Who is Dionysis Savvopoulos?
Dionysis Savvopoulos is one of Greece’s most influential musicians, since he sings, writes lyrics and composes his own songs.
Born in Thessaloniki in 1944, he became known for blending Greek folk music with rock and poetic lyrics, creating a unique sound that marked the cultural awakening of the 1960s and 1970s. For many Greeks, Savvopoulos is not just a musician but a storyteller who captures the spirit of modern Greece through his words and melodies.
He began his career in 1964, appearing in nightclubs together with Maria Farantouri and Manos Loizos.
Savvopoulos was imprisoned twice during the Greek dictatorship. People fell in love with him straight away, making him and his music very popular in Greece and abroad.
In some of his songs, he combined the music of American musicians such as Bob Dylan with folk music from Macedonia, northern Greece, and lyrics about current political affairs. He has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Department of Philology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Ο Διονύσης Σαββόπουλος θεωρείται ο πρωτεργάτης της σχολής των Ελλήνων τραγουδοποιών. Τραγουδοποιοί ονομάζονται όσοι γράφουν μουσική, στίχους και τραγουδούν οι ίδιοι τα τραγούδια
τους. Άρχισε τη σταδιοδρομία του το 1964, και έκανε εμφανίσεις σε νυχτερινά κέντρα με τη Μαρία Φαραντούρη και τον Μάνο Λοΐζο.
Κατά τη διάρκεια της δικτατορίας φυλακίστηκε δύο φορές. Γνώρισε πολύ γρήγορα τεράστια επιτυχία και σύντομα έγινε πολύ δημοφιλής στην Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό. Είχε συνδυάσει τη μουσική Αμερικανών μουσικών όπως του Μπομπ Ντίλαν με μακεδονική λαϊκή μουσική και στίχους πολιτικού περιεχομένου. Έχει ανακηρυχτεί επίτιμος διδάκτορας στο τμήμα
Φιλολογίας του Αριστοτελείου Πανεπιστημίου Θεσσαλονίκης.
A famous and important song
Many of his albums and songs are considered milestones in modern Greek music.
Below a very known song, nearly every Greek will know or recognize
To celebrate the 200 years since the Greek Revolution,
in 2021, the famous song of Dionysis Savvopoulos was chosen for the official video clip of this event. See below.
Το 2021, η Ελλάδα γιορτάζει τα 200 χρόνια από την Ελληνική Επανάσταση και αυτό το τραγούδι έχει επιλεγεί για το επίσημο βίντεο κλιπ αυτής της εκδήλωσης. «Ας κρατήσουν οι χοροί» – Tο βιντεοκλίπ της επετείου των 200 χρόνων μετά την Επανάσταση
WHY THIS SONG WAS CHOSEN?
This is a song-symbol, the favorite song of millions of Greeks. It presents the historical course of Greece through the allegory of a celebration.
Dionysis Savvopoulos wrote the music, the lyrics and he sang it as well. The song was released in 1983.
Ένα τραγούδι- σύμβολο που αγαπήθηκε από εκατομμύρια Έλληνες και παρουσιάζει την ιστορική πορεία της Ελλάδας μέσα από την
αλληγορία μιας γιορτής. Η ερμηνεία, οι στίχοι και η μουσική είναι του Διονύση Σαββόπουλου και το τραγούδι κυκλοφόρησε το 1983.
THE LYRICS
This is a long song with a lot of lyrics!
Below you can find the first 4 verses of the song, of a total of 12.
Καλό Ταξίδι
Unfortunately Savvoupoulos died at age 80, On October 21, 2025.
He will be missed
About the Song – “Θαλασσογραφία”
“Θαλασσογραφία” (meaning Seascape) is one of the most beloved songs by Dionysis Savvopoulos, Written in the 1970s, the song combines poetic imagery with a simple, melodic rhythm that feels almost like a lullaby carried by the wind and sea.
So when Savvopoulos calls his song “Θαλασσογραφία” (Thalassografia) (which literally means a painting or depiction of the sea) he is using it both literally and poetically:
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Literally, it’s a “seascape,” an image or feeling of the sea.
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Poetically, it represents a mood, a longing, or a journey, like an emotional “portrait” of what the sea means to the human spirit ; freedom, escape, or peace.
In Greek, the suffix -γραφία (-graphia) means writing or depiction, so “Θαλασσογραφία” is like “a description or painting of the sea.”
Savvopoulos is known for blending folk, rock, and rebetiko influences with deeply symbolic and often political lyrics. In “Θαλασσογραφία,” he uses the sea as a timeless metaphor for freedom, escape, and renewal —> central themes in Greek culture and identity.
Greek Lyrics
Να μας πάρεις μακριά,
να μας πας στα πέρα μέρη,
φύσα Θάλασσα πλατιά,
φύσα αγέρι, φύσα αγέρι.
English Translation
Take us far away,
carry us to distant lands,
blow, wide Sea,
blow, wind, blow, wind.
In many ways, “Θαλασσογραφία” captures the essence of the Greek soul: the ever-present connection to the sea, the longing for freedom, and the trust in nature’s rhythm to bring change.
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If you would like to read all the verses of the song, in Greek and English, as well as other songs of Savvopoulos and more information about this kind of Greek music genre (= “Greek entechno music”), then click on the button below
and enjoy our specially designed eBook about “entechno music”.
Included is a selection of songs for several very known composers,
with corresponding English translations and YouTube links, as well as companion exercises to improve your Greek.
https://masaresi.com/product/greek-entechna-songs-part-2/
