Must-Know Songs for Belly Dancers: "Lylet Hob"

Who What and When?

“Lylet Hob” means “Night of Love”. This beautiful song was released in 1973, sung by Oum Kalthoum (who really does dominate this list!), composed by Mohammed Abdel Wahab and has lyrics by Ahmad Shafiq Kamel. This is the same artistic team trio going for a repeat of the smashing success of “Enta Omri”.

What is this song about?

“Lylet Hob” is happy love song. The singer’s lover is late to meet her and she is anxious to spend the night together. The happy anticipation of romance makes this a perfect song for a wedding event, or even an anniversary. Even if your audience doesn’t know what it is about, you should and dancing with a solid emotional connection to your music brings a deeper level of engagement to your performance.

Musically, I feel this song, in the abbreviated form found on most bellydance CDs, is one of the most approachable for newer dancers. Don’t take this to mean it is too simplistic for the experienced dancer however. Its clear phrasing and repeating structure are nice features for those working on improvisational dance skills. The main melody that occurs at the beginning and is reprised as the end convey the feeling of happy excitement without being frantic.

As I have mentioned about other songs on this list, the original is quite long and has many parts. A recorded version or a band playing for you will most likely only include select sections. Smart dancers are prepared dancers – be familiar with the whole song. You never know when you’ll need it!

You can find the full translation of the song paired line by line with the transliteration here.   This will help you determine which is being said in each part of the song. (This is the best translation I found and the site requested it be linked rather than copied.)

My favorite recorded version of “Lylet Hob” for performance

A performance of the original “Lylet Hob” by Oum Kalthoum

 

Do you think about what a song is about when you are dancing to it to make an emotional connection? If you do, how do you feel that affects your performance? Tell us in the comments below…