Today's pop music may be drawing inspiration from the 1990s, but for Tarek Tourgane that era never ended.
The Algerian-Syrian musician, known for composing theme songs for Arabic-dubbed versions of popular international cartoons from that era, has consistently performed these mini-hits across the region and the crowd reaction has always been the same.
“They become like children again,” he tells The National ahead of his concerts at Dubai’s Zabeel Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. “They could be 40 or 45 years old, but once they hear the music and lyrics, their eyes glimmer and they sing along to these songs they grew up with.”
Tourgane has composed more than 100 theme songs, many of which have become soundtracks for a generation of Arabic speakers across the Middle East and North Africa who came of age in the 1990s. These include the introductions to the Arabic versions of animated series such as The Jungle Book, Batman, Detective Conan and Captain Majed (from the second season onwards).
Many of these songs featured the child vocals of Tourgane’s own children, Dema, Tala and Mohammed, who now perform with him on stage. While the 90-second tracks were musically rich with yearning strings, bobbing basslines and zippy percussion, Tourgane credits their enduring appeal to the lyrics delivered in modern standard Arabic.
“You have to understand that children’s television programmes were different back then in that the whole point was to unite the viewers,” he says. “So in order to appeal to everyone, whether they lived in Egypt or the Levant to the UAE or Saudi Arabia, we deliberately made the script and lyrics in standard Arabic without any cultural references. This is now changed with programmes appealing directly to certain markets so now you have children’s shows in the Khaleeji or Lebanese dialect, for example.”
As the in-house composer for the Venus Centre (also known as Markaz Al Zahra), a leading Syrian dubbing studio that sold works to TV channels across the Middle East, Tourgane felt a deep responsibility to the young viewers. “I didn’t want to compose songs merely for entertainment; they needed to carry a meaningful message or lesson,” he says.
Tourgane was able to compose so many songs partly because he didn’t spend time watching the series. “All I needed was the title of the show, the theme and a broad outline of the story’s setting. For example, is it based in a forest, a football competition or small fishing village,” he says. “Once I understand, I can work on the song and sometimes get them done in two or three days.”
Working in isolation from the primary material allowed Tourgane to insert lyrical content that wasn’t directly related to the programme. “When it comes to Captain Majed, I wanted a song to explain to children what it means to compete,” he says. “So the song talks about fairness and the reward that comes with hard work.”
These timeless messages still resonate with those children, now adults. “In Captain Majed, the lyrics are full of metaphors that adults understand,” he says. “Children might take them literally, but as they grow up, they realise I’m talking about life goals, not just scoring in a game. This is why the songs and concerts remain popular – it’s more than just nostalgia.”
Born in Damascus, Tourgane attributes his successful career to being in the right place at the right time in 1990. “I was working as a pianist in a small restaurant in Damascus and I saw an acquaintance of mine at the back of the room,” he recalls. “He said he was due to meet a potential composer for the Venus Centre who never showed up. When I said I could compose, he took me straight to the studio and I created the intro for The Jungle Book that night. I’ve never looked back since.”
Memories of Future Youth – Remembrance of Golden Generation is at Zabeel Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. More information is available at dubai.platinumlist.net
