Kassav' (Haitian and Antillean Creole for a local dish made from cassava) i… Read Full Bio ↴Kassav' (Haitian and Antillean Creole for a local dish made from cassava) is a Francophone zouk band which was formed in 1979. The core members of the band are Jocelyne Beroard, Jacob Desvarieux, Jean-Philippe Marthely, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur and Georges Decimus (who left the band to create another band, Volte Face, before returning to Kassav' later) along with several other, more minor members. The total number of albums by the band and its members is approximately 30.

Kassav' was formed in 1979 by Pierre-Edouard Décimus, a long-time professional musician who worked with Freddy Marshall. Together, the two of them decided to take carnival music and make it a more modern and polished style. It was the leading band to emerge from the formative years of Zouk. They gave the style a pan-Caribbean sound by taking elements from kompa, salsa, and calypso, and became world famous. Their first album, Love and Ka Dance (1980), established the sound of zouk.

Kassav' continued to grow more popular, both as a group and with several members' solo careers, finally peaking in 1985 with Yélélé, which featured the international hit "Zouk la sé sèl médikaman nou ni" (meaning "Zouk is our only drug" in French Antillean Creole) With this hit, zouk rapidly became a widespread dance craze in Latin America and the Caribbean, and was popular in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Zouk performers became known for wildly theatrical concerts featuring special effects spectacles and colorful costumes.

Aye
Kassav' Lyrics

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Son tus recuerdos y están
Matándo a mi corazón
Lo peor es que no puedo olvidar
En la distancia te he esperar
Y vuelve en llanto a caer
Envolviendo esta soledad
Mi vida no tiene razón
Sin ti yo no se a donde voy

Como si el viento adivinara
De la nostalgia que me embarga
Solo y frente a este mundo
Solo y con todos tus recuerdos
No me resigno a perder tu amor
Es mas me niego a olvidarte
Sabes no quiero perderte
Te amo mil veces, te amo. Son tus recuerdos y están
Matándo a mi corazón
Lo peor es que no puedo olvidar
En la distancia te he esperar
Y vuelve en llanto a caer
Envolviendo esta soledad
Mi vida no tiene razón
Sin ti yo no se a donde voy
Como si el viento adivinara
De la nostalgia que me embarga
Solo y frente a este mundo
Solo y con todos tus recuerdos
No me resigno a perder tu amor
Es mas me niego a olvidarte
Sabes no quiero perderte
Te amo mil veces, te amo.
Como si el viento adivinara
De la nostalgia que me embarga
Solo y frente a este mundo
Solo y con todos tus recuerdos
No me resigno a perder tu amor
Es mas me niego a olvidarte

Sabes no quiero perderte
Te amo mil veces, te amo.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kassav's song Aye are sung in Spanish and express a deep longing for a lost love. The first verse describes the pain and difficulty of holding on to memories that are killing the singer's heart. The second verse laments the emptiness and lack of purpose in life without the love of the lost one. The chorus repeats the sentiment that the memories of the lost love are all-consuming and unbearable, yet the singer cannot let go.

The third verse introduces the idea that the singer is alone in the world with these memories, and cannot imagine a future without the lost love. The repetition of "te amo" (I love you) at the end of each verse and in the chorus underscores the depth of the singer's feelings for the lost love. The final lines express the singer's determination to not lose the love and to hold on fiercely, even though it seems impossible.

Overall, the song Aye is a passionate representation of the power of memories and love, even when they are painful and difficult to hold onto. It speaks to the human experience of loss and the lengths we will go to try to preserve what we cherish.

Line by Line Meaning

Son tus recuerdos y están
Your memories are here and they are killing me.

Matándo a mi corazón
They are killing my heart.

Lo peor es que no puedo olvidar
The worst part is that I can't forget.

En la distancia te he esperar
I have waited for you in the distance.

Y vuelve en llanto a caer
And I fall into tears again.

Envolviendo esta soledad
Encapsulating this loneliness.

Mi vida no tiene razón
My life has no meaning.

Sin ti yo no se a donde voy
Without you, I do not know where I am going.

Como si el viento adivinara
As if the wind knew.

De la nostalgia que me embarga
Of the nostalgia that overwhelms me.

Solo y frente a este mundo
Alone and facing this world.