| Decade
Later, Layla Murad Still Unforgettable Artist
By Sami Asmar
Layla Murad, one of the most powerful
and significant Arab singers to emerge from the golden era
of the 20th century, passed away 10 years ago in Cairo. At
the time of her death in November of 1995, she had been retired
from both singing and acting for close to 40 years; however,
an entire generation of loyal followers remembers the 77-year-old
star and her contribution to Arab music and cinema through
her powerful legacy of 27 films and nearly 1200 songs produced
from the mid 1930s to mid 1950s.
Born in Cairo in 1918 to a Moroccan Jewish family, Layla Murad
converted to Islam in 1946. Her father, Zaki Murad, was
a respected singer at the time and encouraged both her and
her brother to pursue the arts. Her brother Munir developed
a reputation as a well-renowned composer by the 1940s.
Her prolific and successful films, predominantly romantic
musicals, earned Layla Murad the titles "Lady of Arab
Cinema" and "Cinderella of the Arab Screen."
She ranked as one of the most popular singers of the time,
second only to Umm Kulthoum. Her appearance on the music
scene coincided with the spread of radios in Egyptian households,
which contributed to her quick rise to fame. In fact, Murad
was so popular, film producers frequently used her real name
as that of her character's name and cleverly included it in
the titles, such as "Layla Bint al-Fuqara"
(Layla, daughter of a Poor Family), and "Layla Bint
el-Reef" (Layla, the Country Girl), in order to
draw greater audiences.
Upon her retirement, Murad removed herself from the public
eye, determined that her fans would remember her only as she
appeared on film: lovely to behold and ever-sophisticated.
She remained in seclusion until her death, even shunning a
ceremony sponsored by the Cairo International Film Festival
in 1992 that honored her achievements; her son accepted the
award on her behalf.
Murad's first recorded song, "Hayrana Laih"
(Why Are You Undecided? Or Why Can't You Decide?), was composed
by Daoud Hosni in 1932, the same year the first talking film
appeared in Egypt. Perhaps she was destined to be a
pioneer in film in the 1930s as her father had been destined
to be a pioneer in the recording industry in the 1920s.
According to music historian Victor Sahab, Murad was first
discovered by Mohammad Abd al-Wahhab, who surprised all those
present by inviting Murad to co-star in his next film after
hearing her sing at her father's house. Released in 1938,
the film "Yahya Elhob" (Long Live Love) was her first
paid acting job and earned her 250 pounds. That film featured
many of Wahhab's classics including "Ya Wabor 'Ulli"
(Where is the Ship Heading?) and "Ya Dunya
Ya Gharami" (My World, My Love). It was also in
this movie that Murad sang "Yama Ara' in-Naseem"
(Sweet Breeze) and the famous duet with Abd al-Wahhab
"Tal Intizari" (I Waited So Long).
Some of her most memorable songs were introduced through her
films with Najeeb al-Rihani. Most of these songs, including
" Abgad Hawwaz " (The ABCs) and "
'Eini Bitrif " (My Eyes are Fluttering), were
composed by Abd al-Wahhab. Known for his insistence on perfect
enunciation from singers and actors, Abd al-Wahhab called
Layla Murad "the woman with the sweetest Ha
sound in the world," referring to her flawless enunciation
of the Arabic Ha letter!
Additionally, Murad worked with Mohammad Fawzi, another composer
who, like Abd al-Wahhab, often played the opposing male lead
in Murad's romantic films, and also collaborated with composers
Mohammad al-Qasabgi, Riyad al-Sunbati, Zakariyya Ahmad. These,
the most illustrious names in the industry, also composed
for Umm Kulthoum, placing the two divas in direct competition.
Sahar Taha wrote in the Beirut daily Al Mustaqbal that the
famous Egyptian singer Abd al-Halim Hafez's popular song "Tukhunouh"
(You Betrayed Him) had first been offered by its composer
Baligh Hamdi to Layla Murad. She had already been rehearsing
it and had even made preparations to record the song when
Hafez heard of it. Feeling it would be a perfect match for
his role in his upcoming film "Al-Wisada al Khaliya"
(The Empty Pillow), Hafez requested the rights
to perform the song. Hamdi informed Murad of Halim's
request, and she generously offered the piece to him in an
act that exemplified her generosity and professionalism. It
is also reported that the song "Leh Khaletni Ahbiak" (Why
Did You Make Me Love You?) composed by Kamal al-Tawil, which
Murad sang in her final film, was later recorded on the Egyptian
Radio by Najat al-Saghira and often was broadcast as Najat's
song.
Despite her success, or possibly because of it, Layla Murad
suffered malicious rumors. Stemming from her Jewish background,
rumors surfaced that she had visited Israel and had secretly
donated 50,000 Egyptian pounds to the state. First appearing
in the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram in a 1952 report attributed
to the newspaper's correspondent in Damascus, the rumor shook
the Arab world. Although Al Ahram published a correction
the following day, the damage had been done. The allegations
led to harassment by the Egyptian authorities and to a boycott
of her songs by the Syrian radio station. A series of
other bizarre rumors followed, including one that alluded
to a secret marriage to King Farouk of Egypt .
Writers like Ibrahim al-Ariss of Al Hayat and Sahar Taha of
Al Mustaqbal believed that it was Anwar Wajdi, the man Murad
was about to divorce (and the first husband of three failed
marriages), who had started these rumors with the bitter intention
of ruining his wife's profession. Wajdi, a handsome but, at
that time, unknown actor, had pursued Layla Murad aggressively
in order to further his career. He succeeded in marrying her,
and their marriage lasted from 1945 until1953, during which
time he co-starred in 10 of her films and directed seven.
After the rumors spread, Wajdi, who was of Syrian descent,
realized his error when he began to suffer personal financial
loss from the boycott, which affected his films, as well.
He, therefore, began to publicly support and defend his wife
in order to win her back and to protect his own popularity.
After divorcing Wajdi, Murad married Wajih Abaza. Though she
married him on the rebound, she grew to love dearly, and she
bore him a son, Ashraf. Abaza asked her to stop working
but she could not or would not give up her art, a decision
that led to divorce. Murad then worked with and married
director Fateen Abd al-Wahhab, who had also been divorced
twice before. During this marriage, Murad gave birth
to another child, Zaki, and experimented with producing films.
Throughout this period, Layla Murad adamantly denied the vicious
rumors that continued to spread, but the fight for her reputation
took its toll on her health, and her sadness could be heard
in her voice. Later, the death of her younger brother, who
was also her manager, compounded her sorrow. Eventually
(reportedly due to President Naser's intervention), Murad
was officially exonerated; she even showed account statements
to prove she had never donated the alleged amount to the state
of Israel. With her name finally cleared, Murad further
proved her patriotism by refusing any association with the
Jewish state and by releasing the popular patriotic song "Ala
al-Ilah al-Qawiyy al-Iitimad" (We Rely on the Powerful
God), written and composed by Midhat Asem. Layla Murad
remains in the hearts and minds of fans just as she had hoped
to be remembered: lovely to behold and ever-sophisticated.
This essay appears in Al Jadid, Vol. 11, nos. 50/51
Copyright (c) 2005 by Al Jadid
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