Hugh Masekela was an old collaborator of Abdullah Ibrahim. He is reported to have been initially inspired in his musical growth by Trevor Huddleston, a British priest working in the South African townships who financed Masekela's first trumpet. Masekela played his way through the vibrant Sophiatown scene with The Jazz Epistles and to Britain with King Kong, to find himself in New York in the early 1960s. He had hits in the United States with the pop jazz tunes "Up, Up and Away" and the number one smash "Grazin' in the Grass".
A renewed interest in his African roots led him to collaborate with West and Central African musicians, and finally to reconnect with South African players when he set up a mobile studio in Botswana, just over the South African border, in the 1980s. Here he re-absorbed and re-used mbaqanga strains, a style he has continued to use since his return to South Africa in the early 1990s.
In the 1980s, he toured with Paul Simon in support of Simon's then controversial, but highly critically acclaimed, album Graceland, which featured other South African artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, Ray Phiri, and other elements of the band Kalahari, which Masekela recorded with in the 1980s. He also collaborated in the musical development for the Broadway play, Sarafina! He previously recorded with the band Kalahari.
In 2003, he was featured in the documentary film Amandla!, about how the music of South Africa aided in the struggle against apartheid. In 2004, he released his autobiography, Grazin' in The Grass: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela, which thoughtfully details his struggles against apartheid in his homeland, as well as his personal struggles against alcohol addiction from the late 1970s through to the 1990s, a period when he migrated, in his personal recording career, to mbaqanga, jazz/funk, and the blending of South African sounds to an adult contemporary sound through two albums he recorded with Herb Alpert, and notable solo recordings, Techno-Bush (recorded in his studio in Botswana), Tomorrow (featuring the anthem "Bring Him Back Home"), Uptownship (a lush-sounding ode to American R and B), Beatin' Aroun' de Bush, Sixty, Time, and most recently, "Revival".
Essential recordings include:
* "Bring Him Back Home"
* "Coal Train (Stimela)"
* "Ziph'nkomo"
* "Don't Go Lose It Baby"
* "Ha Le Se Li De Khanna (The Dowry Song)"
* "Bajabule Bonka"
* "Grazing in the Grass"
* "U-Dwi"
* "The Joke of Life"
* "The Boy's Doin' It"
His song, "Soweto Blues", sung by his former wife, Miriam Makeba, mourns the carnage of the Soweto riots in 1976.
Hugh Masekela is the father of Sal Masekela, host of American channel E!'s Daily 10 show, along with Debbie Matenopoulos.
Ain
Hugh Masekela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough;
Baby if you need me call me no matter where you are,
No matter how far;
Just call my name; I'll be there in a hurry;
You don't have to worry,
'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe.
Remember the day I set you free
I told you you could always count on me
From that day on, I made a vow,
I'll be there when you want me,
Some way, some how.
'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe.
My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand,
I'll be there on the double
As fast as I can.
Don't you know that there
Ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe.
No wind no rain or winters cold can stop me baby,
'Cause you are my goal.
If you're ever in trouble;
I'll be there on the double.
Just send for me, oh baby.
If you need me call me no matter where you are,
No matter how far;
Just call my name; I'll be there in a hurry;
You don't have to worry,
'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe.
The lyrics to Hugh Masekela's song Ain't No Mountain High Enough are an expression of unwavering love and devotion. The singer assures his lover that there is nothing that can keep him from her - no obstacle too high or too wide to keep him from being by her side when she needs him. He pledges that he will always be there for her, no matter how far apart they are or what challenges they may face in life, and that nothing will ever change his love for her.
The song is a powerful testament to the resilience of love and the depth of the human heart. It reminds us that, even in the face of adversity and difficulty, our love can endure and overcome anything, as long as we remain committed to each other and to our shared future.
In the end, the message of the song is simple and clear: love conquers all, and no matter how far apart we may be or how difficult our journey may seem at times, we can always count on the love of our partner to guide us through.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen baby, ain't no mountain high,
I'm telling you, my love for you is immense and nothing can come between us.
Ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough;
No distance or obstacle can keep me away from you.
Baby if you need me call me no matter where you are,
Whenever you need me, wherever you are, just call me and I'll be there for you.
No matter how far;
Even if you're far away, I'll still be there.
Just call my name; I'll be there in a hurry;
My love for you is so strong that I'll rush to your side as soon as you call me.
You don't have to worry,
Don't worry about anything, I'm here for you.
'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough,
Nothing can stop our love from reaching new heights.
Ain't no valley low enough,
No matter how low or difficult the situation may be, our love will never falter.
Ain't no river wide enough
No river is too wide for me to cross to be with you.
To keep me from getting to you babe.
I'll do whatever it takes to be with you, my love for you knows no bounds.
Remember the day I set you free
The day we broke up, I told you that you could always count on me.
I told you you could always count on me
I promised that I'll always be there for you.
From that day on, I made a vow,
Since I said that, I've been committed to keeping that promise.
I'll be there when you want me,
Whenever you need me, I'll be there for you.
Some way, some how.
I'll find a way, by any means necessary to be there for you.
'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough,
Nothing can come between us, not even the highest mountain.
Ain't no valley low enough,
Even the lowest valley cannot stop our love.
Ain't no river wide enough
I'll cross any river to be with you.
To keep me from getting to you babe.
No distance or obstacle can keep us apart.
My love is alive
My love for you is real and strong.
Way down in my heart
My love for you is deep, it's at the core of my being.
Although we are miles apart
Even though we are separated by distance, my love for you can bridge that gap.
If you ever need a helping hand,
If you need help, I'll be there for you.
I'll be there on the double
I'll be there as fast as I can.
As fast as I can.
I'll do everything in my power to get to you quickly.
Don't you know that there
You should know that...
Ain't no mountain high enough,
No mountain is too high for me to climb to be with you.
Ain't no valley low enough,
Even the deepest valley won't stop me from being there for you.
Ain't no river wide enough
I'll cross any river to be with you.
To keep me from getting to you babe.
Nothing can keep our love apart.
No wind no rain or winters cold can stop me baby,
No matter what obstacles we face, I'll always be there for you.
'Cause you are my goal.
My ultimate aim is to be with you always.
If you're ever in trouble;
If you're ever facing difficulties...
I'll be there on the double.
I'll be there as quickly as I can to help you.
Just send for me, oh baby.
Just let me know and I'll come running to help you.
If you need me call me no matter where you are,
I'm always here for you, no matter where you are or what you need.
No matter how far;
No matter how distant we are, I'll always be there for you.
Just call my name; I'll be there in a hurry;
Just say my name and I'll come running to be with you.
You don't have to worry,
Don't stress about anything, I'm here to help you through it all.
'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough,
Nothing can keep our love from reaching new heights.
Ain't no valley low enough,
Even the lowest valley can't stop our love.
Ain't no river wide enough
I'll cross any river to be with you.
To keep me from getting to you babe.
No matter what challenges we face, we'll always be together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Valerie Simpson, Nickolas Ashford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind