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.
You Keep Me Hangin
Hugh Masekela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get out my life why don't cha babe
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
You don't really need me
But you keep me hangin' on
Why do you keep a comin' around playing with my heart?
Let me get over you the way you gotten over me, yeah
Set me free why don't cha babe
Let me be why don't you babe
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
No, you don't really want me
You just keep me hangin' on
You say although we broke up you still wanna be just friends
But how can we still be friends when seeing you only breaks my heart again
(And there ain't nothing I can do about it)
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa
Set me free why don't you babe
Get out, get out of my life
Why don't you babe
Set me free why don't you babe
Get out of my life
Why don't you babe
You claim you still care for me but your heart and soul needs to be free
And now that you've got your freedom you wanna still hold on to me
You don't want me for yourself so let me find somebody else
Why don't cha be a man about it and set me free
Now you don't care a thing about me
You're just using me
Go home, get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
You don't really need me
Hugh Masekela’s “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” is a soulful track about a painful breakup. In the song, the singer, who has been left hanging on by their former lover, begs to be released from this situation. The song features a powerful horn section coupled with Masekela’s smooth voice to create a sense of gravitas that accentuates the emotional punch of the lyrics. Masekela opens by telling his former lover to let him go because he doesn’t really love him, but has been keeping him hanging on. The song then delves into a series of questions as to why the former lover continues to play with the singer’s heart, and why he can’t be released from this torturous limbo.
The song’s melancholy lyrics are powerfully enhanced by its instrumentation. The horns correspond with the lyrics, conveying the singer’s heartache and increasing in intensity as the pain becomes more palpable. This creates a gradually intensifying sense of passion and emotion that culminates in the emotive last moments of the track. In summary, the song reflects the universal experience of being left hanging on by a former lover, which is a relatable experience for many of us.
Line by Line Meaning
Set me free why don't cha babe
Please let me go and stop stringing me along
Get out my life why don't cha babe
Leave me alone and stop interfering in my life
'Cause you don't really love me
You don't truly care for me
You just keep me hangin' on
You're keeping me hopeful despite not feeling the same
You don't really need me
You don't require my presence
But you keep me hangin' on
You're keeping me hopeful despite not feeling the same
Why do you keep a comin' around playing with my heart?
Why do you constantly tease me and toy with my emotions?
Why don't cha get out of my life and let me make a new start?
Why don't you give me space and let me move on?
Let me get over you the way you gotten over me, yeah
Let me find closure the same way you did
Let me be why don't you babe
Let me be by myself, without your lingering presence
No, you don't really want me
You don't truly desire me
You just keep me hangin' on
You're keeping me hopeful despite not feeling the same
You say although we broke up you still wanna be just friends
You want to be friends even though our relationship ended
But how can we still be friends when seeing you only breaks my heart again
I can't handle being around you when it hurts me so much
(And there ain't nothing I can do about it)
(But I can't change my feelings)
Set me free why don't you babe
Please let me go and stop stringing me along
Get out, get out of my life
Leave me alone and stop interfering in my life
Why don't you babe
Why won't you do what's best for both of us?
You claim you still care for me but your heart and soul needs to be free
You say you care but you need to focus on yourself
And now that you've got your freedom you wanna still hold on to me
Now that you're single you want to keep me around
You don't want me for yourself so let me find somebody else
You don't want me romantically so let me move on
Why don't cha be a man about it and set me free
Be mature and let me move on
Now you don't care a thing about me
You're not considering my feelings
You're just using me
You're taking advantage of my feelings for you
Go home, get out, get out of my life
Leave me alone and let me move on
And let me sleep at night
Stop keeping me up with your emotional games
'Cause you don't really love me
You don't truly care for me
You just keep me hangin' on
You're keeping me hopeful despite not feeling the same
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Edward Holland Jr., Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ravily .gauthier
really fantastic and inspirate cover , he transcend it ...thanks for this upload :)
Ujima Jame
Love Hugh Masekela but this particular cover is lifeless and unrepresentative of what Hugh Masekela is capable of! Compare this to his covers of "Ooo Baby Baby", "Emavunweni", or, from this period: ""Norweigian Wood", "Up, Up And Away", "It's Not Unusual", "California Dreamin'", "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever", "Little Miss Sweetness", "The Sounds of Silence" or "Whiter Shade of Pale."
C C
Cali dreamin was tight but like your kinda right most this guys songs are pretty wack
C C
im gonna listen and compare and report back
Ujima Jame
spainpete I agree. He also discovered The Blackbyrds and worked with Bobbi Humphrey as well. I loved "Where Are We Going", "(Fallin' Like) Dominoes", "Places and Spaces", "Changes (Makes Me Wanna Hustle)." Did you ever hear the two songs he did with Marvin Gaye? This is their collaboration on "Where Are We Going": https://youtu.be/nRIkZJsS-U4?t=11
Ujima Jame
spainpete I like it by The Isley Brothers and Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers as well, although The Temptations did it first. The point is, though, that Hugh Masekela was chiefly a South African jazz instrumentalist so he was recording for a different audience and artists of this type rarely do vocals, though, as you can see, he did so more for fun that to compete with the original artist! His "Ooo Baby Baby" instrumental, I feel, is right up there with Smokey!
Ujima Jame
spainpete Hugh Masekela mainly did jazz instrumental versions of the songs (he did the original of "Grazing In The Grass"- which was a BIG HIT - before the Friends added the words). Both versions of "Grazin' In The Grass" were excellently redone by Boney James & Rick Braun. And, yes, I am very familiar with that group, who also did "I'm Getting Hip (To Your Ways And Actions)" and also went by the name Anglo Saxon Brown.