In “Behind the Song,” we discover how a family story turned into a song that touches our emotions, reminding us that some of those who are absent remain present in our memory, no matter how far they go.
In one of her interviews, artist Mays Harb recounted the story that inspired her song “Bet’ateb khayalak bi-zil soura” (You reproach your imagination in the shadow of a photo). It goes back to her grandfather, who used to sit and contemplate a photo of his granddaughters with a small smile, in a house that once bustled with life, before his children and grandchildren traveled and distances grew between them.
From this simple scene, a song was born that evokes moments of loneliness, when a photo becomes a window to memories, and imagination becomes a way to meet those who are absent.
“Bet’ateb khayalak bi-zil soura wa ma hada abalak” (You reproach your imagination in the shadow of a photo, with no one in front of you); words that summarize a feeling known to everyone who has missed their loved ones, as they recall their features and imagine their presence, despite the distances and the absence.
