This 2'50" video is about Georges Moustaki (born Giuseppe Mustacchi; (May 3, 1934 – May 23, 2013) was an Egyptian-French singer-songwriter of Jewish Italo-Greek origin, best known for the poetic rhythm and simplicity of the romantic songs he composed and often sang. Moustaki gave France some of its best-loved music by writing about 300 songs for some of the most popular singers in that country, such as Édith Piaf, Dalida, Françoise Hardy, Yves Montand, Barbara, Brigitte Fontaine, Herbert Pagani, France Gall, Cindy Daniel, Juliette Greco, Pia Colombo, and Tino Rossi, as well as for himself.
In 1969, Moustaki composed the song "Le Métèque" — 'métèque' is a pejorative word for a shifty-looking immigrant of Mediterranean origin — in which he described himself as a "wandering Jew" and a "Greek shepherd". Serge Reggiani rejected it and the record companies refused to produce it. Moustaki then sang it himself, on a 45rpm disc, and it became a huge hit in France, spending six non consecutive weeks at number one in the charts. "A small, subliminal settling of scores became the hymn of anti-racism and the right to be different, the cry of revolt of all minorities,” Moustaki said of the song.
In 1971 as I was playing music in a posh restaurant in Montreal we had the surprise visit of Georges who arrived with a group of friends to dine, I immediately sung Le Métèque. We had a good laugh and he honoured me with his autograph signed in my music book see the page at the end of the video clip. It was a surreal experience to be singing his song while he was sitting a few steps away from me.

**Producer Paul Mardinian

свернуть