PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

There are three Greek songs that share a melody with "Aïcha" by Cheb Khaled, including:

• "M' Aresi" (Μ' Αρέσει), sung by Kostas Bigalis
• "Krifa" (Κρυφά), sung by Michalis Hatzigiannis
• "Alithia Sou Leo" (Αλήθεια Σου Λέω), sung by Stamatis Gonidis

This page contains the first one, "M' Aresi" by Kostas Bigalis. See the bottom of the page for links to the other two.

Also included is a pronunciation guide for the Greek lyrics so you can sing along if you like.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: The photo shows Cheb Khaled (who now goes by just "Khaled"), the Algerian raï artist whose song "Aïcha" was the original melody upon which the three Greek songs translated on this page are based. His real name was Khaled Hadj Ibrahim.

Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source.

About This Song

This song uses the same melody as a 1996 song "Aïcha" by Algerian raï artist Cheb Khaled, who now goes by just "Khaled".

The original version of "Aïcha" was released entirely in French as a single. This version was never released on an album. Khaled later released a version of "Aïcha" on the album Sahra. For the album version, part of its lyrics are in French and part in Arabic, with Khaled having written the lyrics for the Arabic part. The music was composed by Jean-Jacques Goldman.

About Kostas Bigalis

Kostas Bigalis is the stage name for Konstantinos Bigalis, a Greek singer, songwriter, and actor. He was born in Athens in 1953 and launched his musical career in 1975 by winning an amateur competition. He performed the role of Annas in 1979 in the Greek production of Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1981 he recorded two songs for the soundtrack of the movie Next One. In 1984, the song "I Miss You" that he performed as a duet act with Mariana Efstratiou became the number one hit in Greece and was released in 18 countries.

Following the dissolution of the duet, Bigalis toured extensively for several years before returning to Greece. He made several attempts to enter the Eurovision music competition, but all yielded disappointing results. He released two albums that achieved platinum sales levels, Tou Aigaiou Ta Blues in 1992, and Mikri Mou Melissa in 1993.

Song: M' Aresi (I Like It), 1997

Greek Lyrics: Antonis Pappas

Music: Jean-Jacques Goldman

Original Artist: Kostas Bigalis

Album: O Mithos (The Myth)

Has Been Recorded By:

• Cheb Khaled, 1996, bilingual in French and Arabic ("Aïcha") on the album Sahra
• Dr. Mehmet Mutaf, 1997, in Turkish ("Ayşa")
• Kostas Bigalis, 1997 in Greek ("M' Aresi")
• Michalis Hatzigiannis, 2004, in Greek ("Krifa")
• Stamatis Gonidis, 2006, in Greek ("Alithia Sou Leo")

Dance Style:

• Mostly just for listening
• Could be used for some belly dance variations such as veil work

Τραγούδι: Μ' Αρέσει, 1997

Στίχοι: Αντώνης Παππάς

Μουσική: Τζιν Τζακουες Γκολντμαν

Πρώτη Εκτέλεση: Κωνσταντίνος Κώστας Μπίγαλης

Άλμπουμ:  Ο Μύθος

Άλλοι Ερμηνευτές:

• Τσεμπ Χαλεντ, 1996, bilingual in French and Arabic ("Ασια")
• Μεχμετ Μουταφ, 1997, Στα Τουρκικά, ("'Ασια")
• Κώστας Μπίγαλης, 1997, Στα Ελληνικά ("Μ' Αρέσει")
• Μιχάλης Χατζηγιάννης, 2004, Στα Ελληνικά ("Κρυφά")
• Σταμάτης Γονίδης, 2006, Στα Ελληνικά ("Αλήθεια Σου Λέω")