The country of the Cedars has witnessed, for centuries, several waves of departures of Lebanese towards new horizons. It is therefore inconceivable to ignore the influence of these migratory movements on the production of Lebanese artists in their new host lands, who always remember where they come from, and do not miss an opportunity to confirm their nostalgia. and their attachment to their native country.
Some say they have their hearts slung; for Yara Lapidus, daughter of Tire endowed with the “look of a Phoenician”, it is Lebanon that takes the place of the thrilling experience she takes with her wherever she goes. Currently residing in the heart of the Parisian capital with her husband, the famous couturier Olivier Lapidus, Yara, a stylist by training, has found refuge in music and writing, where she decides to venture, with a firm resolve to make a tribute to Lebanon in each of his musical works.
A little girl in a navy blue skirt in pre-war Lebanon, Yara Lapidus, née Wakim, keeps in her memory and in her heart a string of splendid images of her native country, with the scent of roses and jasmine. Wishing to share these nostalgic reminiscences of the beautiful Lebanon of yesteryear, she preferred to entrust the mission of transcribing her memories of the land of cedars to her husband. Thus, Olivier Lapidus writes a text celebrating his wife’s Lebanon, which he baptizes “The Cedar”, to music by Kike Santander, enhanced with a refrain in Lebanese Arabic by Nabil Khalidi, where Yara declares her love to ” Sour ” (Tyr), quoted bathed in light and flowery scents. Le “Cèdre” is an excerpt from the first eponymous album by the Lebanese-French artist, released in 2009, and its clip was entirely filmed in Lebanon.
“I have Lebanon on my shoulder
It’s today and it was yesterday
With my school bag
The port of Tire as a landmark
Little navy blue skirt
Who comes alive
I hear the wind under your arches
The rustles of your alleys
Sometimes your fruits are pomegranates
But in my eyes I see your sky
I smell your perfumes
Sandalwood, rose and jasmine
I breathe you, I feel good
Chorus:
Farewell cedar
I took the risk of losing you
But if my body is in Paris
You have my heart, you took it from me
And my soul too
You are my closest orient
A little medal in my pocket
The keychain of my smiles
Not enough words to tell you
forever you will be
Near me
Near me
I have the gaze of a Phoenician
My makeup is sienna
A line of kohl on my eyelids
The port of Tire as a landmark
Even though I grew up
If I saw other cities, other countries
I carry you within me, that’s how it is”
(To review previous songs, please click here)
