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.
Dzodi
Kassav' Lyrics
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Dé moman ou di mwen sa
Ban mwen dé jou pou mwen pé sa vin’ an jan oulé
Tan pi souplé an vin’ a jounou ka prié djé baw
An nou palé mwen ké èsplikéw
Si ou konpwann’ an sav ou ké ba mwen an ti chans’
An nou gadé tyenbé sa nou ni
Fo manké néyé pou apwan najé
O o, an manké néyé an korijé
Fo manké néyé pou apwan najé
O o, an manké néyé an sa najé
Dou ou dézodié mé ou pa mové
An ké rété pou nou sa gannyé
Epi nou ké pé oubliyéé é é é é
An réfléchi ou pas difisil’
Ou pa janmen mandé mwen sa mwen pa té pé baw
Saw ti bizwen té byen natirèl
An pa konpwan
Fo manké néyé pou apwan najé
Fo manké néyé pou apwan najé
Ea n-gal
Bi teu ma wa meza dzangé-é
O-o n-galam
Za-a teu bi kom alug é-é
Loumouk !
Jodi doudou man ka pwomèt’ ou
Rantré bonnè pou man ni tan diw dé mo janti
Tchenbé lan men-w épi vwé vi
Si ou kwé mwen pétèt’ an ké ni an ti chans’
Dou (dou ou) ou dézodié mé ou pa mové
Dou dou dou you dou dou
An ké rété pou nou sa gannyé
Dou dou dou you dou dou
Epi nou ké pé oubliyé é é é é
The song "Dzodi" by Kassav is a story of a man who is trying to convince his partner to understand him through communication. The first verse shows the struggle of trying to have an honest conversation with the partner. The man is asking for a chance to have a conversation with his partner and clarify any misunderstandings. The second verse is an illustration of how sometimes we need to make mistakes to learn from them. In this case, the mistakes are compared to drowning, where we eventually learn how to swim to avoid it from happening again. The chorus "fo manké néyé pou apwan najé" emphasizes this message, where one has to fall before they rise, one has to make mistakes to learn from them. In the second half of the song, the man tries to reassure his partner that he means well and that he is not trying to hurt her. He promises to be patient and to work together to achieve their goals.
Overall, "Dzodi" is an encouraging song that promotes honesty, communication, and patience in relationships. The song emphasizes that we all have flaws and make mistakes, but those are an opportunity for growth as they help us learn and become better individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
An ka rikonnèt’ an pa toujou fasil
I admit it's not always easy
Dé moman ou di mwen sa
Sometimes you tell me things
Ban mwen dé jou pou mwen pé sa vin’ an jan oulé
Give me a couple of days to do it my way
Tan pi souplé an vin’ a jounou ka prié djé baw
With more time, I'll come back and ask you for your blessings
An nou palé mwen ké èsplikéw
Let's talk, and I'll explain it to you
Si ou konpwann’ an sav ou ké ba mwen an ti chans’
If you understand me, I might give you a chance
An nou gadé tyenbé sa nou ni
Let's hold on to what we have
An byen konpwan
I understand
Fo manké néyé pou apwan najé
You have to almost drown to learn to swim
O o, an manké néyé an korijé
Oh, when I almost drowned, I corrected myself
Dou ou dézodié mé ou pa mové
Sweetheart, you intoxicate me, but you're not bad
An ké rété pou nou sa gannyé
I'll stick around to win what we have
Epi nou ké pé oubliyéé é é é é
And we can forget everything
An réfléchi ou pas difisil’
I'm thinking, it's not difficult
Ou pa janmen mandé mwen sa mwen pa té pé baw
You never ask me for something I can't give you
Saw ti bizwen té byen natirèl
If you needed me to be natural
Fo manké néyé pou apwan najé
You have to almost drown to learn to swim
Ea n-gal
With the strength of a lion
Bi teu ma wa meza dzangé-é
I will not change my mind
O-o n-galam
Oh, with the strength of a crocodile
Za-a teu bi kom alug é-é
I will be hard as rock
Loumouk !
Loumouk!
Jodi doudou man ka pwomèt’ ou
Today, my dear, I promise you
Rantré bonnè pou man ni tan diw dé mo janti
To be home soon, so I can tell you sweet words
Tchenbé lan men-w épi vwé vi
Hold my hand and see life with me
Si ou kwé mwen pétèt’ an ké ni an ti chans’
If you believe me, maybe I'll have a chance
Dou (dou ou) ou dézodié mé ou pa mové
Sweetheart, you intoxicate me, but you're not bad
Dou dou dou you dou dou
Sweet, sweet
An ké rété pou nou sa gannyé
I'll stick around to win what we have
Dou dou dou you dou dou
Sweet, sweet
Epi nou ké pé oubliyé é é é é
And we can forget everything
Lyrics © SM PUBLISHING FRANCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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