"No one knows what it means, but it's provocative". Okay maybe not no one; if you speak Arabic, then you'll understand the lyrics delivered through the Egyptian artists dreamy vocals. What begins as a slow ballad with rich piano chords, turns into a dance track the second you find yourself slipping into Nours siren like voice. "Wana" takes you on a journey filled with dance breaks and leaves you with a fantasy like outro, making you want to relive it over and over again. The high energy of this song and the romantic feel make me think it's a song about want. Wanting more from life, or wanting more from love; the hook does repeat "wanna (wana)". Now, I could be far off from her intended lyrical meaning as I don't speak Arabic. Nonetheless, I still find myself infatuated with this song. But it brings up the discussion I have with myself a lot; how much do lyrics really matter in music? Do you have to understand what the artist is saying to truly appreciate the art or is the pure sonic, emotional energy enough? This reminds me of a Famous Dex interview. Famous Dex is a rapper from Chicago, known for his wild adlbibs and muddled, yet animated delivery. He spoke on the expectation of lyrical content in his music (which there is very little of) and said something along the lines of, "The lyrics don't matter as much as the energy".
Nours' 'Wana" is an example of this for me, but there is a stark difference between listening to foreign music and rap with dumbed down lyrics, whose main goal is to turn you up. I believe with listening to songs that may be foreign to you like "wana", one can project their own fantasies or stories to the music, as there are no lyrics to tell the story for the listener. We have even seen songs like this from English speaking artists like the Cocteau Twins, on songs like "Pandora", where the lyrics are barely decipherable and the listener has to fill in the gaps. The sonic qualities of the song (the key of the piano, delivery of lyrics etc) might lead one to think a song is about hurt, and might lead another to think this song is about love. In Nours' case, I believe the sonic quality of "Wana" will lead most foreign listeners into fantasizing about love, or joy. Of course, it depends on ones personal outlook at the end of the day. Not understanding the lyrics to a song provides you with an open canvas to paint ones own emotional experience onto. You can look at Bad Bunnies emergence in English speaking countries like America, and his hit "Tití Me Preguntó". I heard this song played at so many college parties amongst people who didn't speak Spanish; it didn't matter, they resonated with the high energy of the song. But, I think the certain mysticism I had for this song was ruined when someone translated it for me. Knowing exactly what bad Bunny is saying on the song, could I still project my own ideas on it and apply it to my personal experiences? This might be a reason I won't bother looking up the meaning of "Wana"; I want to keep the mystery going, and create new meanings to it on each listen.
A certain part of this feels wrong though; am I discrediting her as a writer because Im not actually taking in what she's saying, just the sound of it? What if I'm taking the song the complete wrong way? Everybody in America was rocking with Foster The Peoples' "Pumped Up Kicks" and then people realized it was a song about a school shooting. So, did we truly understand the lyrics the first time around, or would the song have had the same effect if the melodies were sang in a different language? I don't know. The lyrics might as well been foreign since no one understood the meaning of the song, but still enjoyed it. Knowing the lyrics and meaning behind it, does the adult who played Pumped Up Kicks at the beach in the early 2010's stop thinking of high school summer days when they hear it now? I don't think so, because that would be ridiculous. Music is infinite, and intangible. Artists may attach their own meaning to songs, but once it is in the hands of the listener, it is theirs to do with. So, there is no right way to consume it.
No matter what, though, Nours "Wana" has been on repeat the whole time I have been writing this piece. Definitely check stout if you like artists like Pinkpantheress or Kali Uchas. Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/track/6ygaR0OCPjB2YdBbbNKvss?si=fa241b43e86a4513
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