Helwa ya baladi

"Helwa ya baladi" (Egyptian Arabic: حلوة يا بلدي; "Oh Sweet, My Homeland") is an Egyptian Arabic song by Dalida from 1979,[1] enjoying great popularity in the Middle East and the Arab diaspora.[2][3][4] The song is an homage to Egypt, Dalida's birthplace, and is considered representative of the nationalistic pride felt by many Egyptians.[5][6][7]

"Helwa ya baladi"
Cover of single
Song by Dalida
Released1979 (1979)
Recorded1979
StudioCBE
Genre
Length3:33
LabelInternational Shows
Composer(s)
  • Gilbert Sinoué
  • Bernard Liamis
  • Jeff Barnel
Lyricist(s)Marwan Saada
Producer(s)Orlando

It was sung by tens to hundreds of thousands of Egyptians who demonstrated in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.[8]

Background and significance

The song is composed in the key of C minor, although the chorus is in F minor. It is the second song in Arabic language for Dalida after her hit "Salma Ya Salama". Dalida sang it during French television broadcasts.

Versions

The song was also registered in French as "Comment l'oublier" in 1981, in Spanish (despite the Italian title) as "Io t'amerò" in 1984 and remixed in Spanish for the album Le rêve oriental in 1998.

The song has been covered many times notably by French-Israeli singer Ishtar in 2005 in the album Je sais d'où je viens in Arabic and Spanish. It was also recorded by the Lebanese singer Elissa in 2014 in her album Halet Hob.

References
  1. "Dalida – Helwa Ya Baladi". Discogs. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  2. mahmoud.khateeb. "داليدا.. الإيطالية التي غنى معها العرب "حلوة يا بلدي"". www.alaraby.co.uk/ (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  3. "صاحبة أغنية "حلوة يا بلدي".. غوغل يحتفل بذكرى ميلاد داليدا". www.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. "أرمينيا تعرض أطعمتها التقليدية وشبابها يغنون "حلوة يا بلدي" في قصر البارون | المصري اليوم". www.almasryalyoum.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  5. ""حلوة يا بلدي".. رسالة حب من صديق فرنسي إلى "داليدا"". www.albawabhnews.com (in Arabic). 8 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  6. ""حلوة يا بلدي".. داليدا رحلت عن العالم وتركت وراءها رسالة من 5 كلمات". صدى البلد (in Arabic). 20 July 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  7. "Seeing Egypt Through Dalida's 'Helwa Ya Baladi' | Egyptian Streets". 18 January 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  8. ""Helwa ya Baladi" : Dalida et la géopolitique". www.franceinter.fr (in French). Retrieved 27 September 2021.
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