'Sidi Mansour' (in Tunisian Arabic: 'óÃÂïààÃÂõÃÂñ') is a traditional song from Tunisia with widespread recognition.
Many different versions of the song have been recorded over the years. The song became famous in 2000 when Tunisian singer Saber Rebaï released his version. Since then, many other singers have recorded songs based on 'Sidi Mansour'. These songs have been recorded in Arabic and many other languages. In 2021, Brooklyn-based singer Enisa Nikaj released a song called 'Count My Blessings', inspired by 'Sidi Mansour'. Boney M.'s song 'Ma Baker' was also inspired by this folk song.
Rebaï's "Sidi Mansour" song should not, however, be confused with the unrelated "Sidi Mansour" by Algerian raï artist Cheikha Rimitti.
There are many different versions of the song with similar lyrics, and they date back hundreds of years. The song is dedicated to the Tunisian Sufi saint Sidi Mansour, whose name was Mansour Ghulam, and who lived before the 15th century.
The song was recorded by Mohammed Jarrari (in Arabic àÃÂàÃÂï çÃÂìñçñÃÂ) in his album Folklore tunisien (in Arabic ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂñ êÃÂÃÂóÃÂ) as "Sidi Mansour Baba Bahri" (in Arabic óÃÂïààÃÂõÃÂñ èçèç èÃÂñÃÂ).
A version was recorded in 1975 by Mohamed Hanesh (in Arabic àÃÂàï çÃÂÃÂÃÂô).
Saber Rebaï popularised the song when he recorded it for his 2000 album of the same name. Sameh al Ajami wrote the lyrics and Hamid al Sha'iri produced the record, which is based on a traditional Tunisian folk song. The popular music video was directed by Fadi Kenaan. The song is also known by the alternative titles 'Allah Allah, ya baba' and 'Sidi Mansour (ya baba)', both of which feature multiple times in the lyrics.
"Se Pira Sovara" (Greek: ãõ ÃÂîÃÂñ ÃÂÿòñÃÂì, meaning "I took you seriously") is the debut single by Greek Cypriot singer Sarbel, released in 2004 from his debut album Parakseno sinesthima (àñÃÂìþõýÿ ÃÂàýñïÃÂø÷üñ). It is based on Tunisian singer Saber Rebaï's Arabic song "Sidi Mansour". "Se Pira Sovara" is a bilingual song in Greek and Arabic and became highly successful in Greece and Cyprus.
The song features Greek singer Irini Merkouri, who first introduced the young singer Sarbel to fans in Greece, but also across the Middle East. A music video was also shot for the song.
The album also contains a remixed version titled "Se pira sovara (Diva) (Sidi Mansour) - Sfera Mix" by Nikos Nikolakopoulos.
"Ya Baba" is a bilingual English-Arabic song released in 2016 by the Pakistani-British artist Zack Knight, featuring Rami Beatz. It is largely based on the Arabic song 'Sidi Mansour' by Tunisian singer Saber Rebaï and samples it. Zack Knight wrote the additional lyrics. The song was produced by Rami Beatz and Dot Da Genius, and is copyrighted to Quantize Music LLC. It was highly successful on the UK's Official Asian Download Chart Top 40, published by the Official Charts Company, reaching number two. It remained on the chart for 13 weeks. The song also received heavy airplay in South Asian venues and on radio stations throughout the Middle East. An Arab-themed music video was also released.
The song has been subject to a huge number of interpretations by Arab and international artists and remixes by many DJs in original Arabic version and in other languages.
Most notably, it became the basis for the Boney M. hit "Ma Baker" in 1977 largely based on the 1975 hit by Mohamed Hanesh.
Parts of the song have also been sampled many times in other released songs in Arabic and other languages.