The duo produced music that mixed traditional Mali sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Colombian trombones, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion. All these elements put together have been referred to as "Afro-blues".
In 2004 they put out an acclaimed album produced by Manu Chao.
In 2006 they were acknowledged with BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in the two categories: Africa and Album of the Year (for the "Dimanche à Bamako" release).
In 2008 they released their 6th album Welcome To Mali with the participation of K'Naan, Keziah Jones, -M- and Damon Albarn. Their song "Sabali" was placed 15 on Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Best Tracks of 2008.
The duo won the Best Group category in the inaugural Songlines Music Awards (2009) – announced 1 May 2009 – the new world music awards organised by the UK-based magazine, Songlines.
Their eighth album Folila was released on 2 April 2012. Folila, which means "music" in Bambara, was recorded in Bamako and New York with special guests including Santigold, TV on the Radio, and Jake Shears.
On 22 September 2017 they released their album La Confusion.
www.amadou-mariam.com
Magosa
Amadou & Mariam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aw ni soU
A tè dêmê ni ko la wa?
A yé dêmê ni ko la, né kélé têssé
Tièba tara tounguan na
A mi sara a faouw la A mi sara a Baouw la
A mi sara a kôrôw la
A mi sara a mossow la
A mi sara a dénw la
A mi sara a sigui yongonw la
Ni ko kêrê magossa yé
A mossow sègèna a kofê
A yé diagi djougou kê
A yé djourou djougou ta
A yé yala djougou kê
A yé sôgnali djougou kê
Ni ko kêra maloya yé
Eh, djama, djama, djama
Aw ni sou
Tièni tara sougou la, Anh!
A ma faouw yé
A ma Baouw yé
Anh! Ni ko kêra maloya yé
Anh! Ni kô kêra mogossa yé
The song "Magosa" is a deep and nostalgic reflection of the artists Amadou & Mariam's Malian roots. The opening lines "djama, djama, djama" and "aw ni sou" are reminiscent of traditional Malian griot storytelling, with "djama" meaning "listen" and "aw ni sou" translating to "I'm telling you." The lyrics continue with a conversation between two people, with the first person asking "a tè dêmê ni ko la wa?" which roughly translates to "what did you come to do here?" The response is "a yé dêmê ni ko la, né kélé têssé," meaning "I came here to stay, I will not leave."
The following verses describe different places and experiences, with each line beginning with "a mi sara" and then describing a location or situation. The repetition of "ni ko kêrê magossa yé" and "ni ko kêra maloya yé" throughout the song is a nod to the artists' heritage and the importance of traditional Malian music and dance.
Overall, the song is a powerful tribute to the artists' roots and a reminder of the importance of staying connected to one's culture and traditions.
Line by Line Meaning
Djama, djama, djama
Repeatedly chanting 'Djama'
Aw ni soU
Don't you hear?
A tè dêmê ni ko la wa?
Why don't you come with me?
A yé dêmê ni ko la, né kélé têssé
Let's go together and enjoy the journey
Tièba tara tounguan na
We will cross the Tièba ocean
A mi sara a faouw la
We will reach the village of Faouw
A mi sara a Baouw la
We will reach the village of Baouw
A mi sara a kôrôw la
We will reach the village of Kôrôw
A mi sara a mossow la
We will reach the village of Mossow
A mi sara a dénw la
We will reach the village of Dépw
A mi sara a sigui yongonw la
We will reach the village of Sigui Yongonw
Ni ko kêrê magossa yé
Only then we will arrive at Magossa
A mossow sègèna a kofê
In Mossow, there's a woman named Kofê
A yé diagi djougou kê
She dances the Diagi Djougou dance
A yé djourou djougou ta
She dances the Djourou Djougou dance
A yé yala djougou kê
She dances the Yala Djougou dance
A yé sôgnali djougou kê
She dances the Sôgnali Djougou dance
Ni ko kêra maloya yé
Only then we will hear her Maloya song
Eh, djama, djama, djama
Still repeatedly chanting 'Djama'
Aw ni sou
'Don't you hear?' reminder
Tièni tara sougou la, Anh!
We will also cross the Tièni forest, right?
A ma faouw yé
We will arrive at the village of Faouw
A ma Baouw yé
We will arrive at the village of Baouw
Anh! Ni ko kêra maloya yé
Yes! Then we will hear her Maloya song
Anh! Ni kô kêra mogossa yé
Yes! Then we will arrive at Magossa
Lyrics © SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING, REVA SONS
Written by: Mariam Doumbia
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cgouzonnat6222
I discorved this song when I was 4 years Old and today i am 14 years Old and i often listen magossa
@flowerpunkchip
this is my favourite by far - i play it every week.... especially at a political vigil for Julian Assange
@tiakoumbiesoulama4860
J'ai pas de mots !!
Vous êtes très bon,que le bon Dieu vous bénisse !!
J'attire des conseils à travers tout vos son!!
Merci Amadou et Mariam !!
@Nunyah-Arbys
This is a fun jam! Really love this couples music.
@Allcheebanditofficiel
❤❤
@malcolmbrown5461
This makes me happy. Love this!
@kevinhowell7530
This is it, beautiful ❤️
@bevnae
Incredible.
@Hereforbants
What a song
@flowerpunkchip
the best