Desert Rose song by Sting?

So I'm doing research on my native Arab heritage and traditions and I was just wondering what is the history behind the Desert Rose song by Sting? It's one of my favorite songs and I couldn't help but notice it sounds kind of Arab combined with American type music? I was wondering if anyone could give me some interesting facts about it.. Is my intuition correct, is it Arabic-American or not? or if anyone could direct me to a link answering my questions I would greatly appreciate it. Serious answers only please. Thank you and God bless.



http://youtube.com/watch?v=-bxRewGi77k



Here is the link if anyone wants to hear the song for themselves.

Desert Rose song by Sting?
"Desert Rose" by- Sting







SONG FACTS:









“Desert Rose”



Single by Sting FEATURING: Cheb Mami



from the album: Brand New Day







Released January 2000

Format 12", CD

Recorded 1999

Genre Rock, world

Length 4:45 (Album Version)

3:55 (Radio Edit)

Label A%26amp;M Records

Producer Sting and Kipper

Sting chronology

"Brand New Day" (1999)

"Desert Rose"(2000)

"After the Rain Has Fallen"(2000)





"Desert Rose" is a hit single by Sting from his album Brand New Day (1999). The song peaked at #17 in the US charts.



The song is noted for Sting's duet performance with Algerian Ra? singer Cheb Mami, creating a distinct world music feel to the song. It also has a popular music video featuring Sting taking a trip through the desert in a Jaguar S-Type and then going to a nightclub to perform the song with Cheb Mami. After shooting the video, Sting's manager Miles Copeland III approached Jaguar about a collaboration, and the auto company featured the video in their prominent TV commercials during the year 2000.



Also included on the single releases were club remixes by Victor Calderone. One remixed version of the song was used in an alternate edit of the video, which included more sexually explicit footage.



The lyrics of the song are inspired by the Frank Herbert novel, Dune,[citation needed] possibly because Sting played the villainous Feyd Rautha in the 1984 film adaptation. Both film and book feature the Arabic language.[citation needed]





Appearances in popular culture:

The song is played on XM Satellite Radio during technical difficulties.[citation needed]

The song is used in the Brazilian soap opera "O Clone". The song is available in the CD "O Clone International".

The song was parodied on a 2001 episode of Saturday Night Live, with Jimmy Fallon as Sting, and Rachel Dratch as Cheb Mami. During the sketch, Sting (Fallon) is trying to introduce a new song, while Mami (Dratch) and the backing band keep interrupting with "Desert Rose".

In the 2001 Hindi movie 'Dil Chahta Hai', the character Akash, played by Aamir Khan can be seen listening to the song on the music system of his room.

In Family Guy, Peter buys a "Sounds of the Rainforest" CD. A worker can be heard saying "That song (Desert Rose) sucks!"

In 2000, the band Mo'Rockin produced a cover of the song on their album "Sands of Time"





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CHEB MAMI:



(Arabic:??? ????), real name Ahmed Khelifati Mohamed (born July 11, 1966 in Saida, Algeria) is an Algerian-born ra? singer. His birth was in Graba-el-wed, a populous quarter of Saida. Located 170 kilometres south of Oran, the city of Saida is on the high mesas of southwestern Algeria.



He sings in Algerian Arabic, French and sometimes, as on Layali, in Egyptian Arabic.
Reply:I am almost definant that Desert Rose is by Eric Johnson.
Reply:i like amircan music