when Ali re-took his title inspired Johnny Wakelin to write his first Single.
‘BLACK SUPERMAN’
The record shot into the charts when Ali visited Britain and picked up the concept of being the Black Superman.
In July 76 the song “IN ZAIRE” from Johnny’s album ‘Reggae, Soul and Rock & Roll’ followed and climbed up to Nr. 4 in the UK, Nr. 2 in Germany and get top listings in Australia and USA.
Songs like AFRICAN MAN, TENNESSEE HERO followed, giving Johnny numerous hits worldwide.
1980 – 2004
Johnny toured through Europe as well as Australia & the USA, appeared on countless TV- Shows around the world like TOP OF THE POPS, Paul Hogan Show, Barry Humphries Show, Klipp – Klapp and many more.
A tour throughout Europe as ‘guest singer’ with the James Last Orchestra and his gigs in Las Vegas in 2003 & 2004 were a fabulous experience for Johnny.
In his short breaks at home he wrote hundreds of songs and was working with famous Musicians in several Studios.
2005 – 2006
The popularity of 70’s and 80’s stars brought Johnny back to TV shows in Europe, like
Cabrio Hits, Hit Giants and so on.
The man who never stops writing songs, recording and playing live now his a brand new album CD released entitled
‘RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES’
15 songs from mainstream to reggae, wonderful ballads and love songs, as well as new recordings of ' In Zaire' and ' Black Superman' , the millionsellers of the 70's .
' RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES ' is proof that 30 years after his great successes , Johnny Wakelin still has his finger on the pulse .
Be sure, that many more will follow.
In Zaire
Johnny Wakelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in Zaire
Hundred thousand people there in Zaire
in Zaire
All those people gathered there in Zaire
in Zaire
To see the rumble in the jungle there in Zaire
in Zaire
Came a man called Elijan in Zaire
in Zaire
With him came the superstar in Zaire
in Zaire
All those people came from far in Zaire
in Zaire
To see the rumble in the jungle there in Zaire
in Zaire
All those people chanted there in Zaire
in Zaire
Seven rounds of torture there in Zaire
in Zaire
One more round and Ali's there in Zaire
in Zaire
There was great excitement everywhere in Zaire
in Zaire
And who was the victor in the night? Elijah Mohammed's bog
Ali won the fight
the lightning struck twice in the night
First in the ring and then after the fight in Zaire
in Zaire
Johnny Wakelin's song "In Zaire" is a chronicle of the famous heavyweight boxing match that took place on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The song's lyrics describe the historical event, the battle in the heart of Africa that attracted over 60,000 fans from around the world, chanting for their champion.
The lyrics first speak of the large number of people who had gathered in Zaire from different parts of the world, to witness what is referred to as "the rumble in the jungle". The fight drew a massive international audience not only because of the size of the purse, but also because of the contrasting personalities of the two fighters. This description of the atmosphere in Zaire and the excitement it generated highlights the significance of the match and its impact on the world stage.
The second verse focuses on the two boxers themselves. Elijah Muhammad, the spiritual leader of the Nation of Islam, had accompanied Ali to Zaire, and with him came the superstar who had captured the hearts of not just Americans but the world. The reference is of course to Ali himself, who at the time was seeking to regain the title of world champion, having been stripped of it in 1967 for refusal to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. The song emphasizes the anticipation surrounding the fight as the peoples' chants continue.
The final verse describes how the fight played out and its aftermath. The battle was hard-fought, with Ali on the ropes for much of the fight. However, in the seventh round, with Foreman tiring, Ali used his rope-a-dope tactics to exhaust his opponent, and in the eighth round, he delivered the knockout blow. The song concludes with the announcement that Ali had indeed won the fight, a victory that has gone down in boxing history – "the lightning struck twice in the night, First in the ring and then after the fight in Zaire".
Line by Line Meaning
Once there was a battle there in Zaire
There was a battle that took place in Zaire
Hundred thousand people there in Zaire
There were around 100,000 people present in Zaire
All those people gathered there in Zaire
All the people gathered together in Zaire
To see the rumble in the jungle there in Zaire
They were there to witness the famous boxing match, known as the 'rumble in the jungle', that took place in Zaire
Came a man called Elijan in Zaire
A man by the name of Elijan arrived in Zaire
With him came the superstar in Zaire
Accompanying Elijan was a famous superstar who also arrived in Zaire
All those people came from far in Zaire
People from afar travelled to Zaire to witness the event
To see the rumble in the jungle there in Zaire
They had come to see the famous boxing match
All those people chanted there in Zaire
The crowd was chanting in Zaire
Seven rounds of torture there in Zaire
The boxers fought for seven rounds, which was grueling for them
One more round and Ali's there in Zaire
If Ali could survive just one more round, he would be victorious
There was great excitement everywhere in Zaire
There was a lot of excitement and energy in the air in Zaire
And who was the victor in the night? Elijah Mohammed's bog
It was Elijah Mohammed's prediction that Ali would win the match, and he was proven to be correct
Ali won the fight
Ali emerged as the winner of the boxing match
the lightning struck twice in the night
There were two important events that occurred that night, first being the boxing match, and second being some kind of a surprising occurrence
First in the ring and then after the fight in Zaire
The two important events that happened that night were Ali's victory in the boxing ring and then something else afterwards that we are not told specifically
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHNNY WAKELIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jameswakelin6686
Thanks for my great grandads song to be up he is very proud that people knows his songs in 20th century
@rayerdinc2441
Cool!
@madmodder123
Hope he mades it through this crazy pandemic! Also the other of this copy of this song has over 6 million views, I hope you didn't tell him only a quarter of a million of people still listen :P
@bertmulder365
I listened to this song on a Hitachi C60 cassette with recordings from the TROS Europarade. Nice song.
@rbuck2092
Awesome!!
@phantommandrake
Good music will never die
@user-pm2km6ps5k
I first heard the record when I was 15 and now, almost 50 years later, I enjoy listening to the song just as much.👍
@richardbradley2335
Heard it for rhe first time in my sisters car last night !!!!
@utegehrmann63
So eine geile Musik gibt es heutzutage leider nicht mehr! Die Menschen von Heute haben keine Ahnung davon,was gute Musik ist.
@wolfgangboettcher3126
Mit Liebe Wissen