At the age of 14, Clegg met Zulu street musician Charlie Mzila, who taught him Zulu music and dancing over the following two years. In 1969 Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu met in Johannesburg when young sipho went there to find work. The 18-year-old Mchunu challenged the 16-year-old Clegg to a guitar contest, and the two became friends. Soon, they were performing together on the streets and in what few other unofficial venues a multi-racial band could safely play in under apartheid. They were forced to keep a low profile and their success came from word of mouth instead of through traditional publicity. Clegg himself was arrested and beaten up by the police on several occasions for his activities and also for the band's lyrics. For some commentators, Juluka was the band that had the greatest success in challenging the racial separateness of Apartheid. When performing, both black and white band members would appear on stage in traditional Zulu dress and perform the traditional Zulu war dance together while singing in Zulu and English.[1]
In 1976, they released their debut single, "Woza Friday", followed three years later by a critically acclaimed album, Universal Men.[2] The album's poetic lyrics were strongly influenced by John Berger's A Seventh Man as well as Pablo Neruda and Jean-Paul Sartre.[citation needed] Expanding to a quintet, they released a second album, African Litany, in late 1981. The album's lead single, "Impi", with its pointedly political lyrics about a defeat of the colonial British army by the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana, was banned by South African radio but became an underground hit. In contemporary South Africa it is often associated with national sports teams. The album garnered them their first international attention, and they were able to successfully tour in Europe and North America in 1982 and 1983. However, in June 1983, the British music magazine, NME, reported that they were initially banned by the Musicians Union as, ..."since it would not be possible to approve one of our bands working in South Africa, there is no possibility of an exchange". The ban was eventually lifted, with the group donating their fees to charity.[3]
In South Africa, Juluka was also banned by Radio Bantu, a government approved radio station for the black population, which allegedly refused to play Juluka's music, because Clegg's efforts were seen as "an insult to the Zulu and their culture".[4]
The group disbanded in 1985 when Mchunu moved back to the farm where he was born in Natal to take care of his family. Clegg went on to form a new band, Savuka, with whom he achieved even greater international success. In 1997, however, the two friends came back for a final album together. It did not receive the critical acclaim of early Juluka albums like Universal Men, African Litany, Work for All and Scatterlings.
Fever
Juluka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking through the night street
In the cool of the evening
I can fell my body heat
Moon rise to meet me
The night is a promise
I feel it to the core
Watching the score
CHORUS :
Fever, fever fever -
I'm walking through the night street
Hum
I'm walking through the night
Down past and old café
Walking to I don't know where
Watching the nine to fivers
Struggling to get their share
The night is young - the time is right
I'm a night street warrior
And the eyes in my head shine
With fever
CHORUS :
I'm a night street warrior
I'm walking through the night
Hum, hum, hum
Well I'm moving with the night street
Oh well I'm flowing with the night street
I'm dancing with the night street
I'm all a shiver with the night street
Fever
CHORUS :
I'm a night street warrior
I'm walking through the night
Hum, hum, hum
Well I'm moving with the night street
Oh well I'm flowing with the night street
I'm dancing with the night street
I'm all a shiver with the night street
Fever
The Juluka song "Fever" is a celebration of the freedom and excitement of walking through the night streets. As the singer describes, in the cool of the night he feels his body heat up, and the moon rising is like a promise of adventure. He watches the people around him, the "nine to fivers" who are struggling to make a living, while he feels young and hungry for more. He identifies himself as a "night street warrior," dancing and moving to the beat of the city, intoxicated with the fever of the night.
The lyrics convey a sense of rebellion and thrill of being out in the city at night, free from the constraints of daily life. The singer's use of the word "fever" throughout the song suggests that he is caught up in the energy of the night, and this fever is what drives him forward. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes this feverishness, and the hum at the end is almost like an incantation, summoning the night street.
Overall, "Fever" is a poetic and evocative depiction of the city at night, and the way it can intoxicate and energize those who venture out into its streets.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walking through the night
Walking through the night street
In the cool of the evening
It's cool outside
I can feel my body heat
I am warm from walking
Moon rise to meet me
The moon is visible as I walk
The night is a promise
The night holds potential
I feel it to the core
I am excited for what's to come
Young and hungry on the street
I am young and motivated
Watching the score
Observing what's happening around me
CHORUS : Fever, fever fever - I'm walking through the night street
I am feeling the excitement of the night
Down past an old café
Walking past an old café
Walking to I don't know where
I don't have a set destination
Watching the nine to fivers struggling to get their share
Observing the daily grind of working folks
The night is young - the time is right
The night is still early and full of potential
I'm a night street warrior
I am a person who is full of energy and exploring the night
And the eyes in my head shine with fever
I am feeling the excitement of the night
CHORUS : I'm a night street warrior, I'm walking through the night
I am exploring the night with a sense of adventure and energy
Well I'm moving with the night street
I am flowing with the energy of the night
Oh well I'm flowing with the night street
I am moving fluidly through the night
I'm dancing with the night street
I am experiencing the night with a sense of joy and freedom
I'm all a shiver with the night street
I am feeling the excitement and energy of the night
Fever
I am experiencing the heat and excitement of the night
CHORUS : I'm a night street warrior, I'm walking through the night
I am exploring the night with a sense of adventure and energy
Contributed by Aaliyah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@juanestadian8471
Juluka was such an epic band.........Johnny Clegg and Sipho were a duo made in heaven
@mthokozisimazibuko2969
REST IN PEACE AFRICAN WARRIOR
@fabienfournier9141
Je suis de puis 42 ans Johnny Clegg et Fever est l' un de mes disques préféré ! Je savais par son fiston que Johnny était très malade , j' étais prêt à son départ , malgré cela , je le pleure aujourd'hui ! Mais Johnny tu es dans mon coeur pour le restant de mes jours ! J' écoute tes musiques tous les jours !💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖✝✝
@narcissenarcisse9306
Merci de le garder dans vos pensées, la légende ne meurt pas... Nous sommes nombreux qui continuent à écouter ses chansons
@vigroshkolatsoeu132
What a legend!
@Elllovesmakeup
I’m walking to the light, I’m walking to the light, I’m walking to the light, I’m walking to the light
@elloohno1349
So cool. I love it 😄😄
@madeleinehague648
Fantastic. I must go back and revisit the music of Juluka. I had 2 LP's and I loved them. 'Saw the band in the early 80's at Massey Hall in Toronto. We were out of our seats dancing the whole time....
@steco123
RIP Legend
@garrithsmith799
I love and miss my country. My heart is Africa <3