Words and songs have long inspired us. “If music be the food of love, play on,” said William Shakespeare.
Rhythm and blues crooners have always enraptured us with their smooth, silky voices. They’ve sang Âpassionately and convincingly of love found, love renewed, of its elusivity and the gnawing heartache of its unrequited status.
Songs by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, The O’Jays and countless others have set the lyrical narrative of our relationships — and the lives of most black families — since the 1950s and continue to be the soundtrack of our lives today. This is often influenced by a sense of nostalgia for a sweeter, more innocent time when this music wafted scratchily and with some effort from the much-prized turn-tables of our parents.
The struggles of African-Americans in the United States also resonated with our own liberation struggle here at home, so our parents swayed and nodded as Curtis Mayfield belted out “people get ready, there’s a train a-coming”. It inspired a generation to believe that, indeed, a change would come.
But it was the love songs of that time that really captured our imaginations. We saw our parents hold hands and steal glances at each other when Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell sang sweetly that “heaven must have sent you from above, heaven must have sent your precious love”.
That was then. Those melodic tunes still influence the love ballads we hear and enjoy today, though I’d venture to say some lack the poignancy and melodrama of that time. That’s why I often find myself turning to local African language music for truly inspirational, soulful and heartfelt ballads.
‘Songs of yesteryear’
Simphiwe Dana is an extraordinary artist and musician. She has had the nation and international audiences jamming to her music since her critically acclaimed debut album, Zandisile. Her third album, Kulture Noir, is a tour de force with many rousing anthems. But it is the achingly beautiful love song, Ndimi Nawe, that resembles the love songs of yesteryear. She sings in Xhosa and translated into English the title simply means “you and me”.
What I adore about this track is that you can hear the joy in her raspy, guttural voice — and above the Âpowerful instrumentation in the song — as she celebrates and takes pleasure in having found a love and partnership that, she says, will weather the storms and remain resilient in the face of all manner of onslaught and strife. She urges us to believe her and we are convinced.
Another adorable ditty is the ballad sung in Zulu by the combo of Kelly Khumalo and Robby Malinga, Sobabili, which means “the two of us”. It is a rousing duet extolling the virtues of the sense of connection felt between two lovebirds and how, whatever it is they’ve found, needs to be jealously guarded from outside influence and interference. Khumalo tends to hog the headlines for all the wrong reasons, but with this tune she has shown that she deserves the attention — not for her out-of-studio antics but because she is a supremely talented singer.
The track record for beautiful love songs in African languages is not new; it has long been set by the likes of the Manhattan Brothers, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba. But my all-time favourite, which I’m sure has been an enormous inspiration to subsequent songwriters and singers, is the incomparable duo of Letta Mbulu and Caiphus Semenya. Their music has resonated through generations.
We’ve danced to the upbeat tunes of this married couple since we were in nappies, but their love songs to each other have also compelled us to believe. Their classic track, Ndiphendule, which means “answer me”, is a plea for the right response from one’s desired object of affection. In this duet Mbulu sings in her mother tongue, Xhosa, and Semenya in his, Tswana.
The result is a melodic, uplifting and somewhat cheeky take on that no-man’s-land state of relationships, where both partners are seeking answers to that much-dreaded question: “Where is this going?” She tries to defuse his Âanxiety by responding that her commitment to and love for him is as certain as the sun rising every day, but he is pushing for more. It’s delightful and catchy and always sure to get everyone dancing.
Let us never underestimate the power of our own languages to convey the truest meanings of our desires. Often, the depth of this meaning is lost in translation in the commonly used language of English. Let’s celebrate and take pride in our languages and play our music. It will feed our souls.