SubscribePalestinian Band Has Hit With Nasrallah Song
From Nasrallah's other fans at the DNC's Associated Press:
The El Haija Brothers.
Song in praise of Hezbollah chief propels West Bank boy band to local stardom
Sarah El Deeb, Canadian Press
Published: Friday, August 25, 2006YAMOUN, West Bank (AP) - They were struggling in a boy band, working the West Bank wedding circuit and dreaming of stardom.
Now the five singers who make up the Northern Band have come a little closer to their goal, with help from an unwitting ally - Hezbollah guerrilla chief Hassan Nasrallah.
At the height of the Israel-Hezbollah war, the band wrote new lyrics, in praise of Nasrallah, for an old tune. The Hawk of Lebanon song tapped into Nasrallah's huge popularity among Palestinians and became an instant hit.
The song is being played on Arab TV networks, used as a ring tone for cell phones, passed around on e-mail and distributed on pirate CDs and tapes. Music stores have trouble keeping up with demand, in part because Israeli soldiers have confiscated some Nasrallah tapes and CDs at checkpoints.
Basking in its newfound success, the band has doubled its fee per performance to $230 US. At a recent wedding in the town of Ramallah, the band was asked to play the Nasrallah song six times.
Lead singer and manager Alaa Abu al-Haija, 28, said he gives the audiences what they want to hear.
"I see people turning toward Islam, so I have to sing to that," said Alaa, sitting in the living room of his family's two-storey house in the northern West Bank village of Yamoun.
The lyrics consist of constant repetition of a few simple rhymes: "Hey, you, hawk of Lebanon. Hey, you, Nasrallah. Your men are from Hezbollah and victory is yours with God's help."
Alaa and his two younger brothers and band partners - Nour, 25, and Mohammed, 22 - are already working on the next song about Nasrallah. Alaa also wrote the Hamas election song, to the same tune as the Nasrallah anthem, but it never reached the same popularity.
Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the song is considered inflammatory and that tapes and CDs containing it will be confiscated. He said police in and around Jerusalem have found no copies of the song so far, but that officers have searched music stores and are on the lookout for contraband.
Palestinian society is divided, with some pledging loyalty to the Islamic militant Hamas, which took power in March, and others backing the Fatah movement of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
However, Hezbollah fever appears to have united the Palestinians, who feel deep resentment against Israel after 39 years of military occupation, including harsh restrictions on travel, commerce and other aspects of daily life. Many admire Hezbollah for holding off Israel's mighty army - similar to the popular support enjoyed by then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein when he fired Scud missiles at Israel in the 1991 Gulf War.
"We used to sing for Saddam," said Saed Akrawi, 26, whose perfume shop in downtown Jenin is adorned with a Nasrallah portrait, next to posters of models. "Saddam is gone. We want someone else to sing for."
Does it have a beat? Can you dance to it? You can listen to it here and be judge for yourself.
Here are the catchy lyrics, courtesy of the music lovers at the BBC:
Hawk Of Lebanon
I hail thee, hawk of Lebanon
I welcome thee, Hassan Nasrallah
Here are your men, Hezbollah
Victory, victory with the help of God.
Nasrallah, this brave person
He responded to the calls to take vengeance
The Arab blood became hotter and hotter
The boldness and the courage that characterizes this battle is an Islamic courage
You can launch as many rockets as you want
But our people will never surrender
History will write your story
And God will always bless you
Your rockets in Israel all generations will talk about
And your Katyushas have scared the Zionists
Nasrallah, raise your voice
Our people are used to welcoming death
We do not want money or treasures or wealth
All we want is to live a free life
Blood only brings blood
And I hope we can destroy your life and make you worry
Zionism and Zionists are the biggest poison in Arab land
It’s not quite "I Want To Hold Your Hand."
Update!
At Free Republic, photoshop artist Andy58-in-nh has provided the boys with an image make-over:
It’s an improvement for sure.