Already in his youth, Johnny Clegg, a white, English-speaking person with what he called a "secular Jewish" upbringing in the UK, Israel, Rhodesia, Zambia, and South Africa, became interested in Zulu street music and took part in traditional Zulu dance competitions.
As a young man, in the early stages of his musical career, he combined his music with the study of anthropology, a subject which he also taught for a while at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he was influenced, among others, by the work of David Webster, a social anthropologist who was assassinated in 1989.
Clegg formed the first inter-racial South African band, Juluka, with gardener and Zulu street musician Sipho Mchunu. Because it was illegal for inter-racial bands to perform in South Africa during apartheid, their first album Universal Men received no air play, but it became a word-of-mouth hit.
Juluka's / Clegg'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 non-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-80's. Even more explicit was the (later) Savuka album "Third World Child" in 1987, with songs like "Asimbonanga", which called for the release of Nelson Mandela, and which called out the names of three representative martyrs of the South African liberation struggle: Steve Biko, Victoria Mxenge, and Neil Aggett.
The following albums "Shadow Man" (which sold 250 000 copies within a week after it's release went on to sell more than 1 000 000 copies in France alone)[1], and "Cruel Crazy, Beautiful World" were dealing with more romantic topics, including "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World", where a father gives a message to his son, "Dela" where the very essence of love is explored, and more politically focused songs, such as "Warsaw 1943" and "One (Hu)'man one vote" which go back to political messages. The blend of topics is somehow confusing at first but gives an idea of the creative process underlying it, while the music and lyrics retain all the talent of the singer and his band. "Third World Child" and "Shadow Man" occupied 1st and 2nd position respectively in France and became the most successful foreign band in France and "Shadow Man" topped the charts in Montreaux, Canada.[2] During the prime of the band in 1988 Michael Jackson had to cancel his show as he attracted fewer audience as compared to Johnny Clegg and Savuka.[3] Their last album "Heat Dust and Dream" was nominated for a Grammy Award for best album in the category of World Music.[4]
Juluka were able to tour in Europe, and had two platinum and five gold albums, becoming an international success. Juluka was disbanded in 1986, when Mchunu was asked by his father to return home and herd the family goats, although Mchunu made some solo recordings afterwards. Clegg went on to form his second inter-racial band, Savuka, continuing to blend African music with European, especially Celtic, influences.
Briefly reunited with Mchunu in the mid-90's, Clegg reformed Juluka and toured throughout the world as the opening act for King Sunny Ade, as well as headliner performances.
The name Juluka is based on the Zulu word for "sweat", and Savuka is based on the Zulu word for "we have risen" or "we have awakened".
Clegg and his band often make an international tour during May-August (South African winter). However, the tours are usually limited to France and surrounding countries. In June 2004, the Johnny Clegg Band toured North America for the first time in over eight years, doing 22 concerts in one month. Even though they had no albums for sale in North America during those eight years, and no significant media coverage, they filled most of their venues. At the close of the final concert at the Keswick Theater in Philadelphia, Clegg stated that he was amazed at the reception they had gotten, and promised to return the following year with a full band. He then thanked his Internet fans for their support.
The band returned to North America in July 2005, with dates booked throughout the U.S. and Canada. Clegg's new album One Life was remixed at Real World Studios in Bath, England, and released on October 30th, 2006 in the UK.
In 2004 he was voted 23rd in the SABC3's Great South Africans.
Spirit Is The Journey
Johnny Clegg & Juluka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Balanced on the edge of the sky
But something always stayed the same
Deep down inside
No matter where I've been the places don't count
Summer in a mountain town
No matter where I've been the places don't count
And I feel let down
'Cause nobody told me
Spirit is the journey
Body is the bus
I am the driver
From dust to dust
Spirit is a story
Body is a book
I am the writer
Together we flow
We hold on, and when the story ends
We hold on‚ until it begins again
We hold on‚ we hold on
I never knew I had one
Until I saw yours shine
Spilling from your laughter
Sparkling in your eyes
Sharing my confusion‚ sharing my surprise
At finding part of me in you, alive
'Cause nobody told me
Spirit is the journey
Body is the bus
I am the driver
From dust to dust
Trying to be near you
Searching for a way
Listening to your life song
Before it fades away
We hold on, and when the story ends
We hold on
We hold on‚ hold on
We hold on, we hold on
Spirit is the journey
Body is the bus
I am the driver from dust to dust
Now I'm falling, falling away
I hear you calling‚ calling my name
Spirit move on, move on
Pass my eyes on, on to the next one
I will be long gone, long gone
Across the distance, this divide
I will be with you forever
Until you reach the other side
So hold on, sing this life song
Sing "hold on, hold on, hold on
Hold on
Hold on!
The song "Spirit Is The Journey" by Johnny Clegg & Juluka is a reflective piece about the journey of life and the importance of the spirit in that journey. The lyrics suggest that the places one travels to don't necessarily matter, as it is the spirit and the connections made with others along the way that are truly important. The song emphasizes the idea that the spirit is what drives us, with the body being merely the vehicle that carries us through life.
The lyrics use vivid imagery to convey the message of the song, with lines like "ploughed the moon reached an island" and "balanced on the edge of the sky" drawing the listener's attention to the mysterious and wondrous nature of the journey of life. The 'driver' metaphor is cleverly employed to explain that one is in control of their own life, but the spirit guides the driver, and not the other way around.
The song ultimately encourages listeners to hold onto their spirit, to hold onto the connections they make with others, and to keep singing their life song. The final lines of the song, "hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on!", emphasize the importance of perseverance and resilience in the journey of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ploughed the moon reached an island
Travelled far and wide to reach a new destination
Balanced on the edge of the sky
Feeling on top of the world
But something always stayed the same
A constant feeling remained throughout the journey
Deep down inside
Within oneself
No matter where I've been the places don't count
Experiences matter more than the physical location
Summer in a mountain town
A specific memory or experience
And I feel let down
Disappointed in the realization that experiences are more valuable than places
"Cause nobody told me
Lack of guidance or knowledge
Spirit is the journey
The purpose of life is the journey itself
Body is the bus
Our physical body is just a vessel for the journey
I am the driver
We have control over our life journey
From dust to dust
Life is a cycle that begins and ends with death
Spirit is a story
Our experiences are the stories we accumulate throughout life
Body is a book
Our physical body contains the stories written by our experiences
I am the writer
We shape our own experiences and stories
Together we flow
Our stories and experiences shape our journey
We hold on, and when the story ends
We continue to hold on to our experiences
We hold on, until it begins again
Our journey is eternal
I never knew I had one
The realization of something previously unknown
Until I saw yours shine
The discovery of an unknown aspect through someone else's life journey
Spilling from your laughter
Expression of someone's spirit through their emotions
Sparkling in your eyes
Expression of someone's spirit through their physical body
Sharing my confusion, sharing my surprise
Shared experiences in the journey of life
At finding part of me in you, alive
Discovering a shared aspect of the journey with another person
Trying to be near you
Attempting to connect through experiences
Searching for a way
Looking for meaning and purpose in life
Listening to your life song
Hearing and understanding someone's experiences and stories
Before it fades away
Before the experiences are forgotten or lost
Spirit move on, move on
Continuation of the journey after death
Pass my eyes on, on to the next one
Passing the experiences on to the next generation
I will be long gone, long gone
Physical death does not erase the impact of experiences
Across the distance, this divide
The distance between life and death
I will be with you forever
The impact of experiences can last beyond our physical lives
Until you reach the other side
Until the next step of the eternal journey
So hold on, sing this life song
Hold on to the experiences and continue the journey
Sing "hold on, hold on, hold on
Encouragement to continue the journey
Hold on
Emphasis on the importance of the journey and the experiences gained
Hold on!
Urging to persevere and continue the journey
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kudason
Takes me back to the 80's. My dad would play this album end-to-end on road trips. We were usually driving to the family homestead in the rural areas... mostly on long holidays. I remember driving through many towns, growth points, dust roads. Other trips where to Botswana, Kariba, Karoi and Vic Falls.
@Del-Lebo
Amazingly brilliant song. I have loved Juluka since their inception. Johnny Clegg is a genius! His Music must be remembered!
@cliffordblizard5431
Rest in peace, Johnny -- hold on....'til it begins again.....
@ingridharder9065
Spirit IS the journey!
@johnpape343
RIP Johnny Clegg
@allyson1691
💖💖💖🇿🇦
@robertmartin3539
spirit IS the jouney!!
@PONOLSTATION
UN DES MES DIX PLUS GRANDS TUBES DE JOHNNY CLEGG .
@emilytalley3687
I will be with you forever
@1kwhalley
300 views? Sad. Should be 300,000....and then some!