Five Songs, Thirty-Nine Versions, One Musical Rabbit Hole
- Auntie Helen
- May 31
- 6 min read
One of the most frequently asked questions by both beginner and advanced belly dance students alike is: how do you find new music to dance to?
The people asking are usually not very specific about the use case they need help with, but, upon further investigation, most are looking for music they can use for personal choreography projects or extracurricular group pieces. Others are searching for playlists suitable for home practice, rhythm study, or music analysis. Then there’s the niche category of inquisitive minds looking for music purely for the sake of music. No agenda, no grand performance plans, no gigging potential, no academic fervor.
…Do I really need to admit publicly that I belong squarely in that last category?
Well, there’s one thing that makes discovering new music even better: sharing it with someone whose taste matches yours. Nothing quite compares to DMing a YouTube link to your dance friend at 3 a.m. with an all-caps “OMG HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE? I LOVE IT!” attached to it.
Let’s pretend, just for today, that you all had the misfortune of being my dance friends, so I can aggressively yell a list of incredible music pieces at you - suitable for any purpose, whether that’s performance, practice, study, or simply spiraling into another late-night musical obsession.
But there’s a catch! In an effort to preserve at least the faintest illusion that this is an educational blog post - and not simply my personal diary with better formatting - I present to you five very well-known Arabic classics that every belly dancer should (and yes, I absolutely mean should) know.
After all, Raqs Sharqi is more than just a movement vocabulary. It is music, history, society, classism, politics, and so much more.
So, let’s dive right in!
Alf Leyla Wa Leyla (ألف ليلة وليلة), which translates to "A Thousand and One Nights."
Created by two giants of Arabic arts - Baligh Hamdi (music) and Moursi Jamil Aziz (lyrics) - for the queen of vocals, Umm Kulthum, it was first performed in 1969 and remains just as loved and recognizable today as it was nearly six decades ago.
It’s all well and good - and undeniably beautiful - but aren’t we supposedly not meant to dance to Umm Kulthum singing? Wouldn’t that be disrespectful?
Well… yes. I assure you, there is a very real possibility you will get roasted for dancing to the “Voice of Egypt” herself, so perhaps proceed with caution. Better yet - don’t - you are not Tahia Carioca.
However!
Allow me to present a smorgasbord of variations on this beloved classic. I highly recommend listening all the way to the end of each version I’m about to list. Some contain unexpected insertions - like a sudden drum solo appearing out of nowhere to ruin your emotional stability. Others reveal a musical intimacy that gets somewhat overshadowed in the original by the sheer grandeur of the orchestra. Some lean modern, others feel more traditional, but all of them offer a fascinating glimpse into how one iconic piece can evolve while still remaining unmistakably itself.
Shaimaa El Shayeb The voice! Oh, her voice is pure joy.
Marcos Otero feat. Eduardo Espinosa Molina This version is so uplifting you might get up and dance even if you’re old, tired and rusty, like me.
Lucas Baslini Note the different spelling of the song name.
Khalas Band Arabic metal. ‘Nuff said. It does not get better than this. Love, love, love.
Enta Omri (إنت عمري), meaning "You Are My Life" in English.
Oh boy - an electric guitar leading that iconic musical introduction… scandalous and beautiful.
This song predates Alf Leila Wa Leila and was released in 1964. It emerged from a president-encouraged collaboration between two artistic rivals: Umm Kulthum and composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab. The lyrics were written by the poet Ahmad Shafiq Kamel.
Just like with the previous song, I have a whole list of different renditions I’d love to share with you. They’re all wildly different - but fantastic in their own way. Indulge!
Hossam Ramzy Egyptian Ensemble This is just one of the versions of this masterpiece from the 2 CD set.
Nesma and Ahmed Abdel Fattah Make sure you listen to Part 2 as well!
Khalas Band You didn’t seriously expect a metalhead like me to not include a metal version, did you?
Leylet Hob (ليلة حب) translates to "A Night of Love."
Another iconic piece of Arabic musical art, it is one of the last collaborations of the same trio: singer Umm Kulthum, composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab, and poet Ahmad Shafiq Kamel. It was released just two years before Umm Kulthum’s death in 1975.
Riyad Mood The variety of instruments in this one!... I dare you not to fall in love with this version.
Omar Khorshed Note the different spelling.
DJ Said Mrad All my fellow club music lovers - I salute you!
Okay, we’ve made it through three iconic Egyptian songs, and we’ve still got two more to go. This shouldn’t take long.
Nah. It is time to go unhinged.
Never mind the tidy structure or any remaining semblance of restraint - you’ve entered the “one song, a dozen versions, and absolutely no regrets” zone.
Behold: Lamma Bada Yatathanna (لما بدا يتثنى)
A piece so elegant it somehow manages to feel both ancient and eternally fresh, depending on who’s arranging it, who’s singing it, and how many instruments they’ve decided to throw at it this time.
Lamma Bada Yatathana is in a completely different category from the mid-century Golden Era love songs like Enta Omri or Alf Leyla Wa Leyla. It is one of the oldest, most famous, and most revered pieces in the entire Arabic musical canon.
The song belongs to the muwashshah genre, which developed in Al-Andalus (Moorish Spain) between the 9th and 12th centuries. The author’s name has been lost to time, so it is considered part of traditional Arabic musical heritage. Lamma Bada Yatathanna is one of those rare pieces that feels forever timeless.
It really deserves its own post - so if you’re interested in this absolute masterpiece, there is plenty of information out there in the wild.
Lena Chamamyan - impeccable version that is included in every dance teacher’s music list.
Fairuz. No commentary necessary. (There’s about 18 seconds of silence in the beginning of this recording so please be patient.)
Sami Yusuf Oh, this is the version that got me hooked on this song - probably for life.
Parts of it are in English, but keep in mind this is an artistic interpretation rather than a word-for-word translation.
George Dimitri Sawa If you don’t know who Dr. Sawa is, please remedy that as soon as possible. His contribution to our understanding of Arabic musical traditions is so immense that it cannot be overstated.
Filip Holm and Marten Hillbom When you follow the link I’m providing here, you can see that the whole piece is performed by just two musicians, yet with a rich variety of instruments: oud, guitar, and several percussive instruments. There is also a short lecture on the history of Lamma Bada Yatathanna right after the music stops. Very nice!
Orchestra Arabica These days, no music list exists without an AI-generated entry. There you have it - make of that what you will.
Islam Jaran Violinist Short but sweet.
Ghada Shbeir The vocals are astounding…
Obeidmusic feat. Ahmad Sleiman (Dark Version) All the fusion fans out there, rejoice! This one is for you.
Gypsy Funk Squad Fascinating instrumental version.
Ramzi Hakim We’ve had a violin version before - this one is all piano. Another testament to the versatility and timelessness of the original composition!
Iasir Hassan This version is my absolute favorite to dance to. It’s upbeat, light, and feels a little faster than most other versions. The percussion is also more prominent, which makes styling the moves more in line with my Raqs Sharqi training. I simply love it.
And there you have it - a dozen versions! Each one arguably deserves its own spotlight.
Let’s finish this list with style and grace. For many belly dancers, nothing is more iconic in style than the Golden Era of Egyptian cinema. And I think I have just the piece to warm your heart.
“Zeina” (the word Zeina means "beautiful" or "graceful.") was written specifically for the film Zanouba, featuring the legendary Samia Gamal, by the one and only Mohamed Abdel Wahab. You can see the dance scene here.
Hossam Ramzy Egyptian Ensemble The classiest of all the classy versions.
Samir Sorour The saxophone is magical!
Bellydance Mystic This album was released in 2002 and will sound very familiar to many of us!
Petrol Bomb Samosa This version is as fun as the band’s name!
EastWest Pacem Orchestra A lovely version - very rich with accents and ornamentation.
Zeina + Aziza by Hanine El Alam This is sooo awesome I genuinely have no words. If you’re not familiar with Hanine El Alam’s music, you are seriously missing out. Do note that this composition combines Zeina with another famous classic, Aziza - which somehow makes the whole thing even more glorious.
And there you have it: five classics and 39 tracks - or more than five hours of music - for you to sink your metaphorical teeth into. For your convenience, I’ve compiled all of these tracks into one handy YouTube playlist.
If you’d prefer Spotify, email me and I’ll happily share the same playlist there too (minus one composition).
Were you surprised by any of the versions I included? Did I overlook your personal favorite? Get in touch and let me know: askauntiehelen@gmail.com
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