Juluka was a South African music band formed in 1969 by Johnny Clegg and Si… Read Full Bio ↴Juluka was a South African music band formed in 1969 by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. Juluka means "sweat" in Zulu, and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu. The band was closely associated with the mass movement against apartheid.

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.

Tholakele
Juluka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tholakele (A Girl's Name)

Wetholakele ngiyakuthanda
Wetholakele ungiphoxa ngento eyodwa wetholakele (X2)
(Tholakele I love you Tholakele
But you upset me badly over one thing...)
Wayifakelani idelela mawulahla umlenze
Wayifakelani ibeleza (X2)

(Why do you wear jeans and sell yourself in the street,
Why do you wear bellbottoms?)
Chorus
Wayifakelani idelela mawulahla umlenze
Wayifakelani ibeleza
(Why do you sell yourself and wear jeans and bellbottoms?)
Into-ni lo ongenza yona?
Uma ulahla umlenze, into-ni lo ongenza yona?

(What are you doing to me
By secretly streetwalking, what are you doing to me?)

Overall Meaning

The song Tholakele by Juluka is an emotional ballad about a girl named Tholakele, who the singer loves deeply but has upset him with one thing - her choice to sell herself in the street wearing jeans and bellbottoms. The lyrics express the confusion, hurt and frustration of the singer, who cannot understand why Tholakele would choose to do this and what he can do about it. The chorus repeatedly asks the question "Why do you sell yourself and wear jeans and bellbottoms?", while the second verse brings up the issue of Tholakele's impact on the singer's reputation by selling herself in the street.

The song conveys a deeper meaning besides addressing the issue of streetwalking. It is a reminder of the social, political and economic injustices and challenges faced by many young women in South Africa's townships, who are often forced to sell their bodies for a living. The lyrics reveal the pain and complexity of their situation, where many women have few options for survival and must make difficult choices to feed their families. The song also has the theme of love, and the heartache that can come when two people love each other but are unable to reconcile their differences. Tholakele is a plea and a protest against the social forces that push women toward prostitution and the harmful effects that this has on the individual and society as a whole.

Line by Line Meaning

Wetholakele ngiyakuthanda
I love you, Tholakele.

Wetholakele ungiphoxa ngento eyodwa wetholakele (X2)
But you upset me badly over one thing, Tholakele.

Wayifakelani idelela mawulahla umlenze
Why do you wear jeans and sell yourself in the street?

Wayifakelani ibeleza (X2)
Why do you wear bellbottoms?

Chorus
Repeating the question: Why do you sell yourself and wear jeans and bellbottoms?

Into-ni lo ongenza yona?
What are you doing to me by secretly streetwalking?

Uma ulahla umlenze, into-ni lo ongenza yona?
What are you doing to me by selling yourself in the street?

Contributed by James O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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