One Life

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One Life (2006)

erscheint Oktober 2006
bei FNAC Frankreich

Songbeispiele aus dem Album

Johnny Clegg "One Life" Tour

One Life (Johnny Clegg album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia translate: http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/One_Life_%28album%29/1

(December 2009)

One Life
Studio album by Johnny Clegg
Released 2006
Recorded 2006
Genre World Music, Rock
Length 57:46
Label Rhythm Dog Music
Producer Johnny Clegg, Renaud Séchan, Claude Six
Johnny Clegg chronology
Heart of the Dancer
(2006) One Life

One Life is a studio album by South African artist Johnny Clegg, released in 2006. Johnny Clegg, Renaud Séchan and Claude Six are listed as the executive producers in the liner notes. The CD and liner notes - with numerous typos - were produced by Marabi Productions.

"Daughter of Eden" is, as the liner notes say, a song for the Goddess. Johnny Clegg has stated how he is interested in the various Goddess mythologies in various cultures, and also, men's reactions to women. He maintains that men are slightly awed or puzzled by women, for the following reasons. First, man is born of woman - which implies woman came first. Secondly, men are born twice from women - once physically, and once intellectually, in that man receive their knowledge from women, viz. the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

"Jongosi" is derived from an Afrikaans phrase, literally meaning 'Young ox', and used to designate a particularly feisty and lively person. This track is a tribute to young sportsmen and women who are able to perform at their highest level under pressure.

"Makhabeleni" is a tribute to all parents, and was born out of Johnny Clegg's impressions from his first visit to Zululand in 1970, to the eponymous village, with his friend Sipho Mchunu. Johnny was struck how Sipho referred to all men and women of his father's and mother's respective generations as 'Father' and 'Mother'. In a particular incident, one man called Sipho over and asked, 'How much money did you give your mother?'. Sipho gave his answer, to which the man replied, 'That's not enough! Give her more!' Johnny Clegg at first thought this was an unwarranted intrusion into his friend's affairs, but later came to understand that ALL parents and adults take an active and benevolent interest in the lives of the young people in the community.

"Thamela" (Warm yourself in the sun), or 'Die Son Trek Water' (The sun draws water) is Johnny Clegg's first track to incorporate Afrikaans lyrics. It deals with migrant workers separated from their lovers for long periods of time, and the quality of their love. If it's like the ocean, it cannot be diminished by evaporation by the sun - or distance, as the case may be.

"The Revolution Will Eat Its Children" is aimed squarely at Robert Mugabe. Johnny Clegg noted how much he - and the international community - respected Nelson Mandela's decision to step down at the end of his term as president. The suggestion in the song is that some other African rulers succumb to their lust for power, and that it would be better if they, too, step down gracefully.

Tracks 6 and 16, "Utshani Obulele" refer to a Zulu proverb meaning 'The dry dead grass is made young and green by fire', and how every dark or painful incident in our lives has a positive aspect. While the theme of both tracks is similar, the lyrics deal with two separate incidents - track 6 seems to concern an adolescent love affair, while track 16 deals with betrayal by a neighbour (someone from the same village).

"Touch the Sun" is a tribute to Johnny Clegg's sister, Diane, who died in 2004 at the age of 38 to cancer. The song is more positive and upbeat than the subject would suggest, and hints at Diane's acceptance and peace of mind near the end.
[edit] Track listing

1. "Daughter of Eden"
2. "Jongosi"
3. "Makhabeleni"
4. "Thamela-Die Son Trek Water"
5. "The Revolution Will Eat Its Children (anthem for Uncle Bob)"
6. "Utshani Obulele"
7. "Faut Pas Baisser Les Bras"
8. "Devana"
9. "Bull Heart"
10. "Day in the Life"
11. "Boy Soldier"
12. "Touch the Sun"
13. "4 Box Square"
14. "I Don't Want to Be Away"
15. "Locked and Loaded"
16. "Utshani Obulele (Zulu version)"
17. "Asilazi"

All songs, music and lyrics by Johnny Clegg, except "Faut Pas Baisser les Bras", lyrics by Claude Six and Johnny Clegg, and vocal intro to "Thamela", traditional.

MAKHABALENI

DEVANA the ones with little moustaches

LOCKED AND LOADED

BULL HEART

BOY SOLDIER

DAUGHTER OF EDEN

FAUT PAS BAISSER LES BRAS

THAMELA-DIE SON DRINK WATER

JONGOSI

TOUCH THE SUN

DAY IN THE LIFE

BANINGI BANGANGOTSHANE
4 BOX SQUARE
DON’T WANT TO BE AWAY
UTSHANI OBULELE The dry dead grass
UTSHANI OBULELE Zulu version
THE REVOLUTION WILL EAT ITS CHILDREN Anthem for Uncle Bob

Re: cds
Posted by Tiago, Tue Nov 28, 2006 12:39 pm (PST)
hello all, The South African version of One Life has 17 tracks. The extra song is called Asilazi, sung in Zulu and English.
Here are the notes about the song from the liner notes:
For all great political and social revolutions to be successful, they must make sense to the ordinary person. Transformation and change are difficult for all people because they have to give up what they know for an undefined future. This song is about an ordinary person who has to give up power to guarantee their place in an uncertain tomorrow and the chorus is about those who have been waiting for so long for this change to take place.

My first visit to tribal Zululand at the age of 17 was to a place called Makhabaleni, where I met Sipho Mchunu’s people. It was a very magical week for me and I was struck by the connection of all parents and adults in the affairs of the young men and women in the community. This song is a tribute to all parents everywhere.

A song for the Godess, for the female principle and for the life affirming power of the feminine which doesn’t need the masculine to define it. This power includes both aspects, the dark and the light.

Chorus:
She’s the daughter of eden
She’s sister of hope
She’s the mother freedom
She’s the lover I know..

She laughs and she jokes
She drinks and she smokes
And she tells it like is
Cause her mind is an arrow
She can’t help herself
It’s the truth’s magnetic pull
It’s the eye of the bull
And it makes you think
While you bleed…
What do you really believe?

When the chips are down
Its people who count
And she fights for those
Whose voices are drowned…
Whose voices are drowned….

And she looks at the world
Through the eyes in her heart
But the picture gets blurred
‘cause she feels every part
and she turns your head
cause she’s got great legs!
And walks on the earth
Like its child from birth

Oh.. the natural power!
And the hips that sway!
She’s the daughter of eden
Till the End of Days..
Till the End of Days….

Everywhere in the world, even in established democracy, it is critical to be vigilant and to resist any eroding of democratic freedom. ´ Molo! Khuluma asizwa! Wake up! Express yourself, we cannot hear you!

Faut pas baisser les bras
Pas baisser les bras, faut pas baisser les bras
Faut pas baisser les bras
Pas baisser les bras, faut pas baisser les bras
Chez toi comme chez moi
Pas baisser les bras, faut pas baisser les bras
Pour chanter
Faut pas baisser la voix, pas baisser la voix
Tu verras, on y arrivera
Mais pour Áa, pas baisser les bras
Faut pas baisser les bras
On va rester debout
On va tenir le coup
On ne se taira pas
On baissera pas les bras
Faut pas baisser les bras

MOLO! WAKHULUMA-NGE NA
Wake up! You must keep talking!
MOLO! WAKHULUMA-NGE NA
Wake up! You must keep talking!

Don’t give up,
BAMBA QINA-NGE BAMBA
Hold on, be strong, hold on!
Don’t give up
MUS’USHAY’LUVALO
Don’t be afraid

Faut pas baisser les bras
Pas baisser les bras, faut pas baisser les bras
Chez toi comme chez moi
Personne, personne ne nous arrÍtera,personne
Pour chanter
Faut pas baisser la voix, pas baisser la voix
Tu verras, on y arrivera
Mais pour Áa, pas baisser les bras
Faut pas baisser les bras
On va rester debout
On va tenir le coup
On ne se taira pas
On baissera pas les bras
Faut pas baisser les bras

The sun evaporates water but the sea is not scared of the sun’s flames because it’s infinite. In the same way that the sea is tested everyday by the sun, love is tested by human folly and difficult circumstances.
Migrant work separates lovers far from each other over long periods of time and distance. This is the perenial problem of the life of a touring musician.
Real love is like the ocean which cannot be evaporated by the burning sun.

(The Afrikaans reflected in the track Thamela-Die Son Trek Water is very different from the traditional language of Afrikaans. Within the lyrics of this track, the Afrikaans used is peppered with colorful inflections of 'township taal' or 'speak' which, intermingled with local dialects, reflects a motley form of pidgin Afrikaans endemic to that born and spoken by the different cultures that have blended in the new South Africa. An example ... the word 'jy' - which is typically pronounced 'yay' is pronounced 'jay' in the lyrics. This is nothing new - Afrikaans has been modified for several decades depending on the region it is spoken in. For American scatts, think 'urbonics' ..... English modified to American English modified to urban 'speak' ......)

THAMELA ‘MBULU THAMELA! `
warm yourself in the sun, water lizard or monitor (legavaan)!
ZIYAPHUZA IZINSIZWA,UXAMU LOTHELA ILANGA
the warriors drink their beer..while the water monitor enjoys warming itself in the sun

ZIYAPHUZ’ ‘INSIZWA
The warriors are drinking –repeat after each line

Die son trek water , soos ek en my bier
the sun draws the water,like me and my beer
Maar die osean is nie bang vir die son se vuur
but the ocean is not afraid of the sun’s fire
Ek dink aan jou want jy is nie hier nie
I’m thinking of you because you are not here
En my bottle is leeg, en my hart is seer.
And my bottle is empty, and my heart is sore
Die pad na jou hart, is sonder a brug
The road to your heart is without a bridge
En die myle na jou deur, is my bitter plig
and the miles to your door, have become my relentless destiny

SIGUKILE EGOLI MADODA!
We have grown old in Johannesburg ,Men!
NJENGEGOLOVANE, NGENDABA ZEMALI, NGENDABA ZEMALI
Like a rusty mine cocopan, we did this because we needed money

GUKA!GUKA WENA..UZOGUKA OTHANDAYO
Grow old!grow old!..Only someone who gives up will grow old!
Binne in my ,ek dra jou binne in my,vir ewig
Inside me ,I carry you inside me,forever
My bloed is koud, en ek word oud, soos tai Kalahari hout
My blood is cold , and I grow old , like tough-hard Kalahari wood
Maar herrineringe aan jou stook die kole in my hart
But memories of you stoke the coals in my hart
Diep in my ..jy’s diep in my..
Deep inside me, you are deep inside me

Die afstand tussen ons is so krom en skeef
The distance between us , is bent and crooked
Selfs die bottle sal my nie gou laat vergeet
Even this bottle does’nt help me to forget quickly
Daars n’ sagte klank in die nag se lug
There is a gentle sound on the evening air
as jy slaap in die donker en in jou drome vlug
As you sleep in the darkness and flee into your dreams
My bottle is gebreek en my hart is seer
My bottle is broken and my heart is sore
Jy’s so ver van my af , en die toekoms is leeg
You are so far from me and the future is empty

Jongosi literaly means ´a young powerful ox. This is for all young sportsmen and women who, in a special moment of commitment, elevate their skill to highest possible level.

"Ein schönen Gruss dem französischen und südafrikanischen Rugby Team."
"Jongosi bedeutet wörtlich übersetzt: 'ein junger leistungsfähiger Ochse'. Für alle jungen Sportler/-innen, die in einem speziellen Moment, ihre Fähigkeit auf ein höchstmögliches Niveau bringen."

Today is the reckoning
Today we hold the line
Today is the quickening
Of the blood and the soul and the mind
I see the colour of spirit
I see the colour of pain
I see the colour of brotherhood
In the burning rain

Chorus:
HAYI WEMAJONGOSI
Hey, young warriors
AZOVIMBA PHAMBILI
They will overcome all challenges ahead

These are the days you will remember
These are the days of dreams
These are the days of no-surrender
These are the days of wonder
These are the days of life
These are the days of thunder
We are the river running
We are the mighty sea
Feel the spirit and the power

I can feel your heart beat
Like a warrior’s drum
I can see your eyes on fire
Like the flame in the sun
I see lives in the balance
I see the future on hold
I feel a hurricane
And courage in the bone

She travels time and space
To when the world was young
She’s taking notes on the run
She sees the faces
And tries to fit the names
Understanding strange moments in the game

She knows that if you look back in anger
You will never be free
She’s going home and I hear her singing to me

UBANI BENGATHINTHA THINA
Who can touch us
SIBAMBA ILANGA NANGEZANDLA
For we can hold the sun even with our bare hands
Will I really touch the sun?
Will I really be the one?
The fire in flame that colours in your name
Holding out my hands
A shiny yellow band
Burns away the pain
Dries out the rain

In the darkness she recalls all that was said
And the years she spent looking for love
´Mama! did you see me fall?
´Brother! did you hear my call?
´People! can you see the race I have run?
Time is not her own, and she feels it in her bones
There’s a strange hand tugging at her soul
Closing her eyes she’s a young girl dancing free
And she hears an old song as she slides into a dream

In many parts of the world it’s difficult just to pay the rent and put food on the table. But even here people have dreams…

The hardest thing to do
Is to pay my way and keep you
I get off the red bus
Gotta pay the rent
My head is full of us
And the night we spent
Fight for survival
I gotta be cool
A day in the life of a solitary fool
A day in the life…

Oh! look at the night
These are your stars
They show the way
I feel your heart beat
This is your time
This is your life
This is your day

Somewhere in Africa
The sun is rising now
Young people work and hustle
To fill the table somehow
City heart-beat, in my ears,
Avenue of hope, backstreets of fears
Somewhere inside lies the key
I’ve got you hidden now
Inside of me

Touring can be really great but the downside is when you land up far from home in a place where you struggle to understand why people ever decided to live there…

Nothing on the western front
Nothing at all
Nothing on the eastern side
Nobody to call
Nothing in the northern end
Nothing to send
Nothing on the southern bend
Not a friend
This town is nothing but 4-box square
Oh, I’m looking for someone with a life to share

No bird in the tree singing free
No dog barking at something that he doesn’t see
No smile for me when I pass your way
No clouds floating on a summer’s day

UBANI NGAHLALA KANJENA
Who can live like this
BAZE BAKHALA OBABA NOMA
Even the old peopel ask this question
WOLALA WOLALA BAYADLALA BAHEMU WEMA
Wolala, wolala, the young men dance on

No bling-bling, no shining thing, no money to pay
No phone ring, no talking, nothing to say
Moon and sun pulling each one
Turns night to day
I’m ready to leave this place
On my compus I see your face
In the morning I will see your smile
I will save my life
Gotta go now, gotta go now

Distance from the one you love reminds you how vulnerable and dependant you are on them accepting your weaknesses and shortcomings.

Especially when the moon is new
Especially when I fake it with my crew
Especially when the truth is stuck like glue
That’s when I need to be with you

Especially when the town is dead
Especially when I see my empty bed
Especially when I don’t say what should be said
That’s when I need to be with you

YAKHAL’INGANE KWAZULU
The child cries in Zululand
KWASE KWASA
Until the lorning light
Hum-o-hum
I don’t want to be away from you

Especially when no one can see thru me
Especially when no one can see me thru
Especially when I’ve lost the key
That’s when I need to be with you

Especially when the sun comes up each day
Especially when you smile and say
Every second now is ticking away
That’s when I need to be with you

Zulu proverb: ´The dry old grass is made young, green and new again only by fire This means that often hard and difficult experiences in your life make you confront and reinvent yourself giving you a new perspective. We learn some of our deepest lessons through pain.

Chorus
UTSHANI OBULELE BUVUSWA WUMLILO
The dry dead grass is made young and green by fire

I’ve come to this place
Where you stole my innocence
I was young then
But I’m older now
Do you remember my face?
Do you recall this place?
Because I remember you
And the things that you do
Some need to feel pain
To learn the game
To feel the fire
And be born again
Here I am now
The night has begun
This is me now, waiting for the sun

Chorus
UTSHANI OBULELE BUVUSWA WUMLILO
The dry dead grass is made young and green by fire

I’m still standing
Made it thru’ this fire
I was weaker then
But I’m stronger now

Lessons in love
Lessons in pain
I was weaker then
But i’m stronger now
Do you remember my face
Do you recall this place
Because I remember you
And the things that you do
Some need to feel pain
To learn the game
To feel the fire
And be born again
Here I am now
The night has begun
This is me now, waiting for the sun

WANGISHISA ‘NDODA NGAKHALA NGAPHANSI
You have betrayed me, man, I fell down to the ground
NGAKUTHEMBA WEMFO
Trusted you, brother,
WANGILHALA OBALA
But you threw me out into the wasteland
WANGIVALA NGOMKHONYOVU
You betrayed and tricked me badly

KANTI SIPHUMA NDAWONYE
Even tho’ we come from the same village
UMA NGIBUZA UTHI
And when I ask you why you did this you say
YIZINTO ZALOMHLABA
´It’s the way of the world
YIMI LOYO
This is me now
WANGIWISA PHANSI
You made me collapse
YIMI LOYO
This is me now
SENGIZOVUKA
I will rise up
NGIHLAKANIPHA
And become wiser
NGIBEMUSHA
And be new again
PHASOPHA DEMMET!
Watch out, damn it
SENGIFIKILE
I have arrived!

WANGI FAKA ESIKOLWENI
You have given me an education
ENGANANCWADI-BO
That has noformal certificate
UBUHLUNGU DAMI BUNGINIKA
My pain has given me
ISITHIFIKETHI SEMPILO
The certificate of life

WANGISHAYA NGENGQULATHI
You betrayed me badly
KANTI SIPHUMA NDAWONYE
Even tho’ we come from the same village
UMA NGIBUZA UTHI
And when I ask you why you did this you say
YIZINTO ZALOMHLABA
´It’s the way of the world
YIMI LOYO
This is me now
WANGIWISA PHANSI
You made me collapse
YIMI LOYO
This is me now
SENGIZOVUKA
I will rise up
NGIHLAKANIPHA
And become wiser
NGIBEMUSHA
And be new again
PHASOPHA DEMMET!
Watch out, damn it
SENGIFIKILE
I have arrived!

Revolutions around the world have always resulted in some form of social engineering accompanied by the inability to factor in that inevitable dark aspect of human nature – the lust for power.

"uncle bob" is the revolution will eat its children = anthem for uncle
bob / uncle bob = robert mugabe

He’s a leader, talks of freedom
He knows the power of the Big Idea
He’s a dealer, he’s a seeker
Of the power that comes from fear
He gave his life to the party machine
Holding on a secret dream
He knows better than anyone
´Power comes from the barrel of a gun…
And he’s rising up against them now
And he’s rising up in country and town
Rising up against them now, rising up

Chorus
The revolution has eaten its children
I see the river of dreams run dry
I’m so thankful I got to love you
You are the reason I survive

The promise of a better life for all
The promise of freedom from hunger and war
So many rose up to answer the call
And so many are no longer here at all
The hopes of yesterday drowning in shifting sands
‘cause something strange is going on accross the land
Preaching water but drinking wine
Power gets us every time
The more things change
The more they stay the same
And they’re rising up against him now
And they’re rising up from country to town
And they’re rising up, rising up

JOHNNY CLEGG: One Life. Marabi 46817.2

Johnny Clegg's a remarkable survivor who could be treated a little better by history. Hopefully this powerful new album will help with that. In apartheid-era South Africa, his multi-racial bands were a beacon of light. His mixing of Zulu and English language roots music and dance with the global rock of the day was surely an inspiration for others like Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel, rewarded with international hits like "Asimbonanga" and "Scatterlings of Africa", massive in Europe and even grazing the UK charts.
Just like the extraordinary London gig I saw last year, One Life is a great, energetic return to form with a world-class band. Undented by fashion - don't look here for concessions to hip-hop and kwaito for example - his is still a glorious blend of '80s stadium rock with soaring vocal harmonies, chiming guitars, anthemic choruses and always a strong political content. But it's always that hardcore foundation in Zulu culture and music - concertina and all - that sets him apart, makes him instantly recognisable. In other hands, such a fusion could sound dated but Clegg's original vision still stands outside time. Anyway, it is hardly any more retro than what rules on the rock circuit these days, and a damn sight more uplifting.
A big, quality production put together in Johannesburg and at Real World Studios here in the UK, it deserves to be smash way outside the world music circuit. www.marabi.net Distributed in the UK by Harmonia Mundi.

Ian Anderson

fRoots Magazine, December 2006, p.54

www.frootsmag.com

Johnny Clegg: One Life

"One Life" ist das erste Album der südafrikanischen Musiklegende Johnny Clegg in zehn Jahren, das in Deutschland mit der Ladentheke Bekanntschaft macht. Hört man in das Werk hinein, beschleicht einen der Verdacht, dass der Mann gut daran getan hätte, sich einen anderen Produzenten zu besorgen. Einen, der seinen Sound in die Jetztzeit hievt, denn der mittlerweile 53-jährige "weiße Zulu" klingt immer noch nach seiner großen Zeit Ende der Achtziger Jahre. Doch einen Manu Chao, der den treibenden Folk-Sound von Amadou & Mariam aus Mali zu einem Meisterwerk machte, das auch in der "ersten Welt" gefällt, den findet man nicht an jeder Ecke.

Die beiden ersten Nummern klingen besonders "cheesy". "Daughter Of Eden" wirkt wie eine mittelprächtige Carlos-Santana-Single und "Jongosi" wie World Beat aus dem Jahr 1989. Erst mit dem dritten Titel "Makhabeleni" nimmt das Album ein wenig Fahrt auf. Hier beginnen die tief wummernden Zuluchöre zu swingen und die berühmte Gitarre der südafrikanischen Musiklegende säuselt ihre Linien über 14 weitere Songs. Die werden in den Sprachen Englisch, Afrikaans, Zulu und Französisch dargeboten. Auf Klänge des jungen Südafrikas wie den fiebrigen Kwaito, die HipHop und Dancehall-Variante vom Kap, wartet man bei Clegg vergeblich.

Es wäre aber auch vermessen, dies dem sympathischen Wuschelkopf vorzuwerfen. Wer 1979 mit Juluka die erste Platte einer gemischtrassigen Band in Südafrika veröffentlichte und bis Anfang der Neunziger enorm viel für die multiethnische Musikkultur Südafrikas getan hat, hat seinen Beitrag zur Geschichte geleistet. Schade nur, dass Clegg seine Ankündigungen, ein Roots-Album mit Zuluchören der ländlichen Tradition aufzunehmen - Quarten und Quinten statt der westlichen Terzakkorde - recht verhalten umsetzt und für seinen Crossover-Folk die Popküche der frühen Neunziger aufsucht. Ein Graswurzelalbum hätte dem weißen Zulu vielleicht besser zu Gesicht gestanden. Aber wer weiß, vielleicht trifft Clegg mit diesem Sound exakt den Radiogeschmack der erwachsenen Zielgruppe. Und die sollen ja auch noch Geld für CDs ausgeben.

Autor: Eric Leimann (Artistpage)

Johnny Clegg "One Life" Tour

Lange war es still um den Mann, der in den 90er Jahren mit seiner Band Savuka in ganz Europa Triumphe feierte. Titel wie "Asimbonanga" oder "Scatterlings of Africa" wurden selbst in Deutschland im Radio rauf und runter gespielt, in Frankreich bekam die Band einen "Victoires de la musique" Preis, in den USA wurden sie für einen Grammy nominiert. Das so etwas in Zeiten von "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" unmöglich geworden ist spricht eher gegen unsere Radiolandschaft als gegen Johnny Clegg. Sein neues Album "New World Survivor" ist vorerst nur in seiner Heimat Südafrika erschienen ( wo es allerdings auch schon Goldstatus erlanghat ). Live überzeugt der Gitarrist und Sänger, der seine Karriere zu Zeiten der Apartheid als Strassenmusikant begann und durch sein gemeinsames Auftreten mit Zulumusikern mehr als einmal mit einem Fuß im Gefängnis stand, nach wie vor mit einer mitreissenden Bühnenshow - Inhlangwini Tänze inklusive.

JOHNNY CLEGG : ONE LIFE
Do you happen to have 0,02 seconds? You do? Ok, „google“ : INHLANGWINI. In 0,02 seconds you will get 220 hits. 5 out of the 220 have nothing to do with JOHNNY CLEGG.

It’s not as if CLEGG had invented the toungue crasher. He was born in Lancashire, UK, came to South Africa with his mother as a child, fell in love with traditional Zulu culture at 13 or 14 when he met a street musician called Charlie Mzile who tought him to play the guitar Zulu style and the dancing style called Inhlangwini.

During the late sixties and early seventies the political climate in South Africa was not exactly friendly to a white, English speaking boy playing Zulu music with black Africans in public places. Together with Sipho Mchunu, a Zulu migrant worker, Clegg founded JULUKA, South Africa’s first interracial group. The band mixed languages, cultures and musical elements from Africa with western elements – a slap in the face of a racist society. During the early eighties, the band toured Europe and North America successfully.

In 1985 Juluka split, and Clegg founded SAVUKA. Compared to Juluka that mainly mixed local Zulu elements with English folk rock elements, Savuka went a lot farer. Their blend included elements such as central- and west African guitar styles as well as different international rock and pop elements. By the end of 1989 Savuka had sold over a million copies of their debut album, and the second album had already sold 700 000. In France the two albums were at number 1 and 2 of the album sales charts simultaneously, while the singles „Asimbonanga“ and „Scatterlings of Africa“ occupied number 1 and 7 of the single charts. The fourth album was nominated for a Grammy in 1993. In 1994, Savuka split. During the following years Clegg and Siphu Mchunu decided to give Juluka another go, which resulted in the 1997 cross over album „Crocodile Love“.

During the following years we didn’t hear a lot from „the white Zulu“, at least as far as records are concerned. The album „New World Survivor“ reached gold status in South Africa in 2002 but wasn’t even released in Europe – in an era of casted „superstars“ that fed the music industry nobody dared to release a „niche product“. Stupid mistake that, for that niche is not only very much alive and kicking, but also willing to actually spend money on music! During the past 5 years we’ve met Clegg fans from Denmark in a Munich show, Austrians and Dutch in Würselen of all places and on and on. These people know exactly what they are sacrificing their vacations for and spending their money on. Shows with the Johnny Clegg Band, as it is now known, are unforgettable, energetic, invigorating. People tend to want to take a souvenir home with them. That’s why we are really happy to announce that a new album will be available for the november shows (and in store, obviously): ONE LIFE.

«This album has taken some 14 months of writing . It’s a collection of moments around the theme of One Life. In this album I revisited some very early musical roots and influences in my life as a young boy growing up in Johannesburg in the late 60's and 70's. Apart from traditional Zulu guitar music, the traditional male choir singing in the ISISHAMENI and UMZANSI war dance styles had a deep impact on me and these moments are reflected in a number of songs on the album.I also used Zulu concertina and mouthbow. Then I wandered into new rhythmic landscapes using african, hip-hop, rock, and latin beats to lay the music against. One life is also reflections on some of the things that we land up doing with the life we are given and the all the songs are linked thru this journey...

«Enjoy the journey. And if you still want to learn something more about «Inhlangwini », watch out for posters with the photograph of a man throwing his leg high up above his head. That’s where you want to go.

Tour : 08.11. Hamburg, Fabrik · 09.11. Berlin, Kesselhaus · 11.11. Munich, Muffathalle

Johnny Clegg: “One Life”

Sie gerade mal 0,02 Sekunden Zeit? Dann „googeln“ Sie doch mal INHLANGWINI. In besagten 0,02 Sekunden erzielen Sie 220 Treffer. 5 davon haben nichts mit JOHNNY CLEGG zu tun. Bei dem Zungenbrecher handelt es sich keineswegs um eine Erfindung Johnny Cleggs. Der in Lancashire, England, geborene Clegg kam als Kind mit seiner Mutter nach Südafrika, wo er sich mit 13 oder 14 Jahren in die traditionelle Zulu Kultur verliebte, als er die Bekanntschaft mit einem Strassenmusiker namens Charlie Mzila machte. Von ihm lernte er den Zulu Stil, Gitarre zu spielen, und den besagten Inhlangwini Tanz. In den späten sechziger und frühen siebziger Jahren war das politische Klima in Südafrika nicht besonders freundlich für einen weißen, Englisch sprechenden Jungen, der mit schwarzen Afrikanern in der Öffentlichkeit Zulu Musik spielte. Clegg gründete zusammen mit Sipho Mchunu, einem Zulu Wanderarbeiter, JULUKA, die erste gemischtrassige Band in Südafrika. Die Band verband Sprachen, Kulturen und musikalische Elemente aus Afrika und dem Westen – ein Schlag ins Gesicht der rassistischen Gesellschaft. In den frühen achtziger Jahren tourte die Band erfolgreich durch Europa und Nordamerika.

1985 trennte sich Juluka, und Clegg gründete SAVUKA. Im Vergleich zu Juluka, die hauptsächlich lokale Zulu und Englische Folk Rock Elemente verband, ging Savuka sehr viel weiter mit der Einbeziehung von Zentral- und Westafrikanischen Gitarrenstilen und diversen internationalen Rock- und Popelementen.

Bis Ende 1989 hatte die Band über eine Million Exemplare ihres Debütalbums verkauft, und das zweite Album erreichte 700 000 Verkäufe. In Frankreich standen beide Alben gleichzeitig auf Platz 1 und 2 der Verkaufscharts, und die Singels „Asimbonanga“ und „Scatterlings of Africa“ nahmen die Plätze 1 und 7 der Singlecharts ein. Das 4. Album wurde 1993 für den Grammy als bestes Weltmusikalbum nominiert. Savuka trennte sich 1994, und Clegg und Sipho Mchunu wagten einen neuen Versuch mit Juluka, ein cross-over Album mit dem Titel „Crocodile Love“ (1997).

Danach wurde es etwas ruhiger um den „weißen Zulu“. Das Album „New World Survivor“, das in Südafrika 2002 immerhin Goldstatus erlangte, wurde in Europa gar nicht erst herausgebracht - in Zeiten, wo eine ganze Industrie von Kuschelrock Compilations und gecasteten „Superstars“ lebt, hatte niemand den Mut, ein „Nischenprodukt“ zu veröffentlichen. Ein Fehler, denn diese „Nische“ ist nicht nur quicklebendig, sie gibt auch noch Geld für Musik aus! In den vergangenen 5 Jahren haben wir auf Johnny Clegg Konzerten in München Fans getroffen, die eigens aus Dänemark angereist waren, nach Würselen(!!) bei Aachen kamen nicht etwa nur Holländer, sondern auch Wiener. Die Leute wissen, wofür sie ihren Urlaub opfern und ihr Geld ausgeben – Konzerte mit der Johnny Clegg Band, wie sie jetzt heißt, sind unvergessliche Erlebnisse, von denen man nicht nur viel Energie und gute Laune mit nach Hause nimmt, sondern gerne auch ein Souvenir.

Deshalb freut es uns, dass es nun endlich wieder ein neues Album gibt, das man bei den Konzerten im November – und natürlich auch in den Läden – kaufen kann. Zu „ONE LIFE“ sagt Clegg selber: „An diesem Album habe ich 14 Monate gearbeitet. Es ist eine Sammlung von Momenten rund um das Thema „Ein Leben“. Ich habe einige sehr frühe musikalische Wurzeln und Einflüsse, die mein Leben als Junge in Johannesburg in den späten sechziger und siebziger Jahren prägten, neu aufgegriffen. Neben der traditionellen Zulu Gitarrenmusik haben vor allem die traditionellen Männer Chor Gesänge bei den Isishameni und Umzansi Kriegstänzen einen tiefen Eindruck bei mir hinterlassen, der sich in einigen Songs auf dem neuen Album wiederspiegelt. Ich habe auch die Zulu Concertina benutzt. Dann bin ich zu neuen rhythmischen Landschaften gewandert und benutzte Afrikanische, Hip Hop, Rock und Latin Rhythmen, um sie mit den Melodien zu verbinden. „ONE LIFE“ ist auch eine Reflektion der Dinge, die wir mit dem Leben tun, das uns gegeben wurde. Alle Songs verbinden sich zu dieser Reise.“

Genießen Sie diese Reise. Und wenn Sie jetzt immer noch wissen wollen, was Inhlangwini ist: achten Sie auf die Plakate mit dem Bild eines Mannes, der sein Bein (im Stehen) etwas über seinen Kopf schwingt – da sind Sie richtig.

Tourdaten:
08.11. Hamburg, Fabrik
09.11. Berlin, Kesselhaus
11.11. München, Muffathalle

Hi all !
Posted by: "nathalibiscus"
Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:01 am (PST)
I bought "one life" this week-end in Lyon - FNAC (France).
It's a very good album with differents styles of music.
Like the others it talks about human life, and we can imagine people
life when we read the lyrics.
16 songs (a lot - good !) and one in french. It's funny for me to hear
Johnny singing in my langage. I saw that the CD was produced in France
so I think that's why there's a French song.
The title is "faut pas baisser les bras" that means "don't give up"
like in the famous song of Bob Marley "get up stand up...".
In the album, there's a text before each song that describes "the
spirit" in wich was written the song and why it was written.
The lyrics are very beautiful, the music too and J C is still
wonderful. So buy it !
Later !
Nath

"One Life" and "In My African Dream" update
Posted by: "inmyafricandream"
Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:47 pm (PST)
Hi Scatters,
The new album is an interesting mix between Juluka, Savuka and New World
Survivor styles.:-)
You could see below the style (for me) and my appreciation on each song
(+++ : very good / ++ : good / + : pretty good )
Daughter Of Eden - NWS style - ++
Jongosi - Juluka style - ++ (a new version of Amajonghosi)
Makhabeleni - Juluka style - ++
Thamela-Die Son Drink Water - Juluka style - +
The Revolution Will Eat Its Children - NWS style - +
Utshani Obulele - Juluka style - +++
Faut Pas Baisser Les Bras - New style - +++
Devana - Juluka/Savuka style - +
Bull Heart - Savuka style - ++
Day In The Life - Savuka/NWS style - ++
Boy Soldier - Savuka style - +
Touch The Sun - Savuka style - +++
4 Box Square - Savuka/NWS style - +
I Don'T Want To Be Away - Juluka/NWS style - +
Locked And Loaded - Juluka style - ++
Utshani Obulele (Zulu Version) - Juluka style - +++
At the end, it's a good album, don't forget to buy it.;-)
To allow you to make your own opinion, I put online a sample of each song of it.
Have fun, Daniel
http://inmyafricandream.free.fr

Re: "One Life" and "In My African Dream" update - BANINGI
Posted by: "scatterling2003"
Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:05 am (PST)
Thanks for the samples Daniel! Already, In My African Dream has
answered my question about BANINGI BANGANGOTSHANE. Listening to DAY
IN THE LIFE, I heard it! BANINGI BANGANGOTSHANE is really part of DAY
IN THE LIFE, but it's (incorrectly) listed as a separate song on
Johnny's site. So OK, only 16 songs to look forward to, not 17, who
could complain about that?!?
:)
Jamie

new CDs
Posted by: "Peter
Mon Dec 4, 2006 6:38 am (PST)
One Life: I can only reiterate everyone's great happiness with this
terrific new album. I'm inclined already to include it among Johnny's top 5
albums, and that's quite a statement. What I find so amazing is that this
great writer and musician continues to put out albums full of compelling
lyrics and great music, at a life-career point when most people have run
out of things to say. Every song on the album is about something--there's
more to think about with this album than you get in a year's worth of the
rest of the profession's output. And I love the way he's returned to his
zulu basics while still evolving his sound into something new, and without
losing his core approach and sound. An absolutely great achievement, highly
recommended.

Peter

The revolution will eat its children

Scatterlings of Africa, I call your name and Asimbonanga are some of the songs that come to mind when I hear the name Johnny Clegg also known as “The White Zulu” because of his admiration of the Zulu culture.
During the apartheid regime, Clegg teamed up with Zulu street musician Sipho Mchunu to form the first inter-racial South African band they called Juluka. The band’s music was a fusion of pop, rock and traditional zulu rhythms.
Annoyed by the explicitly political songs of Clegg and Juluka, the apartheid regime banned their music on radio but this never detered them for singing out on the injustices taking place then.
In the song, Asimbonanga, they called for the release of Nelson Mandela and paid tribute to three martyrs of the South African liberation struggle: Steve Biko, Victoria Mxenge, and Neil Aggett.
I’m glad to write that “The White Zulu” is back with his much awaited new album titled ‘One Life‘. In the album, Clegg continues to write thoughtful and political lyrics.
One of the new songs on the album is titled: The revolution will eat its children (Anthem for Uncle Bob).
Commenting on the song, Clegg writes: “Revolutions around the world have always resulted in some form of social engineering accompanied by the inability to factor in that inevitable dark aspect of human nature – the lust for power.”
Some of the lyrics for the song are:

While the South African government continues with its “Quiet Diplomacy” on Zimbabwe, Clegg warns, “the revolution will eat its children” while people stand by and look.

Review of ONE LIFE in SONGLINES magazine, January/February, 2007

JOHNNY CLEGG - One Life

"Clegg still isn't quite ready to leave the 80s"

Many of us probably share the same mixed feelings about Johnny Clegg. Huge respect is due to the one major white South African musician who, throughout the apartheid years, led multi-racial bands, embraced indigenous rhythms and stood up for freedom throughout the darkest times. He also made some great records in their own right, particularly with Juluka. Yet, at the same time, if you were going to buy a South African CD, solidarity dictated that you went for something a little more ETHNIC - whether it was a Zulu choir or a township MBAQANGA band. His new album, recorded in Johannesburg and Real World studios, offers the usual Clegg mix of Western rock stylings and Zulu rhythms, although he's added a Latin vibe to the opener, "Daughter of Eden", and some vague hip-hop traces elsewhere.

Despite this, ONE LIFE still manages to sound like most of it could have been recorded in the 80s. The rock elements still labour under the influence of The Police, while the African influences have an undeniable touch of GRACELAND about them. There are some terrific moments, particularly on "I Don't Want to be Away", which uses Zulu mouth bow and concertina to fine effect against an inventive vocal. Yet overall it's a record that, like much of Clegg's work, it's far easier to respect than to love.

Nigel Williamson

SA artist blasts Mugabe

South African Afro rock sensation, Johnny Clegg, has castigated President Robert Mugabe’s iron grip rule and stay in power. The South African musician places the autocratic Mugabe into his firing line in his latest album, One Life released last year. Clegg has no kind words for Mugabe whom he takes to the political cleaners in the song entitled, The Revolution will eat its children (anthem for uncle Bob) on his 17-track release. The suggestion in the song is that Mugabe has succumbed to last and obsession of power, and that it would be better for the ailing revolutionary to step down gracefully. Cleggs expresses exasperation over the worsening political and socio-economic situation in Zimbabwe, a country he once lived in the early days of his life and at the time in a burgeoning economic state. The musician join a host of other South African artists who have lambasted Mugabe’s rule in their music, a case in point being Kwaito star Mzekezeke. The masked artist last year sent tongues wagging with hit Ubani uMzekezeke (Who is Mzekezeke) in which he lampoons Mugabe. For producing the damning work, Mzekezeke’s music was banned forthwith from Zimbabwe’s radio and the artist himself together with another musical colleague DJ Cleo were blacklisted from performing in the country. Other tracks contained herein on Cleggs new release include among others Daughter of Eden, Jongosi, Makhabeleni, Thamela-Die son Trek water, Utshoni obulele and Bull heart. Utshoni obulele refers to a Zulu proverb meaning ‘That dry dead grass is made young and green by fire’ and also refers to how every dark or painful incident in our lives has a positive aspect.

Johnny Clegg -- One Life

Forgive my indulgence on this review, but I feel a slight diversion to describe the significance of this artist to me is necessary.

Of all my childhood favourites, Johnny Clegg has to be my number 1 South African artist. He spun a world of South African pride and a promise of Oneness to me in my pre-teen years when I was old enough to understand my nation was changing, but too young to understand the gravity of the events unfolding around me.

My mother was a refugee from the Hungarian revolution when she and her parents arrived in South Africa in the late 1950's. Being of foreign origin, she was branded an 'Uitlander' by her peers at school; a term still burnt into her heart. She still tells me stories of other children throwing stones at her, shouting "Gaan terug na jou land, Uitlander!". It was experiences like these that brought her to hate the notion of apartheid and its sister paradigms: intolerance and xenophobia.

My grandparents couldn't speak a word of English when they arrived and, being the impressionable child she was, my mother acquired the local tongues far quicker than they did. The result was that she translated fluent Afrikaans, English and Xhosa into Hungarian to assist her parents in getting about day to day activities in a strange land. This multi-lingual existence and the interactions it brought with it, combined with my grandfather's work at the Orlando West power station, put my mother in the thick of things from a young age when it came to South African politics and the associated turmoil at the time.

During all this, she developed a love for the kwela-kwela buskers on the corners of the streets of Sophiatown, playing home-made instruments of Castrol oil tins and wire. She has imparted this exposure and her love for local flavours of music to me and my brother, playing us Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Miriam Makeba tapes when we were young. And of course, Johnny Clegg.

"Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World" was the second CD I ever bought. I learnt a lot of Zulu from the album sleeve... singing along to tracks such as Vezandlebe and Moliva. This was shortly followed by the only (archaic) analog recording I still have in my possession: a tape I created in February 1997 when Johnny played with old members of Savuka live at the Blues Room in Sandton. I was mesmorised. I was 14.

We haven't seen an album of wholly new material from Johnny Clegg since 2002's 'New World Survivor'. Between chopping and changing with Savuka, Juluka and solo work as well as a heavy touring schedule, most albums since '85 (bar 'New World') have been live versions or compilations of previously released material. So it is with much speed I procured tickets to see the KFM Sundowner session in Camps Bay in April when material from 'One Life' would get its first exposure to South African ears.

The concert, in short, was magnificent. Getting to chat with the man in flesh in an intimate one-on-one environment was a dream come true. This show was followed by the announcement of another more publicly exposed series of performances live at the CTICC in June, which I also attended. The line-up contained a few more of the classics, but the same singles from 'One Life' were show-cased to a far larger audience with a more comprehensive suite of musicians (as opposed to the raw, unplugged Sundowner session). Having seen the new material performed live twice and subsequently purchased the CD and played it to death, I'm very pleased to say that Johnny has lost none of his magic.

The discography of the album is as follows:

Die son trek water, soos ek en my bier
Maar die osean is nie bang vir die son se vuur
Ek dink aan jou want jy is nie hier nie
En my bottel is leeg, en my hart is seer
Die pad na jou hart is sonder 'n brug
En die myle na jou deur is my bitter plig

Binne in my, ek dra jou binne in my
Vir ewig!
My bloed is koud en ek word oud
Soos tai Kalahari hout
Maar herrineringe aan jou stook die kole in my hart
Diep in my... jy's diep in my...

Read out of context, the chorus almost sounds like an expat yearning for home... maar die herinneringe aan jou stook die kole in my hart.

Johnny Clegg One Life Concert

In a country that struggled with racism for so many years under the Apartheid regime, many people in South Africa went out of their way to help those who were oppressed. Johnny Clegg was one of those who reached out to help others and his music was inspired by what he saw and experienced in his youth. The One Life music concert is a brief but entertaining glimpse at the musical phenomenon that he later became.

Jonathan (Johnny) Clegg was not actually born in South Africa and perhaps this is why he was so willing to look past popular conceptions in the country at the time and to challenge the norms of society. Clegg was actually born in Lancashire in the United Kingdom in 1953 and he was raised in the UK, Israel, Rhodesia, Zambia and South Africa.

Such a diverse upbringing must have certainly affected his outlook on life and as a young man, Clegg became involved in Zulu street music when he started taking part in Zulu dance competitions. When he embarked on his career as a musician after leaving school, Johnny Clegg combined his music courses with the study of anthropology. This led to him meeting and learning from some very influential people at the time and also to teaching anthropology for a while.

Over time Clegg started performing with African bands such as Juluka (the first inter-racial band from South Africa) and Savuka, and he became noted for mixing Zulu and English lyrics as well as employing African, European and Celtic music styles. His early success started with the help and inspiration of a friend, partner and employee named Sipho Mchunu. While the local government saw to it that their album received no airplay, it was an instant hit just from word-of-mouth referrals.

Clegg and Mchunu blatantly tackled political issues that troubled them and their music as certainly not greeted with open arms by the government at that time. However it wasn’t long before a tide of change began to sweep over the country and soon Clegg and other band members started to gain a reputation overseas. Both Juluka and Savuka traveled and performed concerts abroad with massive international success. In fact, ‘the White Zulu’ is now returning from recent concerts in the UK to provide South African fans with what promises to be a truly entertaining concert. Book your tickets now to enjoy this great mixture of new and old hits performed live on stage by the White Zulu himself.