They arrived in London, England from Guyana and Jamaica and developed a subtle, deep funk style heavily influenced by Calypso rhythms, Jazz, African music, and American Soul.
Cymande can now be seen as one of the most sophisticated of the heavy funk acts that evolved in the early 1970s.
By the mid-seventies the band members were going their separate ways. It wasn't until 20 years later that they reaped any financial rewards, as their music became a popular source for samplers.
Cymande's original albums are still widely sought-after by DJ's and funk afficionados.
Perhaps the band's best known recording is the soulful dancefloor groove "Bra", later sampled by the American hip-hop group De La Soul.
Cymande was accidentally discovered by English producer John Schroeder in a Soho, London club where they were rehearsing. He was there to see a rock band. But the gig had been cancelled and he stumbled upon this unique collection of West Indian musicians. He soon signed the band and recorded their intial single "The Message." The single was released by Janus Records, a division of Chess Records. The track reached number 20 on the US R&B and Pop charts. This set the stage for Cymande's self titled release in 1972.
Cymande traveled to New York after the success of the first LP, and began a tour of the US with Al Green. They also shared a few bills with the latin funk ensemble Mandrill. They played a few important venues, including The Apollo, and played a gig on Soul Train.
The band released three LPs for Janus. However, their final album, "Promised Heights" which shows Cymande developing their distinctive chilled funk/jazz sound was not released in the USA where Cymande had achieved their initial success. Promised Heights included one of their most cherished tracks, "Brothers on the Slide," along with "The Recluse," the downtempo jazz/funk of "Changes," and the slow funk churner "Promised Heights." The tracks "Brothers on the Slide," and "Bra," also were staples of the new Rare Groove/ Deep House scene which developed in London and New York night clubs during the eighties.
Members
* Ray King - Vocals/Percussion
* Steve Scipio - Bass
* Derek Gibbs - Soprano/Alto
* Pablo Gonsales - Congas
* Joey Dee - Vocals/Percussion
* Peter Serreo - Tenor
* Sam Kelly - Drums
* Mike Rose - Alto/Flute/Bongos
* Patrick Patterson - Guitar
* Jimmy Lindsey - Vocals/ Percussion (Promised Heights LP)
Discography
* 1972 - Cymande
* 1973 - Second Time Around
* 1974 - Promised Heights
* 2004 - Renegades of Funk "Best Of Anthology"
* 2007 - Promised Heights "reissue compilation"
In popular culture
* "Bra" is featured on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's 1993 film Crooklyn. "Bra", "Dove", & "The Message" can be heard in his 2002 film 25th Hour.
* "Bra" is sampled by De La Soul in the song "Change in Speak," from 3 Feet High and Rising.
* The instrumental mid-portion of "Bra" was used at both the beginning and ending of John Leguizamo's stage production Sexaholix.
* The Fugees sampled Cymande's "Dove" for the title track of their 1996 second album The Score.
* The Message was resampled for Masta Ace's "Me & The Biz," notably featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and in 1991 on MC Solaar's "Bouge de là."
* Solo.X sampled "Dove" for the first track on 2007s Limited Edition promotional EP Black September on the song Glass House Theory
* The track "Brothers on the Slide" was featured in the background of the movie Dallas 362.
* British reggae band Aswad covered "The Message" on their 1988 album "Distant Thunder".
* "The Message" was sampled by Ruthless Rap Assassins on their 1990 single "And It Wasn't A Dream"
Bird*
Cymande Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Floating in the sky I wish I were
High above
Far from this world without no love
Not at home
Free as I can be I′m all alone
All I can sow
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
There′s no place
Where I can go and show my face
How I've been
That the day will come and be routine
In my world
Full of pleasant dreams I see a bird
A bird of love
That just swings (?) high above
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Like a bird
Floating in the sky I wish I were
High above
Far from this world without no love
Not at home
Free as I can be I'm all alone
All I can sow
People they don′t know just where I go
Women like to bring me down
Women like to bring me down
Ah ah I know
I got my feet on the ground
(?)
The song "Bird" by Cymande is about the feeling of isolation and the desire to escape from the hardships of life. The singer wishes to be like a bird, able to fly high above the world and away from the lack of love and freedom they experience. The theme of the song is reinforced by the repetition of the phrase "Women like to bring me down", which suggests that the singer has had negative experiences with love and relationships.
The lyrics describe a sense of loneliness and the struggle to find a sense of belonging. The singer is not at home and feels like they are all alone in the world, unable to share their dreams and desires with others who would understand. The image of the bird represents the ideal of freedom and the possibility of leaving all of their problems behind.
The song also reflects the influence of funk and soul music in the 1970s, with a groovy bassline and a rhythmic beat that encourages movement and dancing. The repetition of the phrase "Women like to bring me down" along with the catchy melody and vocal harmonies make it memorable and enjoyable to sing along to.
Line by Line Meaning
Like a bird
The singer wishes to be like a bird, floating in the sky.
Floating in the sky I wish I were
The singer wishes to float in the sky like a bird.
High above
The singer wishes to be high above everything.
Far from this world without no love
The artist wishes to be far from this world because it lacks love.
Not at home
The artist is not at home.
Free as I can be I'm all alone
The singer is alone and free.
All I can sow
The singer can only sow.
People they don't know just where I go
People do not know where the artist goes.
Women like to bring me down
Women try to bring the artist down.
Women like to bring me down
Women try to bring the artist down.
Women like to bring me down
Women try to bring the singer down.
Women like to bring me down
Women try to bring the artist down.
Women like to bring me down
Women try to bring the singer down.
Women like to bring me down
Women try to bring the singer down.
Women like to bring me down
Women try to bring the singer down.
Women like to bring me down
Women try to bring the artist down.
There's no place
There is no place for the artist.
Where I can go and show my face
The singer cannot go anywhere and show their face.
How I've been
The singer has not been well.
That the day will come and be routine
The day will come when everything becomes routine.
In my world
In the artist's world.
Full of pleasant dreams I see a bird
The artist's world is full of pleasant dreams and they see a bird.
A bird of love
The bird represents love.
That just swings (?) high above
The bird is high above.
Ah ah I know
The singer understands.
I got my feet on the ground
The singer acknowledges being grounded.
Writer(s): Steve Scipio, Patrick Patterson
Contributed by Samuel Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.