From Wegz to Abdel Halim Hafez: Disney +’s Moon Knight has impressed fans with its mystery-structured episodes, intricate Egyptian details, and stellar soundtrack. The six-episode series has not only introduced the world of Egyptian mythology to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it also weaves Egyptian and Arab music into its scenes, adding depth and details to the thrilling plot.
Music shapes how the audience perceives the visual imagery on screens and helps shape their emotional responses. In most cases, the music selected can often become as iconic as the productions themselves.
Egyptian director Mohamed Diab explained that the music selection for the show has deeper meaning that foreshadows events throughout the show. He explains that the meaning behind Bahlam Maak by Najat Al Saghira, which featured in the pilot episode, is explained in the fifth episode of the series.
اختيارات الأغاني ليها معاني في وقتها و حاجات بعدين تتفهم اكتر، زي اغنيه بحلم معاك لنجاه في الحلقه الاولي، معناها بقي أوضح بعد الخامسه. https://t.co/B6o3thSCcx
— Mohamed diab محمد دياب (@MohamedDiab678) April 28, 2022
Diab’s inclusion of mahraganat and Arab trap music in the show will take the hits to new heights, despite efforts by the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate to ban them.
Moon Knight’s deft psychologically thrilling plot is married with a fine music selection that heightens the series’ twists and turns. Although the show features songs by American icons such as Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra, the Egyptian and Arab songs take the bigger slice of the cake.
The Pilot Episode: The Goldfish Problem
The pilot episode, which premiered on 30 March, was a slow burner that introduced the characters and debuted the first Arab songs featured in the series. In this episode, a track by Dubai’s DJ Kaboo, an Egyptian-born producer, titled Arab Trap: Made in Egypt contains a sample of the song Khosara (It’s a Shame) by the iconic Abdel Halim Hafez. The pilot episode also saw the Egyptian Najat Al Saghira’s song Bahlam Maak (Dreaming of You).
The Second Episode: Summon the Suit
The second episode, which saw the development of the plot and characters featured an Egyptian song called El Melouk (Kings) by Egyptian singer Ahmed Saad, featuring Arab Trap singers 3enaba and Double Zuksh that was heard in the end credits.
Arab trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that has emerged in Egypt during the last few years, with Egyptian songwriters such as Marwan Pablo, Wegz, and Marwan Moussa taking on the rap scene by storm.
After the El Melouk song was featured in Moon Knight, it ranked number 15 in the world’s top song sales. Its official music video currently has more than 57 million views on YouTube.
The Third Episode: The Friendly Type
The third episode featured four Arabic and Egyptian tunes, making it an almost exclusively Arab playlist. As the plot thickens and the show becomes more packed with drama and action, the music selection becomes more fitting.
DJ Kaboo’s song Enta samples and precedes the song Batwanes Beek (Your Company Delights Me) by the Algerian singer Warda. Salka by Egyptian singer Hassan Shakoush and Egyptian rapper Wegz is also heard in the episode, an addition that perfectly mirrors the vibrant flair of Egyptians. The episode also features another classic song by Abdel Halim Hafez called Shaghalouny (Distracted Me).
The Fourth Episode: The Tomb
The fourth episode sees the last of Arab songs featured in the series, with the end credit scene featuring a song by the Lebanese singer Sabah called Saa’at Saa’at (Sometimes, Sometimes).
The end credit song of episode 5 (Saat, Saat ساعات، ساعات) by SABAH translates to (Sometimes I am happy, sometimes I am sad). It was first introduced in the movie (The night the moon cried). Thanks Sarah Goher for the brilliant pick! #MoonKnight #MoonKnightEp5
— Mohamed diab محمد دياب (@MohamedDiab678) April 27, 2022
Although there are no Arabic songs featured in the fifth and sixth episodes, the Egyptian composer of the show’s score, Hesham Nazih, subtly brings elements of Arab and Egyptian music through in the original music he composed for the series.
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