Sometimes called Le Zoulou Blanc, he is an important figure in South African popular music history, with songs that mix Zulu with English lyrics and African with various Western music styles.
Clegg was born in Bacup, Lancashire, to an English father and a Rhodesian mother. Clegg's mother's family were Jewish immigrants from Poland, and Clegg had a secular Jewish upbringing, learning about the Ten Commandments but refusing to have a bar mitzvah or even associate with other Jewish children at school. His parents divorced when he was still an infant, and he moved with his mother to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and then, at the age of 6, to South Africa, also spending less than a year in Israel during childhood.
As an adolescent in Johannesburg's northern suburbs, he encountered the demi-monde of the city's Zulu migrant workers' music and dance. Under the tutelage of Charlie Mzila, a flat cleaner by day and musician by night, Clegg mastered both the Zulu language and the maskandi guitar and isishameni dance styles of the migrants. Clegg's involvement with black musicians often led to arrests for trespassing on government property and for contravening the Group Areas Act. He was first arrested at the age of 15 for violating apartheid-era laws in South Africa banning people of different races from congregating together after curfew hours. At the age of 17, he met Sipho Mchunu, a Zulu migrant worker with whom he began performing music. The partnership, which they named Johnny & Sipho and then Juluka, was profiled in the 1970s television documentary Beats of the Heart: Rhythm of Resistance.
As a young man, Clegg pursued an academic career for four years, lecturing at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the University of Natal, and writing several seminal scholarly papers on Zulu music and dance. In the early stages of his musical career, Clegg combined his music with the study of anthropology at Wits, where he was influenced, among others, by the work of David Webster, a social anthropologist who was later assassinated in 1989. He preceded each song with snippets of Zulu culture, information, commentary, humor and personal anecdotes relevant and unique to that song. An engaged social anthropologist, he not only mastered the theories but delved into the culture and disseminated it.
Juluka was an unusual musical partnership for the time in South Africa, with a white man (Clegg) and a black man (Mchunu) performing together. The band, which grew to a six-member group (with three white musicians and three black musicians) by the time it released its first album Universal Men in 1979, faced harassment and censorship, with Clegg later remarking that it was "impossible" to perform in public in South Africa.[9] The group tested the apartheid-era laws, touring and performing in private venues, including universities, churches, hostels, and even private homes in order to attract an audience, as national broadcasters would not play their music. Just as unusually, the band's music combined Zulu, Celtic, and rock elements, with both English and isiZulu lyrics. Those lyrics often contained coded political messages and references to the battle against apartheid, although Clegg has maintained that Juluka was not originally intended to be a political band. "Politics found us," he told The Baltimore Sun in 1996. In a 1989 interview with the Sunday Times, Clegg denied the label of "political activist." "For me a political activist is someone who has committed himself to a particular ideology. I don’t belong to any political party. I stand for human rights."
Juluka's music was both implicitly and explicitly political; not only was the fact of the success of the band (which openly celebrated African culture in a bi-racial band) a thorn in the flesh of a political system based on racial separation, the band also produced some explicitly political songs. For example, the album Work for All (which includes a song with the same title) picked up on South African trade union slogans in the mid-1980s. As a result of their political messages and racial integration, Clegg and other band members were arrested several times and concerts routinely broken up.
Despite being ignored and often harassed by the South African government at home, Juluka were able to tour internationally, playing in Europe, Canada, and the United States, and had two platinum and five gold albums, becoming an international success. The group was disbanded in 1985, when Mchunu returned to his rural home to care for his family.
Together with the black musician and dancer Dudu Zulu, Clegg went on to form his second inter-racial band, Savuka, in 1986, continuing to blend African music with European influences. The group's first album, Third World Child, broke international sales records in several European countries, including France. The band went on to record several more albums, including Heat, Dust and Dreams, which received a Grammy Award nomination. Johnny Clegg and Savuka played both at home and abroad, even though Clegg's refusal to stop performing in apartheid-era South Africa created tensions with the international anti-apartheid movement and led to his expulsion from the British Musicians' Union. In one instance, the band drew such a large crowd in Lyon that Michael Jackson cancelled a concert there, complaining that Clegg and his group had "stolen all his fans". In 1993, the band dissolved after Dudu Zulu was shot and killed while attempting to mediate a taxi war.
Briefly reunited in the mid-1990s, Clegg and Mchunu reformed Juluka, released a new album, and toured throughout the world in 1996 with King Sunny Ade. Since then, Clegg has recorded several solo albums. His touring schedule was abbreviated in 2017 after undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer, and Clegg performed his last scheduled tour date in Maritius in October of 2018. During one concert in 1999, he was joined onstage by South African President Nelson Mandela, who danced as he sang the protest song Savuka had dedicated to him, "Asimbonanga". Asimbonanga became something of an anthem for the Mass Democratic Movement's umbrella organisation, the United Democratic Front. During Mandela's illness and death in 2013, the video of the concert attracted considerable media attention outside South Africa.
His song "Scatterlings of Africa" gave him his only entries in the UK Singles Chart to date, reaching No. 44 in February 1983 with Juluka and 75 in May 1987 as Johnny Clegg and Savuka. The following year the song was featured on the soundtrack to the 1988 Oscar-winning film Rain Man.
His song "Life is a Magic Thing" was featured in Ferngully.
Savuka's song "Dela" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1997 film George of the Jungle and its 2003 sequel, while "Great Heart" was the title song for the 1986 film Jock of the Bushveld. "Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World" was featured in the 1990 film Opportunity Knocks and 1991 film Career Opportunities. "Great Heart" was also the end credits song for the 2000 Disney movie Whispers: An Elephant's Tale. In 2002 Clegg provided several songs and incidental background music for Jane Goodall's "Wild Chimpanzees" DVD. Included in the extras on the disc are rare scenes of Clegg in the recording studio.
Jimmy Buffett recorded "Great Heart" for his 1988 album, Hot Water.
He co-wrote "Diggah Tunnah" with Lebo M. for Disney's 2004 direct-to-video animated film The Lion King 1½.
Clegg was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (Knight of Arts and Letters) by the French Government in 1991.
In 2004, he was voted 23rd in the SABC3's Great South Africans.
In 2007, Clegg received an honorary doctorate in music from the University of the Witwatersrand.
In 2011, Clegg received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from City University of New York School of Law.
In 2012, Clegg received the Order of Ikhamanga,Silver as part of the National Orders ceremony. This award is the highest honour a citizen can receive in South Africa. It was presented by President Jacob Zuma.
In 2012, Clegg received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
In 2013, Clegg received an honorary Doctorate in Music from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
In 2015, Clegg was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Clegg's son Jesse Clegg is also a recording artist. Displaying a style markedly different from that of his father, in 2008 he released his debut album When I Wake Up. As a rock musician, the younger Clegg has quickly built up a following, with the album being nominated for two South African Music Awards.
Clegg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015. Clegg died in his Johannesburg home on 16 July 2019.
Bibliography
Clegg, Jonathan (1981). Phil Bonner (ed.). ""Ukubuyisa Isidumbu", "Bringing back the body": An examination of the ideology of vengeance in the Msinga and Mpofana Rural Locations, 1822–1944". Working Papers in Southern African Studies. Johannesburg: Ravan Press. 2.
Clegg, Jonathan (1981). Andrew Tracey (ed.). "The Music of Zulu Immigrant Workers in Johannesburg: A Focus on Concertina and Guitar". Papers presented at the Symposium on Ethnomusicology. Grahamstown: International Library of African Music.
Clegg, Jonathan (1982). Andrew Tracey (ed.). "Towards an understanding of African Dance: The Zulu Isishameni Style". Papers read at Second Symposium on Ethnomusicology, 24–26 September 1981, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. Grahamstown: Institute of Social and Economic Research.
Universal Men
Johnny Clegg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That it seems as if this life of mine is trapped between two shores
As the little ones grow older on the station platform
I shall undo that distance just once more
My brothers and my sisters have been scattered in the wind
Dressed in cheap horizons which have never quite fitted
And for centuries they've traveled on a pale phantom ship
Sailing for that shore which has no other shore
And they sing (in Zulu)
They made the world that you live in
They made it go around
They made the world we live in
From their hands leap the buildings, from their shoulders bridges fall
And they stand astride the mountains and they pull out all the gold
And the songs of their fathers raise strange cities to the sky
Where they did not belong and could not belong
And they never knew why
And they share with the swallows all their winters and their hopes
But often they get lost between the highways and the stores
And the rivers of the homelands murmur in their dreams
They're shackled to that distance 'till heaven lets them in
And they sing (in Zulu)
They made the world that you live in
They made it go around
They made the world we live in
Well they could not read and they could not write, and they could not spell their names
But they took this world in both hands and they changed it all the same
And from whence they came and where they went nobody knows or cares
Cast adrift between two worlds, they could still be heard to say:
I have undone this distance so many times before
That it seems as if this life of mine is trapped between two shores
As the little ones grow older on the station platform
I shall undo that distance just once more
And I sing (in Zulu)
They made the world that you live in
They made it go around
They made the world we live in
The song "Universal Men" by Johnny Clegg highlights the struggles and journey of the migrant workers in South Africa during the apartheid era. The song portrays their separation from their families and homes as they move from one station to another in search of work. The lyrics "I have undone this distance so many times before, that it seems as if this life of mine is trapped between two shores" express the frustration and helplessness felt by these workers as they shuttle between different places.
Clegg mentions the struggles faced by these migrant workers as they try to fit into their new surroundings. The line "Dressed in cheap horizons which have never quite fitted" suggests that these migrant workers were made to feel like outsiders, as if they never quite belonged. The lyrics "They made the world that you live in, they made it go around" is a tribute to the contributions of these migrant workers who played a significant role in building Johannesburg and South Africa.
The song also references Zulu traditions and the homelands from which these workers were uprooted. The line "And they share with the swallows all their winters and their hopes" speaks to the cultural significance of certain animals in African folklore. The lyrics "And the rivers of the homelands murmur in their dreams, they're shackled to that distance 'till heaven lets them in" allude to the connection these migrants felt to the land of their birth despite being forced to leave.
Overall, "Universal Men" is a poignant tribute to the struggles and contributions of migrant workers who played a critical role in the development of South Africa.
Line by Line Meaning
I have undone this distance so many times before
I have crossed the divide between two worlds repeatedly in my life
That it seems as if this life of mine is trapped between two shores
The constant movement between two worlds has made it feel like my life is caught between them
As the little ones grow older on the station platform
Watching the passage of time and the growth of the younger generation
I shall undo that distance just once more
I will cross the distance again one more time
My brothers and my sisters have been scattered in the wind
Members of my community have been dispersed far and wide
Dressed in cheap horizons which have never quite fitted
They have been given limited and insufficient opportunities
And for centuries they've traveled on a pale phantom ship
They have journeyed towards an intangible hope for generations
Sailing for that shore which has no other shore
Pursuing a dream or goal that seems unattainable
From their hands leap the buildings, from their shoulders bridges fall
They are the laborers who build and engineer the physical world
And they stand astride the mountains and they pull out all the gold
They are resourceful and skilled workers who extract valuable materials from the earth
And the songs of their fathers raise strange cities to the sky
Their cultural heritage inspires the creation of innovative, unique urban spaces
Where they did not belong and could not belong
Despite their contributions, they remain outsiders in society
And they never knew why
The reasons for their marginalization are unclear to them
And they share with the swallows all their winters and their hopes
They persevere through hardship and maintain optimism for the future
But often they get lost between the highways and the stores
They struggle to navigate unfamiliar, constructed environments
And the rivers of the homelands murmur in their dreams
Their connection to their ancestral land remains deeply rooted in their being
They're shackled to that distance 'till heaven lets them in
They will continue to feel trapped between two worlds until they are free from earthly constraints
They made the world that you live in
The overlooked and undervalued labor of workers have contributed to modern society
They made it go around
Their work keeps the world running and functioning
Well they could not read and they could not write, and they could not spell their names
Their illiteracy and lack of education did not stop them from making a significant impact on the world
But they took this world in both hands and they changed it all the same
Despite facing numerous obstacles and challenges, they have left a lasting impact on the world
And from whence they came and where they went nobody knows or cares
Their contributions to the world have often been overlooked and disregarded
Cast adrift between two worlds, they could still be heard to say
Even though they are caught between two worlds, their voices still matter and they still have something to say
Lyrics © RHYTHM SAFARI PTY LTD, O/B/O CAPASSO
Written by: JONATHAN PAUL CLEGG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Victor Makhado
Rest in Peace Johnny, you where a Genius, you showed us that we can leave together as one Nation.... Mentality
thesandsie13the2nd
I miss you a lot. this year has been one of the years I want to forget. lost you, my serogate mum, & one of my best mates. I miss you & will forever. you were ,are & will forever be umfowethu Johnny
ahumanmerelybeing
Marvelous song, and a lovely video.
Ta waras
beautiful song ... reminds me sooooooooooo much of my late father
ahumanmerelybeing
Marvelous song, and a lovely video.
ahumanmerelybeing
Marvelous song, and a lovely video.
Ramon Rodriguez
Heartfelt and well made - and so very current considering the many migrant subcultures everywhere.
Ramon Rodriguez
Heartfelt and well made - and so very current considering the many migrant subcultures everywhere.
jojojames1995able
That is a nice song!
Thulani Thulani
nice message don't give up ungalahli inhliziyo