The song "From Souvenirs To Souvenirs" has become one of the most recognizable foreign compositions. Music lovers called the bright hit "Souvenir". But the correct translation sounds like "From memory to memory."
In the seventies, a beautiful single with a non-trivial name was performed by pop singer in the style of rocker Artemios Venturios Roussos. The music world knows him as Demis Roussos. The owner of the velvety timbre received the nicknames "Greek Nightingale", "Modern Orpheus". The vocals of the colorful Greek were compared to sugar syrup: the listeners were thrilled by him.
First try
Born in the Greek city of Alexandria, the singer has visited many countries, but always and everywhere called himself Greek. The famous song appeared on an album called "Souvenirs". Together with previously recorded and already sounded singles, the composition entered the British chart.
The music for the future hit was written by the composer Stelios Vlavianos, and the words were written by Alexander Korumjan or Alex Konstantinos, who collaborated with many stars. Interestingly, the same melody served as the basis for the song "Giati fovasai", which sounded in 1975. And the novelty was performed by the singer Marinella.
It is not known which version sounded earlier, but still there is evidence that Marinella did not gain much success. And it hardly makes sense to discuss what someone likes. However, considering "From Souvenirs To Souvenirs" as the main hit of Roussos is a clear mistake. The singer has many other successes, no less bright.
Success
His star on a global scale lit up after the album "Forever and Ever". The track list was closed with a sad and heartfelt composition "Good Buy, My Love, Good Buy", the popularity of which has not diminished over time.
The released disc contains only hits. The singer's first solo single "We Shall Dance" also won international recognition. Although many songs of the Greek vocalist are recognizable from the first notes, it is “Souvenir” that has become the most recognizable creation.
Such a popular hit simply could not do without the Russian version. It appeared in 1977. The Red Poppies ensemble performed the song "First Love". The text conveyed the melancholy of the original, but nevertheless was noticeably different from it, turning into a semblance of memories of love.
Megahit
It turns out that the meaning is not distorted, only the words are different. Several covers have also appeared. One of them sang Professor Lebedinsky with the group "Russian Size" as the song "Run of the Year".
A version has been released that refers to the rocker past of Roussos. This interpretation was presented by the group "Agatha Christie". The title of their hit is "The Years Are Going".
The song was covered many times by various artists, for example, in 2004 it was performed by the duet "Smash", Sergey Lazarev with Vlad Topalov. With this single, Sergey Penkin embodied the image of a Greek nightingale in the show "One to One". Even in the "Voice" competition, the composition was performed by Zhan Milimerov, an ex-member of the "Prime Minister" group.
In early 2015, Demis Roussos died. But the musician was not forgotten, they continue to listen to him and admire his voice.
