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.
Thanayi
Hugh Masekela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ngithi los die deng wena Thanayi
Jey shay fish and chips
Jey shaya palisha
Mala lemugodu de shaya ka palish
Magwinya le magola
Die tshaya burr en wors
En die deng kama duze
Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' tshonile
Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' tshonile
Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' tshonile
Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' tshonile
Danga dam'bona umntaka baba ehlulek' ukuhamba (helele Thanayi)
Danga dam'bona umntaka baba ehlulek' ukuphakama (helele Thanayi)
Danga dam'bona umntaka baba ehlulek' ukuhamba (helele Thanayi)
Helele Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Helele Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Helele Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Helele Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Danga dam'bona umntaka baba ehlulek' ukuphakama
Danga dam'bona umntaka baba ehlulek' ukuhamba
SOTHO PART
(thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' tshonile (helele thanayi)
Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' tshonile (helele thanayi)
Thanayi thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
The song "Thanayi" by Hugh Masekela is a lively and uplifting tune that celebrates the joy and energy of South African street culture. The lyrics are a combination of Zulu and Soto phrases, mixed with local slang and street lingo. The chorus, "Thanayi Thanayi," is a call and response between the singer and the audience, inviting them to join in the fun and dance along.
The first verse references the popular street food in South Africa, "fish and chips" and "magwinya le magola," which are deep-fried dough and bean curries. The second verse mentions the traditional South African dish "chakalaka," a spicy vegetable relish, and the barbecue staple "burr en wors," which are sausages. The playful language and references to street culture create a sense of community and togetherness.
The song continues with a refrain that repeats the phrase "Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' tshonile." This phrase roughly translates to "Nomalungelo doesn't care about the rules," invoking a sense of rebellion and non-conformity. The song ends with a final chorus of "Thanayi Thanayi," accompanied by a Soto traditional rhythm.
Overall, "Thanayi" is a celebratory and upbeat song that invites the listener to join in the fun and embrace the energy of South African street life.
Line by Line Meaning
Los die deng wena Thanayi
Sing the song with me, Thanayi
Ngithi los die deng wena Thanayi
I say, sing the song with me, Thanayi
Jey shay fish and chips
Let's have some fish and chips
Jey shaya palisha
Let's have some 'palisha' (fried dough)
Mala lemugodu de shaya ka palish
Drink some traditional beer and eat some 'palisha'
Magwinya le magola
Eat some fried dough with jam
Acha le chakalaka
Eat some sour porridge with relish
Die tshaya burr en wors
Drink some beer with a sausage
En die deng kama duze
And sing the song all night long
Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' tshonile
Nomalungelo doesn't care that her braids are undone
Danga dam'bona umntaka baba ehlulek' ukuhamba (helele Thanayi)
When the son sees his father leaving (helele, Thanayi)
Danga dam'bona umntaka baba ehlulek' ukuphakama (helele Thanayi)
When the son sees his father rising up (helele, Thanayi)
Helele Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Sing out, Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi, oh Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Helele Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Sing out, Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi, oh Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Danga dam'bona umntaka baba ehlulek' ukuphakama
When the son sees his father rising up
(thanayi thanayi)
(thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi, oh Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi, oh Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi, oh Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi, oh Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi Thanayi bo Thanayi bo (thanayi thanayi)
Thanayi, oh Thanayi (thanayi thanayi)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Priestyswife
it's 2024 and I was feeling so blue...had to listen to this song and it lifted my spirits. Thank you, Bra Hugh! RIP❤❤
@buyiswa_pam
Same sis
@sweetnessy14
Can't get this song out of my mind today. 2023 and it's still a hit to me 💖
@kopanomakoro9007
CAn you explain what this song means? like the story behind it?
@kopanomakoro9007
especially this part "Akasa chebanga uNomalungelo inkab' itshonile"
@thanayitheresa8337
This is really crazy, cos my parents met him and my mom was pregnat of me and he asked if they had a name and they said no so he said Thanayi will be her name. #legend
@emmanuelskadzomba578
Thanayi Theresa waaal tts sweet of you thanayi
@jeremiamatlala9594
Hi Thanayi
@mawandekolele8078
Wow that is amazing
@f2v179
What's the meaning of the name?