"Dodeka" turns 25 and fannatics.gr is celebrating!
Choose your language and...
it's 12 o'clock.... (for ever!)
"Dodeka", the song that established Anna as one of the most important voices in the Greek music scene and the ultimate singer of love, completes 25 years since its release today.
During these 25 years we have heard the song "Dodeka" mature and evolve along with Anna. We have heard it with the accompaniment of a guitar, a piano, a symphony orchestra, in a rock style, with a latin rhythm and even in reggae style!
"Dodeka" is the only song which has appeared in every single program of Anna's, ranging from a concert by the sea to the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Opera House in London. And, of course, it is the only song which the biggest names in Greek music include in their programmes.
However, what makes Anna unique is her ability to experience each song and through her singing, transfer these feelings to her listeners... after all, it's all about... passion!
fannatics.gr
12/09/2010
it's all about... anna
Anna Vissi, thrilled with our tribute to 25 years since “12” was released and the comments made by fannatics, shares with us her memories of recording the song...
I like to remember my huge arguments with Nikos until, as a composer, he was satisfied by my interpretation of the song. Ultimately, however, he was right because he knew the way the song should go and as he had imagined as the composer. The recording took place at Sierra studios in Athens, the instrumentation changed many times. I remember an evening where from 8pm till 11 the next morning, we argued, i cried, i shouted until finally I just began to sing. I remember in the morning the cleaners opened the doors to start work and I was still singing. Nikos eventually left overnight and I was left alone with the sound engineer, Akis Golfidis, who managed to calm me down. When Nikos came back he just smiled....phew!
Anna describes to us what has changed in her interpretation of the song in those 25 years and what she feels every time she hears the introduction of “12” starting...
Of course in those 25 years I have matured as a singer and in the case of my classic songs everytime I sing them it’s not so much my technique which changes but more my feelings. The way i feel the words changes and how I interpret the melody. The only thing which never changes is the emotion I’m filled with every time I hear the first notes of the piano in the introduction. I believe the crowd feels the same or so I see it. “12” is symbolic because it truly shows the emotional quality to my voice and my career.
Anna also remembers the reaction of the audience the first time she sang “12” in front of an audience...
The first time I performed it was in Thessaloniki in a show I was doing at the time with Marinella and Vicky Moscholiou. Even at the beginning when I sang it I brought the house down...and still to this day!
filippos nikolaou
Filippos Nikolaou, the man who co-wrote the lyrics of "Dodeka" with Nicos Karvelas, talks to fannatics.gr and reveals unknown information regarding the song which 25 years after its release still moves Anna when performing and thrills the audience with the passion of her voice.
Read the interviewgeorge polichroniou
George Polichroniou, marketing manager of Sony music during the period with which “Kati Simvainei” was released, reveals unknown facts about the friendship between Anna and Nikos exclusively to fannatics.gr and explains what role they both had in the production of “12”.
Read the interview
The album "Kati Simveni" (Something's happening) was released on September 12th, 1985 and it's Anna's 7th personal album. Nikos Carvelas and Antonis Vardis are the composers, sharing five songs each, while they have also wrote the lyrics, among Sarantis Alivizatos, Manos Koufianakis and Filipos Nikolaou. Antonis Vardis, with whom Anna collaborated for the very first time in her first album in 1977, arranged all the songs, apart from one, where Nikos Carvelas played all the instruments and made the arrangement - Dodeka, which is the the signature song of Anna till today! The album sold more than 50.000 copies and achieved a gold status, while "Dodeka" was the duo's first big hit, establishing Anna as one of the most important music figures in Greece.
anna's note in the album
In this album …something is happening…for real. After 12 years of traveling and exploring music I finally create an album that represents myself. This is a result of very hard working by everyone who worked on this album. Through this note I would like to thank them for their valuable help. First of all Antonis Vardis, who provided his songs, his voice and the unique sound of his guitar. He helped a lot for the production of this album. Nikos Carvelas, for one more time stood by me by giving me 5 songs and playing the piano and the synthesizer.
I am also very happy to sing songs written by Sarantis Alivizatos, by my good friend and co-worker, Filippos Nikolaou and for the first time, by Manos Koufianakis. Many thanks to Dimitris Papadimitriou for his help on the synthesizer and Stelios Lazarou for his contribution on the production. Special thanks to our sound engineering Akis Gkolfidis for his help, ideas, mixing and overall for the result we got on the sound. Finally many thanks to all the musicians:
Mpampis Laskarakis (guitar)
Nikos Vardis (bass)
Yiorgos Tsoupakis (drums)
Markos Alexiou (piano)
Nikos Mpaxevanis (accordion)
Makis Mavropoulos (tzura)
Filippos Tsemperoulis (winds)
Yiorgos Magklaras (violin)
anna talks about 'kati simveni'
After 12 years of musical trips, I finally sing something that expresses me a lot. My new album has contemporary, original, very good songs. Five out of ten belong to Karvelas, who also plays the piano and the synthesizer. The rest were composed by Antonis Vardis who helped a lot with his vocals and the unique sound of his guitar (ntomino magazine, 1985).
12 for fannatics
- Anna won the first prize at the CyBC talent competition at the age of 12.
- Anna has her birthday on 20/12.
- During the 12th year of her career, Anna released "Kati simveni" which includes "Dodeka" (12).
- "Kati simveni" and "Dodeka" were released on 12/09/1985.
- Anna's 12th album is "Ime", which was released in 1990.
- Antidoto, one of Anna's most successful albums of the 90's, turns 12 in 2010!
- 12 years after "Dodeka", Anna released "Travma".
- "I Epomeni Kinisi" was released on 15/12/1986.
- "Tora" was released on 12/02/1988.
- "Empnefsi" was released on 09/12/1988.
- "Fotia" was released on 12/12/1989.
- "Ime" was released on 14/12/1990.
- "Lampo!" was released on 24/12/1992.
- "Live!" was released on 07/12/1993.
- "Re!" was released on 22/12/1994.
- "The Video Collection" DVD was released on 19/12/2001.
- "Paraxenes Ikones" was released on 05/12/2003.
- "Anna Vissi Live" was released on 17/12/2004.
- "Apagorevmeno" was released on 09/12/2008.
- On 12/06/2002 the DVD "The Video Collection" is at #2 of the official sales chart of Australia.
- Anna's promo tour for "Everything" kicked off on 12/04/2006. During the tour, Anna visited 12 countries!
- "Everything" was awarded 12 points twice, in Eurovision 2006.
- "Mono i agapi" was awarded 12 points twice, in Eurovision 1982.
- Anna gave a concert in Paros, on 12/08/2009, during the Forbidden Summer Tour 2009.
- The 12th concert of the Forbidden Summer Tour 2009 was in Itea, on 08/08/2009.
- Anna gave a concert in Marmaras Halkidiki, on 12/07/1991.
- Anna gave a concert in Sun City, South Africa, on 12/05/2007.
- Anna gave a concert during the 11th annual L.A. Greek Festival, on 12/09/2008.
- ANT1 broadcasted 12 episodes of "Me Agapi Anna" TV Show.
- Anna's album "Travma" achieved a gold status 12 days after its release.
- Anna's album "Apagorevmeno" was in the TOP10 of the Cypriot Sales Chart for 12 weeks.
- Anna's song "Stin Pira" was in the TOP10 of the Greek Singles Billboard TOP10 Chart for 12 weeks.
- The booklet of the OST "Mala" has 12 two
-side pages.
- In the song "Agapise me" the number 12 is also mentioned.
- Albums with 12 tracks: Anna Vissi, Ime to simera ki ise to cthes, Na 'hes kardia, Kravgi CD1, Kravgi CD2, Paraxenes ikones CD1, Ode to the Gods, Everything I am, Mala CD1
- Track number 12 in Anna's albums: To tali mpo, To etos tou pediou, Ksanazo, Kalimera kenourgia mou agapi, Argisame poli, Kalitera na poume antio, Antistrofi metrisi, Krima to mpoi sou, Give peace a chance, Eleni (both in the second release of Re! and Klima tropiko), Thanatos ine i agapi, Denome, Forgive me this, Ola ta lefta, Agapi ipervoliki, Ime poli kala (The Video Collection), Kitrino astro, Hronia polla, Paraxenes ikones, Pos ta ferni etsi i zoi, Paresthisis, Tifli empistosini, Venetia, Thelo mia agapi.
- Anna premiered in "Diogenis Studio" on 18/12/2003.
- Anna premiered in "Chaos" in 23/12/1996.
- Anna premiered in "Gkazi" in 20/12/1998.
- On 14/12/2008 fannatics.gr broadcasted for the very first time the music video of "Apagorevmeno".
- Anna performed 12 songs in her concert in Mykonos, during the 2005 Coca Cola Soundwave Festival, on 10/08/2005.
- Annavissistar was launched on 05/12/2001.
- Almost 12.000 people gathered to watch Anna in her concert in Cyprus, in September 2000, in GSP Stadium.
- On Sunday 12/09/10, while the song "Twelve" was celebrating 25 years of success, at the Joker lottery the number 12 was drawn as the joker number! The number 25 was also amongst winning numbers... Coincidence?
credits
Web Design: Panayiotis Panayides
Web Development: Anna Mitsinga
Texts: Stratos Boulis, Andreas Andreou, Panayiotis Panayides
Videos: Panayiotis Panayides, Vaso Vakaloudi
Translation: Loukas Kyriakides, Mike Deveros, Panayiotis Panayides
Special thanks to theDreamerL for creating the video!
