For Many Lebanese, Music Colors Their Nostalgic National Memory

My latest for Rolling Stone MENA

ICYMI, my article for Rolling Stone MENA dropped a couple days ago. It’s about how a chunk of Lebanon’s patriotic music has played a role in building the fantasy of the Lebanon. There are lots of linked tracks included so you can go on the musical journey that has accompanied Lebanon’s maturation into the 21st century.

I reworked my first draft after Ziad Rahbani passed. The public’s reaction to his death solidified my hunch that music, particularly his, can voice more than just sweet lyrics. It can be a way to reject ideas and realities that are imposed on us via folkloric songs or fantastical imagery of tourism posters that still haven’t faded. It’s not a long one so check it out when you have a minute or two.

From the new exhibit at the National Museum of Beirut, July 2025