This is What Was Playing on Lebanese Radios Between the 1960s & 1980s

In the era between World War II and the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War circa 1975, the streets of sweet Lebanon pulsated with rhythms that defined the country’s golden age of music. From Fairuz’s ‘Habbaitak Be El Saif’ to Ziad Rahbani’s ‘Bala Wala Chi’, these songs once dominated radio stations across the country, serving as symbols of resistance. Even today, they remain woven into the social and cultural fabric of Lebanon.

Some of the most influential and pioneering figures during that time were Lebanese composers and songwriters the Rhabani Brothers, composed of siblings Assi Rhabani, and Mansour Rhabani, along with iconic singer Fairuz, who played a pivotal role in shaping the Lebanese musical heritage.

Nouhad Wadie Haddad, aka Fairuz, Lebanon’s sweetheart and one of the most world-known living artists to this day, has catapulted to fame for over half a century with her soul-stirring vocals and music. Her songs famously mesh Middle Eastern instrumentations and modalities with religious sentiments, as well as love letters for her homeland. Fun fact - the day she adopted her stage name ‘Fairuz’ (which means ‘Turquoise’ in English), marking her debut performance on Radio Lebanon in the 1940s, was the same day she met the Rahbani Brothers, beginning a partnership that would then revolutionise the Lebanese music scene.

Their early songs were featured on Radio Lebanon, the British Near East Radio, and Radio Damascus, with their first recorded song, ‘’Itāb’ (‘Blame’), marking the start of their rise to fame. The pair also introduced the Lebanese Nights series at the International Baalbek Festival in 1957, aiming to amplify Lebanese voices at a festival that primarily featured international acts. A slew of prominent artists like Zaki Nassif, Georgette Sayegh, Toufic El-Bacha, Sabri Al-Sherif, Marwan and Wadia Jarrar, and Mohammed Shamel contributed to this vibrant scene. Their music left a lasting mark on Lebanese culture, and even after their passing, their work remains relevant and continues to influence music today.

Meanwhile, there was also Zaid Rahbani, the son of Fairuz and Assi Rahbani, who - born in a musically inclined household and an artist by nature - continued the legacy of his parents through his music, capturing the spirit of the Lebanese golden age of music his parents pioneered, yet through a political lens that set him apart in the scene. At just 20 years old, he became a star with his play ‘Sahriyyeh’ (‘An Evening Gathering’), featuring Joseph Sakr, Marwan Mahfouz and Georgette Sayegh. In 1974, he brought us the musical ‘Nazl al-Sourour*’ (‘Happiness Hotel’), and in 1978, ‘Bennesbe La Boukra Shou?’ (‘So, What of Tomorrow?’), which some claim predicted the outbreak of war in Lebanon. Rahbani followed these productions in 1980 with his pièce de résistance, ‘Film Ameriki Taweel’ (‘A Long American Film’).

While many stories from Lebanon’s golden era of music remain to be told, SceneNoise has curated a playlist of nostalgic hits from Lebanese radio spanning the 60s to the 80s, which placed Lebanon’s music scene on the world map.