drama queen and entrance of the stars

but i also love and use

- raks bedaya
- tales of the sahara
- yearning
- fi el awaya
- el hantour
- a lot of saad

allll on BDSS cds, but they did put some beuatifull music on there, and for some easier more GP length friendly versions than the original, yes that's sad, but also very true... and i'm crap at editing music myself so i'll take whatever nice 5-6 minute cuts are out there already, done professionally and way better than i could;

also, many of my students have these cds, so it's nice for them to use stuff that is easy available.they know and often own already etc

i get tired with alf leyla wa leyla, and zeina, and the like, untill i find some new to me version, and i fall in love with it all over again.

oh, and simarik, i'm definitely guilty of using, if i know the client absolutely wants people to get up and dance, and it's a venue were for some reason (personell party and people arent comfortable, etc) i think this might be difficult to achieve, this is the song to break out for instant results...

Originally Posted by zorba

..l;,..l;,..l;,

I feel your pain...

I'm probably the only dancer on the planet who hasn't done Isis wings to "Ice Queen" - I probably should just to make my career complete...

Don't worry, I've also taken the path less traveled. Never performed to Ice Queen. But I think I recently did wings to "Entrance to the Stars" by the same composer .w.:

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

But I think I recently did wings to "Entrance to the Stars" by the same composer .w.:

I used Entrance of the Stars at my BellyGram this past Saturday! ..l;,

Hahahaha! Laura, what are you gonna do? *shrug* I do what audiences like. Unfortunately, they like all the stuff that I think is sooooooooo overplayed ,r:;

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Hahahaha! Laura, what are you gonna do? *shrug* I do what audiences like. Unfortunately, they like all the stuff that I think is sooooooooo overplayed ,r:;

The thing is, for them it's not overplayed, it's likely the first time they've ever heard the darn thing. A hafla full of dancers and Uncle Charlie's 50th birthday party at the Lion's Club can often call for vastly different musical selections.

Originally Posted by meissoun

What about Habibi Dah? And of course that Egyptian-Spanish pop song that I have heard so many times and totally banned out of my brain so that I can't even remember the title. You all know it and probably have seen half a dozen wannabe Oriental-Flamenco choreos to it...

But the absolute numero uno of all times "overused song of the universe" is that drum solo from Jalilah's Raks Sharki Vol. 1
You aren't a complete bellydancer if you haven't learned at least 2 choreos on this ..l;,

MEISSOUN

Which drum solo? the first or the second one?

No list of overplayed BD songs is complete without the "happy birthday" song. I always forget who sings it, but I hate it. Even my restaurant manager hates it, now, and refuses to play it (thank heavens!).

I don't care how overplayed Desert Rose, Ice Queen, or Habibi Ya Eini are, I still like them and, yes, occasionally dance to them in GP audiences. At haflas I *try* to find something new, but even with well over 1,000 songs on my Ipod, it's hard to find "new" stuff. Really.

Warda by Warda. Nice song but I have seen too much choreographies using this song.

I can get tired of 'Alf Leyla wa leyla' and 'Zeina' but these are timeless songs and after a while I feel like hearing and using them again.

I use Shik Shak Shok all the time when I perform for a non-bellydance audience. I have never used it at a hafla or something like that though.

Originally Posted by adeylah

ETA: Crap now I have "Desert Rose" overlaying "Shik Shak Shok" in my head.

Sounds like a crazy bellydance mash up..."Desert Shok". ..l;,