Five greek songs that are passionately full of coffee
Coffee is certainly much more than a drink - it is a daily habit that affects many aspects of human life in areas ranging from social gatherings to even politics..
It is no coincidence that every nation has their own, completely personal, way of preparing, consuming and enjoying their coffee, but the concept of "coffee culture" is not limited to gastronomic advice and habits but instead includes a whole grid of behaviors, indicative of the temperament of every people.
As expected, Arts could not remain unaffected by such an important aspect of human life as coffee. Having seen emblematic appearances of our favorite beverage on TV and Cinema, it's time to look at the times that coffee has met with music.
We chose five favorite, well-known and less well-known Greek songs, in which coffee is the main player - and through which important aspects of Greek coffee culture are deleted.
Five greek songs that are passionately full of coffee
Alkistis Protopsalti – Adonis
Nothing characterized the Greek coffee culture as much as the cafeteria – and formerly the coffee house. A place of meeting, social interaction, relaxation, discussion and rendezvous, the coffee shop and the coffee house occupy a special place in the social life of Greece. The hours we need in Greece to drink our coffee are characteristic, unlike the rest of the European countries. "Adonis", written by Lina Nikolakopoulou, set to music by Stamatis Kraunakis and sung by Alkisti Protopsalti, commemorates one of the best-known cafes of New Smyrna - and together, the whole magical ritual of coffee in Greek for us. After all, when you're in love, the other person is nothing but "your longing, your coffee and your cigarettes". Listen to the song, here
Nikos Papazoglou – Good morning
Perhaps there is no song that better describes the morning coffee habit than "Kalimera" by Nikos Papazoglou. The Thessaloniki singer, singing the lyrics of Takis Simotas "as soon as I wake up in the morning / I see everything black / I want a cup of coffee / and four cigarettes" captures the almost mechanical movements made by millions of people around the world and hundreds of thousands throughout the Hellas. A daily ritual that always signifies the beginning of a new day. Of course, Nikos Papazoglou's folkloric song talks about Greek coffee, since he throws a "cup of dregs" into the tin. Listen to the song, here
Vicky Moscholiou – The coffee
Michalis Souyul's song tries to interpret the turbulent course of a relationship through imaginative parallels with the world of coffee. Emotional instability is thus likened to a coffee maker who drinks his coffee "sometimes strong, sometimes sweet and sometimes plain", his habit of taking the other for granted is identified with the ease with which we drink our cup of coffee every day. But, Vicky Moscholiou is fortunately made "of a difficult mixture". The vocabulary and world of coffee in a wonderful tangle with the everyday, sung by a wonderful folk voice. Listen to the song, here
Chimerini Kolimvites – The coffee
The sui generis and exuberant personality of Argiris Bakirtzis (and his distinctive, hoarse and "dissonant" voice) give substance to one of the most cheerful and light-hearted songs ever written about coffee. The song of the Chimerini Kolimvites hides in it all the carelessness of a break in a favorite coffee shop, the flirting that always hides in such places, the cordial sociability that develops around cups, coffee machines, waiters and customers. Listen to the song, here
Socrates Malamas – Three coffees
The music of Nikos Xydakis, the lyrics of Thodoris Gonis and the gray voice of Sokratis Malamas create a hazy soundscape, perfectly suited to the atmosphere of the song. here the three coffees take on an even more important role: it is the living memory of what is gone, the unbreakable bond that is created with someone with whom you have shared your daily life: "we have also had a coffee together", as they used to say in the past, conversation indicative of the importance of coffee in everyday life. Listen to the song, here
The hugging of coffee with music, of course, does not stop in these five songs. Greek music is fermented with the favorite beverage, in all its forms and in all its aspects - it's a story waiting to be told.
