American-Haitian musician Wyclef Jean has written and recorded a song in support of Beirut, after last month's explosion that devastated the city.
Entitled Immortal, the track was produced with Jean's longtime collaborator, Lebanese musician and composer Guy Manoukian.
The song pays homage to Beirut’s beauty and its resilient nature, with lyrics including “I have never met a girl so beautiful / Tell me your name, she said Beirut” and “even when a bomb blast, we gonna rise from the ash”.
Sharing the video for the song on Instagram, Manoukian said: “For the past 13 years, I have been working with the legendary @wyclefjean, during these 13 years he visited and performed in Lebanon many times and fell in love with our people and culture, and became more Lebanese than most.
“When I approached him to help us put the spotlight on Lebanon, with absolutely no hesitation he accepted and embraced the project and wrote a heartfelt song dedicated to our beloved #Lebanon. I am proud to be your friend and I am proud to have been part of this magnificent project.”
The video, produced by Khalil Sehnaoui, shows Jean singing in his studio as images of Beirut flash on the screen. When the song builds to a close, images from the August 4 port blast show the devastation in the city, and the clean-up efforts by thousands of residents.
Manoukian added that Lebanese-Canadian record label chief executive Wassim "Sal" Slaiby was working on an international release plan for Immortal.
The full lyrics for 'Immortal':
I have never met a girl so beautiful.
Tell me your name, she said Beirut.
Red and white dress, with the Cedar of God.
Walk through the fire, hold her breath through a flood.
She got the faith, hope in her eyes.
She wanna live, but ready to die.
Ask me to join, I told her I’m ready.
Steady she goes, we march through the city.
She come with truth, they come with lies.
Love and hate could never be friends, she draws the line.
It’s just a matter of time before karma arrives.
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
How long before the victory bell?
How long must we wait?
How long?
Even when a bomb blast, we gonna rise from the ash.
