Montag, 15. August 2016

Original: "Chiquitita" (ABBA) [1979] (1)

"Chiquitita", which is in Spanish a term of endearment for a woman meaning "little one", was released in 1979 by the Swedish pop group ABBA. Many prelimitary versions of "Chiquitita" exist, amongst them In the arms of Rosalita. (Source)

But I think we can all agree that the final version "Chiquitita" is the best English version, isn't it?

Original: Chiquitita (ABBA) [1979], Lyrics: Benny Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus




Happy Independence Day to India and Pakistan!

I want to celebrate this day with a Hindi-Urdu coverversion of "Chiquitita", an ABBA song from 1979. Actually in 1981, they released a whole cassette with ABBA songs in Hindi-Urdu, sung by Salma & Sabina Agha: "Salma & Sabina Sing the Hits of ABBA in Hindi".


"Chiquitita" is called "Abhilasha" and this is the first song I present to you.

Cover: Abhilasha (Salma & Sabina Agha) [1981], Lyrics: Amit Khanna

Quoted from the liner notes of the 1981 release Salma & Sabina Sing the Hits of ABBA in Hindi:

"This cassette contains the Hindi versions of the melodies of the World's number one pop group - ABBA. Their melodies are magic and their reproduction in any other language is a challenge which only the most talented and versatile musicians and singers can accept. This challenge was accepted by a group of people from the Indian Sub-continent and Europe. Amit Khanna, the writer of numerous Indian hits is the author of the Hindi lyrics on this cassette. He has not only managed to totally preserve the feel and atmosphere of ABBA but also given a new "Indo dimension" to the lyrics which are undoubtly the most beautiful songs ever written..." (Source)



Chiquitita ("Little one”)
Abhilasha (Desire)

Chiquitita, tell me what’s wrong?

You’re enchained by your own sorrow.

In your eyes,

there is no hope for tomorrow.

How I hate to see you like this.

There is no way you can deny it.

I can see

that you’re oh so sad, so quiet.
Abhilasha hai yeh meri
(This is what I desire)
Teri hi main ban kay rahoon
(That I devote myself to you)
Yeh janam hai kam sanam
(One life is not enough, my love)
Har janam teray sang rahoon
(Every rebirth I want to be with you)
Jigyaasa hai yeh meri
(This is my unusual wish)
Pyaasi ban kay teri main mitoon
(That I perish in your thirst)
Har umang tarang ho sang
(Every hope, every wish, I want with you)
Har rang teray rang rahoon
(And to colour myself with your colours)

Chiquitita, tell me the truth.
I’m a shoulder you can cry on.
Your best friend,
I’m the one you must rely on.
You were always sure of yourself.

Now I see you’ve broken a feather.

I hope

we can patch it up together.
Abhilasha hai yeh meri
Teri hi main ban kay rahoon
Yeh janam hai kam sanam
Har janam teray sang rahoon
Aik hi aasha hai yeh meri
(This is all I hope for)
Teray sanchay main mein dhaloon
(I mould myself just like you)
Yeh umar ho yoon basar
(I want to spend my lifetime)
Hamsafar har safar main rahoon
(As your companion for every journey)

Chiquitita, you and I know,

how the heartaches come and they go
and the scars they’re leaving.

You’ll be dancing once again

and the pain will end,
you will have no time for grieving.
Preetam yeh waada raha
(This is my promise, my love)
Sangam ab sadiyon kay premiyon
kay prem ka ho ga yahan
(Here will reunite lovers of centuries)
Na mittein gay yeh nishan
(These marks will never perish)
Mit jaey chahay
yeh khayal aur yeh dastan
(Even if these thoughts, this legend perishes)

Chiquitita, you and I cry,

but the sun is still in the sky
and shining above you.

Let me hear you sing once more

like you did before,
sing a new song, Chiquitita.

Try once more like you did before,

sing a new song, Chiquitita.
Preetam yeh waada raha
(This is my promise, my love)
Sangam ab sadiyon kay premiyon
kay prem ka ho ga yahan
(Here will reunite lovers of centuries)
Milain gay zameen o aasman
(The sky, the earth will meet)
Ruk jaey ga phir
yeh waqt ka karwan
(And the caravane of time will stop)
Hai yaqeen poora humko
(I have complete faith)
Hogi poori Abhilasha
(My desire will be fulfilled)

So the walls came tumbling down
and your love’s a blown out candle.
All is gone
and it seems too hard to handle.
Chiquitita, tell me the truth,
there is no way you can deny it.
I can see
that you’re oh so sad, so quiet.
Abhilasha hai yeh meri
Teri hi main ban kay rahoon
Yeh janam hai kam sanam
Har janam teray sang rahoon
Jigyaasa hai yeh meri
Pyaasi ban kay teri main mitoon
Har umang tarang ho sang
Har rang teray rang rahoon

Chiquitita, you and I know,
how the heartaches come and they go
and the scars they’re leaving.
You’ll be dancing once again
and the pain will end,
you will have no time for grieving.
Preetam yeh waada raha
Sangam ab sadiyon kay premiyon
kay prem ka ho ga yahan
Na mittein gay yeh nishan
Mit jaey chahay
yeh khayal aur yeh dastan

Chiquitita, you and I cry,
but the sun is still in the sky
and shining above you.
Let me hear you sing once more
like you did before,
sing a new song, Chiquitita.
Try once more like you did before,
sing a new song, Chiquitita.
Try once more like you did before,
sing a new song, Chiquitita.
Preetam yeh waada raha
Sangam ab sadiyon kay premiyon
kay prem ka ho ga yahan
Milain gay zameen o aasman
Ruk jaey ga phir
yeh waqt ka karwan
Hai yaqeen poora humko
Hogi poori Abhilasha
Hai yaqeen poora humko
Hogi poori Abhilasha


Looking at the English translation, Amit Khanna chose the words very intelligently. My focus is especially on the word "Abhilasha" what simply means "desire" but if you didn't know the meaning of the word, you would think - at least, I thought so as an European - it is a girl's name. It ends on "-a", like "Chiquitita", which could be a girl's name too but isn't.




Many thanks to Sabine Shah who helped me with the transliteration and the translation of the song.

What do you think of this version of "Chiquitita"? How does it sound to you?

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

... to be continued





2 Kommentare:

  1. CO2 + UV laser = C + O2... 3d bioprinting = Immortality = go to stars ((typewrite: interstellar travel constant acceleration))

    AntwortenLöschen
  2. ...interstellar travel constant acceleration (Chiquitita the stars are shining for you over there in the high)… Today there is not any song, crying bitter tears for the Chiquitita from Mexico who never more will return to sing, she was shut up forever of the more inhuman mode by the coward feminicidal "machismo", in reality those cowards assassins are not males, they are homovices who although have the strength of men, they are not men (only the homovices, TV propagation, hate to women, libro homovicio "La últ muj de Austrl", the last Australia´s woman, the homovices want make a world without women for "substitute" to women", damned-homovices-dirty-repugnant-wretched-sterile-ill-vicious-mistaken). Politicians hypocrite politicians continuously doing damn´s concentrations to the coward feminicides perpetrated by the homovices, that "damn" DON´T IS USEFUL FOR NOTHING, as can see, the unique that is useful is the FEAR of Death Penalty, and all other are tales. The "civilized" politicians, guided by the religious Inquisition all credos "leaders" of the horror, they prefer that assassinating three thousand five hundred millions of women before call to Referendum and that being the People who decides applying to the feminicidal, a road-roller starting by the feet, only have that announce it and finished the cowards feminicides committed by the homovices. The horror against women will stop someday. Chiquitita las estrellas brillan por ti allá en lo alto.

    AntwortenLöschen