Googoosh
Googoosh |
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Googoosh (Persian: گوگوش) (born Faegheh Atashin (Persian: فائقه آتشین ), February 7, 1951 ) is an Iranian Pop singer and actress.
In the 70s, she was considered the most celebrated recording artist in Iran.[1][2] In addition to music, Googoosh has also acted in several Iranian films of the 1960s and 1970s; however, her popularity as a singer has always eclipsed any of her on-screen performances. After Iranian Revolution in 1979 she remained in Iran until 2000 but did not record or perform again due to the ban on solo female singers. Still, her following grew. A new generation discovered her and bought the singer's bootleg tapes.[3] Outside of Iran, she has a wide following in many Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries.[4] She currently resides in California, USA and continues her career, albeit in a limited manner. In a contrast to her earlier music, her recent albums are thought to address more mature subjects.
Biography
Childhood and youth
She was born in February 1950 to refugee parents from Azerbaijan SSR.[5] The name Googoosh is an Armenian boy's name and was given to her at birth. However since it was a boy's name, there was a problem registering the name on her birth certificate so she was registered under the name of Faegheh. When she was an infant, Googoosh's father divorced from her mother and due to patriarchal custody laws in Iran, she moved with her father to Tehran.
She began singing and acting at a young age, performing with her father, an entertainer, when she was a toddler and making her first film at age seven.[6] Her father was an alcoholic who took her to sing in bars and cafes from an early age to make money.[7]When she was only three years old, she sang with a microphone. Soon the young girl's talent would achieve nation-wide fame and success. She began acting for the royal court of the Shah at the age of four and was warmly welcomed by the former empress, Soraya. Googoosh's career started as a child star, acting and singing in many Iranian movies. She captured the hearts of audiences and became one of Iran's most recognized and beloved child movie stars in the late 1950s and 1960s.
1960s & 1970s
At the age of 20, Googoosh took part in various international music festivals and won the first prize and golden record for her French numbers, "Retour de la vie" and "J'entends crier Je t'aime", at the Cannes Festival in 1971. Her recording of twelve songs in Italian and Spanish for the Sanremo Music Festival in 1973 became an overnight success. She also won first prize at the Carthage Music Festival in 1972 and was honored with the first medal of arts of Tunisia in the same year. Her Spanish song titled "Desde hace tiempo" was an immediate hit in South America in 1973.
Already by the late 1960s, Googoosh's natural singing ability was inspiring modern Iranian music composers as a new style of Pop music emerged. The result of this collaboration was a unique blend of contemporary Persian poems and melodies with Jazz, Blues, Rock, Disco, Latin, and other Pop beats. With the help of legendary composers Varoojan, Hassan Shamaizadeh, and Farid Zoland, Googoosh's songs became instant hits and she became one of the biggest 1970s Iranian pop culture icons, touching young and old alike. Her songs were romantic, not political, and while they drew on Western styles, they held onto both the fervor of Persian love poetry and the sliding, quivering, impassioned phrasing of traditional Persian music.[8] In 2002, Googoosh had 40 songs nominated in the World’s Favourite songs poll by BBC World Service and her song Gharib-e-Ashena was selected as the most popular song in the Middle East.[9]
She set the fashion trends, sporting a miniskirt (mini-jupe) and short haircut (known as the Googooshy)[6] as obvious signs of western sophistication, leaving behind a trail of fads. Tabloid gossip and rumors came with the fame, as well. But it all came to an abrupt end with the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
1979: The Iranian Revolution
After the Revolution a number of cultural restrictions were introduced; women were no longer allowed to sing in public, and pop music was banned. Although most Iranian performers chose to leave the country, Googoosh, who was visiting the United States at the time of the revolution, returned home. She was jailed briefly and thereafter led a reclusive life.[6] She lived alone in Tehran, and played her songs at her piano. She later said she decided to stay in Iran after the revolution out of love her for her homeland, giving up the chance to continue to perform abroad.[7] This decades-long professional silence only added to her fame across many Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries, especially in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijanis especially appreciate Googoosh's song Ayrılıq (Separation), the lyrics of which are in Azeri.[10] She sings in twelve different languages, although she speaks Persian, English, Azeri, and a little Armenian. She is one of the most famous Iranian female pop singers, often called the "Queen of Persian Pop", "Persian Diva", "Mermaid of Iran", and "Iran's Daughter".
2000 and beyond
In 2000, a feature-length documentary called "Googoosh: Iran's Daughter" was released in the United States (and all over the world) which chronicled the singer's life and her icon-status while detailing the socio-political turmoil that led to the 1979 Revolution in Iran. Made by Iranian-American filmmaker Farhad Zamani, the documentary began production in 1998 and was made at a time when Googoosh was still forbidden to perform or grant interviews.
In 2000, as this film was being released, the more-moderate government, headed by President Mohammad Khatami, granted her permission to leave.[3] Googoosh returned to the world stage after two decades and began a North American tour in Toronto on 2000-07-29, in front of 12,000-strong crowd, mainly made up of emigre Iranians.[7] Googoosh started with "in the name of Iran and Iranians" and then asked the audience for a minute of silence in the memory of Ahmad Shamlou (Iranian poet who passed away afew days before the concert). She sang most of her all time favorites; songs most Iranians have many memories with: Talagh, Hamzad, Pishkesh, Mano Gonjishkaye Khuneh, Mordab, Jadeh ,Gharib-e Ashena and Ayrilıq.[11]
In 2001-03-21 during Norouz holiday Googoosh performed in Dubai and thousands of Iranians crossed the Persian Gulf to hear her.[12] Her concert in New York City in 2006-10-21 was attended by the former Empress Farah of Iran, her daughter Farahnaz Pahlavi, and her granddaughter Iman, who later had a meeting with the singer.[13]
Googoosh's first album released after her return was Zartosht (Zoroaster); she has had two more record-breaking albums since then, including QQBangBang and Last News, and her new album, recorded with a philharmonic orchestra, titled Manifest, was released in September 2005.
She has more than 250 Persian and 55 international songs, including two in Azerbaijani such as "Ayrılıq", in her widely popular repertoire. Over the years many artists have covered Googoosh's songs.
In the early 1990s Googoosh met director Masoud Kimiai, who is now her husband. (She was previously married, from 1975 to 1976, to the actor Behrouz Vossoughi, and to Mahmoud Ghorbani, whom she married in 1968 and by whom she has a son, Kambiz, a singer.) On their first date Kimiai took her to a private recording studio in Tehran, and after years of silence she put on her headphones and started to sing for the first time in years[citation needed]. Finally, in 2000, Googoosh left Iran and started a world tour. All of the concerts in this tour are sold out[citation needed]. Currently Googoosh resides in California.[citation needed]
Discography
Studio Albums
| Year | Farsi Title | English Title | Lyrics | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Mosabbeb (with Dariush) | |||
| 2000 | Asheghaneh | Love Songs | ||
| 2004 | Akharin Khabar | Last News | ||
| 2004 | Snapshot by Mehrdad Asemani (3 duets) | |||
| 2005 | Manifest | |||
| Nimeh Gomshodeh Man | My Lost Half | |||
| Behtarin Fasl-e-Taazeh | The Best Fresh Season | |||
| 1974 | Do Mahi | Two Fishes | ||
| 1972 | Hamsafar | Co Traveler | ||
| Jadeh | The Road | |||
| 1971 | Mordab | The Swamp | ||
| Do Panjareh | Two Windows | |||
| Kavir | The Desert | |||
| Kooh | The Mountain | |||
| Ageh Bemooni | If You Stay | |||
| Yadam Basheh, Yadet Basheh (Shenasnameyeh 1) | ||||
| Pol | The Bridge | |||
| Setaareh | The Star | |||
| Dar Emtedaad Shab | Along the Night | |||
| Mann O Ghonjeshkayeh Khoneh | ||||
| Lahzeh Bidari | ||||
| Zartosht | Zoroaster |
|
Compilation Albums
'Best of 60's' Compilation Albums
|
'Best of 70's' Compilation Albums
Videos/DVDs
Live Albums:
|
Filmography
This is an incomplete list:
| Year | Farsi Title[14] | English Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Ferešteye Farâri (فرشتۀ فراری) | The Runaway Anlge | Actress | |
| Bim o Omid (بیم و امید) | Hope and Fear | Nazi | Actress | |
| 1963 | Partgâhe Maxuf (پرتگاه مخوف) | The Cliff of Fear | Actress/Singer/Dancer | |
| 1965 | Šeytun Balâ (شیطون بلا) | The Naughty One | Farideh | Actress |
| 1966 | Gedâyâne Tehrân (گدايان تهران ) | The Beggars of Thehran | Nasim | Actress |
| Fil va Fenjan (فيل و فنجان ) | Big and Small | Actress | ||
| Hossein-e-Kord (حسين كرد) | Hossein-e-Kord | Actress | ||
| 1967 | Câhâr Xâhar (چهار خواهر) | Four Sisters | Actress | |
| Darvâzeh Taqdir (دروازه تقدير) | The Gate of Fate | Actress | ||
| Ganjo Ranj (گنج و رنج) | Treasure and Toil | Actress | ||
| Dar Jostojouye Tabahkâran (در جستجوي تبهكاران) | Searching for the Criminals | Actress | ||
| 1968 | Se Divâne (سهدیوانه) | The Three Morons | Parvaneh | Actress |
| Šab_e_Fereštegân (شب فرشتگان) | The Night of Angels | Actress | ||
| Setareh Haft âsemân (ستاره هفت آسمان) | The Star of Seven Skies | |||
| 1969 | Gonahe Zibaee (گناه زيبايی ) | The Sin of Beauty | Actress | |
| 1970 | Tolu (طلوع) | Sunrise | Young girl | Actress |
| Janjale Aroosi ( جنجال عروسی ) | The Wedding Brawl | Actress | ||
| Panjere (پنجره) | The window | Actress | ||
| 1971 | Esâse Dâq (احساس داغ) | Hot Feeling | Mehri | Actress/Singer |
| Asemoune bi setareh (آسمون بی ستاره ) | Starless Ski | Fereshteh | Actress | |
| 1972 | Bitâ (بیتا) | Bita | Bita | Actress/Singer, Best Actress in Sepas film festival |
| 1975 | Hamsafar (همسفر) | Co Traveler | Atefeh | Actress/Singer |
| Nâzanin (نازنین) | Nazanin | Nayer | Actress/Singer | |
| Mammal Emrikâyi (ممل امریکایی) | American Mamal | Nasrin | Actress/Singer | |
| Šabe Qaribân (شب غریبان) | Nostalgic Night | Reza | Actress/Singer | |
| 1976 | Mâh Asal (ماه عسل) | Honeymoon | Minu | Actress/Singer |
| 1977 | Dar Emtedâde Šab (در امتداد شب) | Along the Night | Parvaneh | Actress/Singer |
| 1979 | Emšab aški mirizad (امشب اشکی می ریزد) | Tonight Someone Cries | _ | Singer |
See also
References
- ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia. "World Music, Iran". National Geographic.
- ^ Wheeler, Julia (2001-03-21). "'Homecoming' for Iranian diva". BBC. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Suh, Joanne (2000-10-09). "Iran's pop diva Googoosh returns to the world stage after two decades". CNN. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Saba, Sadeq (2000-06-19). "Iran's pop diva to sing again". BBC. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Googoosh.com : About Googoosh". googoosh.com. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ a b c "Googoosh". britannica.
- ^ a b c "Iranian diva finds her voice again". BBC. 2007-07-30. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Pareles (2000-08-28). "WORLD MUSIC REVIEW; Iran's Silenced Star, Bridging a 21-Year Gap". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|fisrt=ignored (help) - ^ "Global music taste revealed in BBC World Service poll". BBC. 2002-12-20. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Newsmakers: Googoosh Returns". Azerbaijan International. Autumn 2000. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ Moallemian, Pedram (July 31, 2000). "Standing ovation: Googoosh is a smash hit - again". The Iranian. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ Moaveni, Azade (2001-03-23). "Don't Cry for Me, Iran". Retrieved 2007-04-12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Kadivar, Darius (2006-11-14). "When Giants Meet: The Queen of Persian Pop greets the Shahbanou of Iran in NY Live Concert". Payvand's Iran News. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|publisher= - ^ The Iranian Movie Database