PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the popular Egyptian song "Fi Youm Wa Leila" (في يـوم وليـلة), which was sung by Warda El Gaza'iriya. Also included is a pronunciation guide for the Arabic lyrics so you can sing along if you like.

• Fi Youm wa Leila (In a Day and a Night), 1978
• Lyrics: Hussein al-Sayed
• Music: Mohamed Abdel Wahab
• Original Artist: Warda

Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source.

About Warda El Gaza'iriya

Warda El Gaza'iriya was an Algerian singer who achieved fame in Egypt. Her name meant "Warda, the Algerian", but she was also often referred to as simply "Warda", which means "Rose". She was born in Paris to an Algerian father and a Lebanese mother, and began her music career there in the 1950's.

Her father ran a cabaret named the TAM-TAM which featured prominent artists such as Farid al-Atrache. After the Algerian war of independence began in 1956, her family needed to leave Paris due to her father being caught aiding the rebellion. They moved to Lebanon, where Warda began singing in the nightclubs of Beirut.

In 1959, Warda met the composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab, who began to train her in the classical style of singing. This led to an introduction to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who suggested she be cast in a pan-Arab opera.

This opened more doors, and she moved to Egypt to pursue a career there in music and cinema. There she achieved great success, working with the great composers of her time. Her repertoire included 300 songs, and her records sold tens of millions of copies.

About Mohamed Abdel Wahab

Mohamed Abdel Wahab was a prolific Egyptian composer of the 20th century. He was born in 1902 in the Bab El-Shaariyah neighborhood of Cairo, Egypt, where a statue now stands to honor him. He was a mentor to Abdel Halim Hafez, and composed many of Hafez' hit songs.

Abdel Wahab was one of the innovators who created the big-orchestra sound of classical Egyptian music of the 20th century. He was a pioneer of Egyptian cinema, featured in the 1933 motion picture Al Warda Al Baida (The White Rose), which was the second Egyptian movie musical ever produced.

Abdel Wahab was the first to compose for the "Oriental orchestra" that consisted of instruments from both Europe and the Middle East. In 1954 he introduced the European waltz rhythm into his composition "Al Gondol", and in 1957 he introduced a rock & roll rhythm into the song "Ya Albi Ya Khali" that he composed for Abdel Halim Hafez.

Some of his personal belongings are housed in a museum at the Music Institute in Cairo.