Γλυκερία - Θα Σπάσω Kούπες - Glykeria's rendition of "Tha Spaso Koupes" (I'll Break Cups)

The songs of Greek Smyrna have been performed on countless occasions, and by many vocal artists the world over. The song Θα Θα Σπάσω Kούπες πάσω Kούπες (I'll Break Cups) is of no exception. In this rendition by famed Greek singer Glykeria, she takes us into the narrative world of this familiar song, but adds to it her distinctive husky tone, and persona. There is just something about her performance of this song which resonates the feeling that one is going back in time into life in Greek Smyrna, and they are actually witnessing the events which are described in the song. Please enjoy this video, which I hope you find entertaining.

2nd Anniversary of Smyrna Greek Connection

It is hard to believe that two years have elapsed since the inception of SMYRNA GREEK CONNECTION, and I hope it has been an interesting journey for you into the lives of the Greek people of Smyrna. It is a topic, as you have well gathered, which has an inexhaustible supply of information and material to detail, and, while I have covered just some of these, there are, of course, many more to expand upon.

 

 



It is my intent to expound further upon these, and, as the blog is of a continuous nature, there is scope to explore these issues, such as cuisine, more musical tributes, and, explorations of what the Greek people of Smyrna encountered in their new lives in Greece. I thank you for your support, and if you have any comments to make, you are welcome to include these. To celebrate the blog's second year, please enjoy one of my favourite, and most evocative songs of Greek Smyrna, SALA SALA, sung in this video by famous Greek songstress Glykeria, and talented musician and singer Areti Ketime.

The Displacement of Smyrna Greeks in Greece expressed in song:ΤΙ ΣΕ ΜΕΛΕΙ ΕΣΕΝΑΝΕ

It is well-known that the Greeks of Smyrna were an eloquent people who openly expressed their feelings about life and love in general, and this was especially evident through the lyrics of the songs which they produced. This particular song, sung by renowned Greek singer Glykeria, expresses the disenchantment of Greek refugees from Smyrna with their treatment in Greece, encompassing the discrimination which the Greek Smyrnaeans faced from the Greek Hellenes, who were painted as being a people who, by and large, lacked compassion and consideration for the Greek Smyrnaeans.

The main message of the song is that the Greek Smyrnaeans sought acceptance in Greece as being equally as Greek, and were actually even more so, than the Greek Hellenes themselves in the vast majority of instances, and that their place of birth, being either Smyrna, Cordelio or elsewhere in Asia Minor, was no reason to label them as being less Greek than the Greek Hellenes. It was also no reason for them to be subjected to discrimination on the basis of where they were born.

The song also emphasises a longing on the part of the Greek Smyrnaeans for their ancestral homelands, where everything was familiar for them, and they were treated vastly differently before their forced departure. I hope you enjoy viewing this clip which says so much about the experience of Smyrnaean Greeks and other Asia Minor Greeks in a poignant, subtle, and bittersweet manner.