"Dinata" or "Dynata" is a song from the album '' Meno Ektos''; its music was composed by

Ara Dinkjian Ara Dinkjian ( hy, Արա Տինքճեան; born June 18, 1958) is an Armenian-American musician. He is the founder of the band Night Ark. Dinkjian is considered one of the top oud players in the world, his compositions have been recorded in thir ...

, its lyrics written by

Lina Nikolakopoulou Evangelia (Lina) Nikolakopoulou (Λίνα Νικολακοπούλου) is widely recognised as one of the foremost lyricists in Greece. She was born in Methana on 30 June 1958 and studied social and political sciences at the Panteion University i ...

and it was first sung by

Eleftheria Arvanitaki Eleftheria Arvanitaki (Greek: Ελευθερία Αρβανιτάκη) (born 17 October 1957 in Piraeus) is a Greek folk singer. She originates from the island of Icaria. Arvanitaki has worked with important musicians, such as Cesária Évora, Ar ...

while

Arto Tuncboyaciyan Arto may refer to: People In the arts * Arto Halonen (born 1964), Finnish documentary filmmaker * Arto Järvelä (born 1964), Finnish fiddler and composer * Arto Lindsay (born 1953), American musician Arthur Lindsay * Arto Noras (born 1942), Finni ...

features in non verbal singing and percussion in some versions and performances of it; it mixes the influence of

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and

Armenian music The music of Armenia ( hy, հայկական երաժշտություն ''haykakan yerazhshtut’yun'') has its origins in the Armenian highlands, dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE, and is a long-standing musical tradition that encompasse ...

with electronics. This song, among the others on ''Meno Ektos'', improved Arvanitaki's name recognition in Greece; a notable performance of it by her was at the closing ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympics, during the fireworks and after the flame had been extinguished.

Alternative versions

Various versions of "Dinata" exist. The song or rather the music was first published in 1986 as an instrumental piece by Night Ark (see below), whence its "official" English title, i.e. ''Homecoming''.

Night Ark

Ara Dinkjian is a founding member of the band or instrumental jazz quartet

Night Ark Night Ark is an instrumental quartet formed in 1986. The members are American-Armenian Ara Dinkjian, Turkish Armenian Arto Tunçboyacıyan, American-Armenian Armen Donelian and American Marc Johnson. The quartet's most famous piece is the in ...

; their most famous piece is ''Homecoming'' which can be first found on their 1986 album ''Picture''.

French

A French version of the song was recorded by

Demis Roussos Artemios "Demis" Ventouris-Roussos ( ; el, Αρτέμιος "Ντέμης" Βεντούρης-Ρούσσος, ; 15 June 1946 – 25 January 2015) was a Greek singer, songwriter and musician. As a band member he is best remembered for his work in ...

on the 1997 album ''Mon Ile'' with French lyrics by Koraz.

Track listing

*French single #"Dinata" (Radio Edit) - 3:37 #"Dinata" - 4:12 #"Mon Ile" - 4:16

Antique

"Dinata Dinata" was covered by Greek-Swedish duo

Antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

. It was released in November 1999 as the second single from their debut album, ''

Mera Me Ti Mera ''Mera Me Ti Mera'' (Greek: ''Μέρα με τη μέρα''; en, Day by Day) or ''Opa Opa'' (in Scandinavia) is the debut album by Greek musical group Antique. The album was released in 1999 by V2 Records in Greece, and by Bonnier Music in Scan ...

''. It reached the top 10 in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. In

, this song was publicated in 5 December 1999.

Track listing

*German and Swedish single #"Dinata Dinata" (Radio Edit) - 3:17 #"Dinata Dinata" (Extended Version) - 4:25 #"Westoriental Trip" - 4:07 *Swedish single #"Dinata Dinata" (Radio Edit) - 3:17 #"Set Your Body Free" - 5:28 *Swedish promo single #"Dinata Dinata" (C&N Project Mix) - 7:45 #"Dinata Dinata" (Jonas S. Club Mix) - 5:06 #"Dinata Dinata" (L.O.L. Brothers on a Mission Mix) - 5:14 #"Dinata Dinata" (Radio Edit) - 3:18

Charts

Turkish

A Turkish version of the song was released by

Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish pop music singer, songwriter and producer who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" and "''Minik Serçe''" ("Little Spar ...

with the title ''Sarışınım'' on the 1988 album ''Sezen Aksu'88''.

References

External links

Lyrics of the song translated into English
at lyricstranslate.com
Lyrics of the song translated into English
at stixoi.info {{authority control 1991 songs 1999 singles Greek-language songs Antique (band) songs Eleftheria Arvanitaki songs