What is "misirlou"

"Misirlou" ( < 'Egyptian' < Miṣr ' Egypt') is a traditional song from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The earliest recordings of the song are a 1919 Egyptian composition called Bint Misr and a 1927 Greek rebetiko composition influenced by Middle-Eastern music. There are also traditional Arabic ( belly dancing), Jewish ( klezmer), Armenian, Persian and Turkish versions of the song.

The song gained worldwide popularity through Dick Dale's 1962 American surf rock version, originally titled "Miserlou", which popularized the song in Western popular culture. Various versions have since been recorded, including other surf and rock versions by bands such as The Beach Boys, The Ventures, and Consider the Source as well as international orchestral easy listening ( exotica) versions by musicians such as Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman. Dale's surf rock version later gained renewed popularity through its use in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction and again through its sampling in The Black Eyed Peas song " Pump It" (2006) and Mad Men: "The Jet Set" (2008). A cover of Dale's surf rock version was included on the Guitar Hero II video game released in 2006.