'60s Africa found the Zulu and Sotho beginning to incorporate the influences of African American R&B, jazz, and blues into their traditional, indigenous music. New styles such as township jazz, pennywhistle street music, Kwela, and marabi were formed. Eventually, these myriad styles coalesced to create a new hybrid pop music that came to be known as mbaqanga. Though mbaqanga employs the traditional instrumentation of Western pop (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals), the approach to song structure and rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrasing is uniquely African.
Recorded between 1981 and 1984, THE INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAT OF SOWETO is the first (and arguably the best) of a slew of South African pop recordings that soon followed. Characterized by insistent, rhythmically complex beats, elastic, burbling basslines, tight, ska-sounding guitar accompaniment, and thick, multi-part vocals, this music is as intriguing as it is appealing. Groups with such names as Udokotela Shange Namajaha and Amaswazi Emvelo serve up bright, infectious melodies and percussively insistent tracks that are clearly intended for dancing. Though this "pop" may at first seem strange to Western ears, repeated listens reveal its true nature: rich, individual, joyous, and simply wonderful music.
Ubokhuluma
Amaswazi Emvelo Lyrics
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Uma uhlukana nami
Utshel'abondaba
Kwenziwa yini ukuthi manje
Uma uhlukana nami
Utshel'abondaba
Uma uhlukana nami
Utshel'abondaba
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Wayengekho owesithathu
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Wayengekho owesithathu
Ukwenzelani okubi kimina
Ngoba ngeke kwakusize ngalutho
Uma seluphelile
Ukwenzelani okubi kimina
Ngoba ngeke kwakusize ngalutho
Uma seluphelile
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Wayengekho owesithathu
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Wayengekho owesithathu
The lyrics of Amaswazi Emvelo's song "Ubokhuluma" touch upon themes of love, rejection, and betrayal. The repetition of the lines "Kwenziwa yini ukuthi manje, Uma uhlukana nami, Utshel'abondaba" translates to "What is being said now, if you reject me, you say lies." This repetition emphasizes the confusion and pain caused by someone speaking falsely about the singer after they break up.
The chorus, "Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili, Wayengekho owesithathu," translates to "Our love was built by two, there was never a third." This highlights the singer's belief in the strength and exclusivity of their love, suggesting that no one else was involved in their relationship.
The second verse, "Ukwenzelani okubi kimina, Ngoba ngeke kwakusize ngalutho, Uma seluphelile" translates to "What wrong have I done, because it was not caused by anything, if it ended." Here, the singer expresses confusion and desperation in trying to understand why the relationship failed, believing their actions were not the cause of the breakup.
Overall, "Ubokhuluma" delves into the emotions experienced after a breakup, exploring feelings of betrayal, self-doubt, and a yearning for answers. The lyrics convey the pain and confusion that can arise when someone speaks ill of the singer and the singer's longing for the love they once had, questioning what went wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
Kwenziwa yini ukuthi manje
What does it mean now
Uma uhlukana nami
If you separate from me
Utshel'abondaba
You tell secrets
Uthando lwethu salakha sobabili
Our love was built by both of us
Wayengekho owesithathu
There was no third party involved
Ukwenzelani okubi kimina
What evil have I done to you
Ngoba ngeke kwakusize ngalutho
Because it didn't deserve anything
Uma seluphelile
If it has already ended
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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