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

"Ah Moustafa" is always a hit with Greek audiences. Many artists, including newer generations, still sing it today.

This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the popular song "Ah Moustafa" (Αχ, Μουσταφά), which is the Greek version of the song "Ya Mustapha" popularized by Bob Azzam. The Greek version was sung by Yiota Lydia, Manolis Aggelopoulos, and Stratos Attalidis (Tertseto). Also included is a pronunciation guide for the Greek lyrics so you can sing along if you like.

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 THE PHOTO: Manolis Aggelopoulos was one of the original trio of artists who created the original Greek-language recording of this song.

About the Singers

Manolis Aggelopoulos

Manolis Aggelopoulos was a Greek legend. He was born in 1939 in northern Greece, to a Romany family. As a child, he traveled throughout Greece with his family's caravan selling everything from carpets to watermelons. The caravan trucks contained a microphone, so young Aggelopoulos broadcast his singing over the loudspeakers along the way.

His big break came in 1959 when he recorded his first 45 rpm vinyl record, bringing the mix of Greek-Gypsy-Arabic fusion into the Greek music scene. For Greeks and Greek-Romany he was a superstar. His funeral in 1989 was massive, and people cried for three days.

Yiota Lydia and Stratos Attalides

Yiota Lydia, (sometimes spelled as Giota Lydia) was the stage name of Panayiota Mantaraki. She was born in Greece, in a Greek Anatolian refugee district known as Nea Ionia, on February 24, 1934, and came from a family of singers. Her parents were refugees from Smyrna, which today is known as Izmir in Turkey.

Lydia began her career as a singer at the young age of 11, and she became one of the most renowned singers in the laiko genre of music.

Lydia has been a very prolific artist, known for her work as a recording artist. She recorded over 1,000 songs of all musical styles, on 350 record albums. Her final album, Kathara Kai Xaspera, was released in 1986.

She married her husband, Stratos Attalidi, when she was only 14 years old. He was also an artist and composer, and he promoted her career as a singer. They often appeared together as a duet act. They had a son named Stavros.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: This photo shows Yiota Lydia and Stratos Attalides.

Lyrics: Kostas Virvos

Music: Thodoros Derveniotis

Original Artists (as a trio): Yiota Lydia, Manolis Aggelopoulos, Stratos Attalides (Tertseto)

Appeared in Films:

• El Fanous el Sehri (The Magic Lantern), 1960, as Naemet Mokhtar dances. From Egypt, sung in Arabic.
• El-Hobb Kedah (Love Is Like That), 1961, sung by Dario Moreno. From Egypt, sung in Arabic.

Has Also Been Sung By:

• Bob Azzam, December, 1959, in Arabic
• Leo Leandros, 1960's, in German
• Clinton Ford, 1967

Στίχοι: Κώστας Βίρβος

Μουσική: Θεόδωρος Δερβενιώτης

Πρώτη εκτέλεση: Γιώτα Λύδια, Μανώλης Αγγελόπουλος, Στράτος Ατταλίδης (Τερτσέτο)

Greek Lyrics

Pronunciation

English Translation

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Chorus

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Chorus

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• Ya Mustapha! A Song Conquers the World!

• Ya Mustapha: Translation of Arabic Lyrics to English

This page was contributed by Panayiota Bakis, who is happy to share her culture and music she grew up with! Here's how Panayiota describes her background:

I always love engaging with intelligent like-minded people, especially artists. I love sharing anything and everything about my Hellenic culture and upbringing, especially music and dance. A conversation with me will bring you back to America's favorite Greek-American movie by Nia Vardalos called My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

I love investigating Greek culture, history, music, and dance. Speaking of investigating, I think I missed my calling, I probably should have been an investigator. Instead, I use those skills to dig and dig and dig tirelessly, often times falling asleep on my laptop... just to find the truth. But, most importantly, accurate truth. For me personally, and other respectable folklorists, my culture and accuracy are very important. Each generation of ethnic born artists has a duty to do the best it can to pass down our traditions as was taught to us. We have been given this artistic gift to be the gatekeepers of our heritage and culture.