S.O.D. "Misirlou" by Dick Dale

8/8/2015     More than 100 versions of this instrumental have been recorded with the origin and first composition unknown.  The oldest known recordings are that of Egyptian musician Sayed Darwish in 1919 under the title of "Bint Misr" and in the genre of rebetiko by Greek musician Tetos Demetriades in 1927.  The word Misirlou is the feminine version of Misirlis and comes from the Turkish word Misirli.  Dick Dale made the song popular in 1962 with his surf version.  

     On one occasion before a performance a young fan challenged Dale to play the song using only one string to which he obliged.  Dale's father and uncle were Lebanese–American musicians who had previously accomplished this feat.  This is a very important composition to the Greeks and was selected by the 2004 Athens organizing committee as one of the most influential Greek songs of all time.  

     In 2005 Q Magazine rated Dale's version at #89 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.  In 1994 the Dick Dale recording experienced a resurgence when it was used in the soundtrack of "Pulp Fiction".