"Aïcha" (/aɪˈiːʃə/; Template:Lang-ar; Template:Lang-arq) is the name of a song written by the French singer songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman. The title refers to an Arabic female name.
The song was originally performed by Algerianraï artist Khaled. The original French single was never released in an album, though Khaled's 1996 album Sahra featured a bilingual version of the song sung in both French and Arabic. The Arabic lyrics for the bilingual version of the song are written by Khaled. Khaled's music video was directed by Sarah Moon.[1][2]
Lyrics / theme
The song's lyrics are about a woman named Aïcha, who is being wooed by a man. He promises her pearls, jewels, poems, and other luxuries and romantic things, to which she replies:
Keep your treasures
I am worth more than all that
Bars are bars, even if made of gold
I want the same rights as you
And respect for each day
I don't want anything but love
The song's chorus has the following words in French (with English translation):
Aïcha, Aïcha, écoute-moi = Aisha, Aisha, listen to me
Aïcha, Aïcha, t'en va pas = Aisha, Aisha, don't go away
Aïcha, Aïcha, regarde-moi = Aisha, Aisha, look at me
Aïcha, Aïcha, réponds-moi = Aisha, Aisha, answer me
The lyrics were all in French. The Arabic verse by Khaled (his own composition) added later is as follows:
نبغيك عايشة ونموت عليك (Nbghīk ʿāysha wanmūt ʿalīk) = I want you Aisha and would die for you
هادي قصية حياتي وحبي (Hādī ksayat ḥayātī waḥabbī) = This is the story of my life and my love
انت عمري وانت حياتي (ʾAnti ʿumrī wʾanti ḥayātī) = You are my years and you are my life
تمنيت نعيش معك غير انت (Tmannīt nʿaysh mʿāk ghayr ʾanti) = I wish to live with you, only you
In June 2003, Danish hip hop band Outlandish released an English version of the song, "Aicha", that was included on their album Bread & Barrels of Water (2002). Their version was produced by the band along with Mintman. The song peaked at number one in Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland and became a top-10 hit Austria, Flanders, and Norway. A video was also shot for the single.