Gooood afternoon everyone and welcome back to Continental Drift! We’ve got all THREE of our cohosts here in the studio today, ready to take you on a journey to the diverse music of Iran.

Below you can see our amazing playlist and here you can listen to our episode!

Officially referred to as the Islamic Republic of Iran, and historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia with over 92 million inhabitants. Persia is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations, having been formed in the 7th century BC. It is also the birthplace of some of the world’s oldest complex musical instruments, with archeological records dating back to 2200 BC. As such, persian classical music is rich and storied, having given birth to the dastgah and maqam traditions that have gone on to define the music of the entire region. Unfortunately, we won’t have time to do a deep dive of all the amazing music from before the 20th century today!

Iranian popular music was largely dominated by classical music until the late 50s and early 60s. The most legendary artist of this time was 100% Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, a singer and appointed “master” of Iranian music. He rose to prominence in the early 60s and remained extremely popular for many years, which is perhaps why he was one of the only artists that was exempt from the strict, nearly 20-year long ban on pop music after the 1979 Iranian revolution.

(2 songs)

Shajarian’s musical antithesis can perhaps be found in the performances of Vigen (or Viguen), who has been crowned the “King of Iranian Pop”. His innovative style of songwriting heavily influenced the development of persian pop as its own distinct genre, blending influences from Latin and Western European traditions. He was one of the first Iranian musicians to perform with a guitar, which he had learned to play after buying one from a Soviet Armenian soldier during the occupation of his hometown by Azerbaijaini nationalists following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. He moved to California in 1971 and was exiled to the United States following the 1979 revolution.

(2 songs, “Chera Nemiraghsi” and “Dele Divaneh”)

By the late 1960s, a new generation of Iranian singers were finding a middle ground between Shajarian’s classical world and Vigen’s pop. Few did it better than Hayedeh, whose powerful voice made her one of the most iconic and influential singers in the whole Persian-speaking world. She came out of classical music and easily moved into pop with songs like “Saghi.”

(1 song, “Saghi”)

Talent clearly ran in the family, because shortly after Hayedeh’s rise to fame, her younger sister Mahasti became a star in her own right. Mahasti had a soprano voice and sang classical, folk, and pop over a career of more than four decades.

(1 song, “Bia Benevisim”)

If one name defines the 1970s, though, it’s Googoosh. She started performing as a child, and by the end of the decade she was the biggest pop star in the country. She was so big that women across Iran copied her miniskirts and her short haircut, which became known as the “Googooshi.” Her career has spanned over six decades, deciding to stay in Iran during the ban, and only performing internationally starting in the 2000s.

(2 songs, “Makhloogh” and “Gharibe Ashena”, feel free to skip one)

While Googoosh ruled the pop charts, Kourosh Yaghmaei was taking things in a much trippier direction. He mixed fuzzed-out guitars with Persian melodies and earned the titles “Godfather of Iranian psychedelic rock” and “King of Rock.”

(1 song, “Dar Enteha”)

However, the music scene of Iran drastically changed in 1979. After the Iranian Revolution, the music industry was put under strict government supervision, and pop music was banned for almost two decades. Women were also banned from singing as soloists for male audiences. Many of the stars we’ve heard today left the country, and so many settled in Los Angeles that the city picked up the nickname “Tehrangeles.” From there, artists like Hayedeh, Mahasti, and Vigen kept recording for Iranians all over the world. Inside the country, the one lane that stayed open was classical music.

Things finally began to loosen in the late 1990s, when the government started licensing some pop music again. Arian Band took advantage of the opening and became the first pop band in post-revolution Iran with both men and women singing and playing. Their debut album Gol-e Aftabgardoon came out in 2000.

(1 song, “Gol-E-Aftabgardoon”)

This was a response from a Norwegian music producer Erik Hillestad to the Bush calling several countries to be "axis of evil" in his 2002 State of the Union address. It features Mahsa Vahdat, Marjan Vahdat.

(1 song, “Lalalala Gohle Leleh”)

As music started to expand following the lifting of bans, an underground scene started to form in Tehran. 127 was a group of young artists and art students combining gypsy punk and jazz, mixing Iranian melodies into an alternative sound. They were a five-piece band with guitar, piano, trombone, bass, and drums.

(1 song, “Shahr-e Laghzan”)

Salar Aghili is a classical and Persian traditional singer. Interestingly, his spouse, Harir Shariat–Zadeh is also a Persian musician, she plays piano and daf (it’s a large drum). Salar Aghili is the singer of Iran's National Orchestra.

(1 song, “Janam Fadaye To”)