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.
Nou Pa Bizwen Sa
Kassav' Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I té sòti Pari
Té lé montré mwen
Sa ki lavi isi
I fini pa di : « Pourquoi on ne dance pas comme ci
Pourquoi on n’dance pas ça »
Pou i té espliké mwen
Ki jan « to groove it »
Tou sa piébwa nou ja monté
Nou ja trouvé manniè désann dépi lontan
Nou ja konnet boléwo
Pa menm palé kalipso
Yo vini ban nou konpa
Nou aprann jwé salsa
Kantapou mérengé
Anlè’y nou ja bien swé
Atjelman nou ni zouk-la
Sa’w ka di di sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n’sa
Nou pa bizwen d’sa
Nou pa bizwen d’sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n’sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n’sa
Nou pa bizwen d’sa
Nou ni nou ni nou ni sa ki fo nou
Oui monsieur c’est le bon !
Pa bizwen-n’sa
Pa bizwen-n’sa
Way, wayayay, way !
Nou bien kon sa
Fò ou konpwann sa
Nou té ni bèlè-gwoka
Kalipso épi soka
Bob Marley ba nou régé
An mizik bien sizé
Nou ja pasé rockennwol
Nou klaché asi denns-hol
Nou ka gadé zouk-nou
Sa’w ka di di sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n’sa
Mé sa’w ka di di sa
A a,
Nou pa bizwen n’sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n’sa
A a,
Mwen di’w nou pa bizwen n’sa !
Nou bien kon sa
Fò’w konpwann sa
Nou bien nou bien
Nou bien nou bien man di’w
Nou ni sa ki fo nou
Tout biten lakay-nou
Nou bien nou bien
Nou bien nou bien man di’w
Nou bien, nou bien, nou bien…
A a, nou pa bizwen-n’sa….
The lyrics of Kassav's song "Nou Pa Bizwen Sa" express a sense of pride and contentment in the cultural traditions and music of the Caribbean. The young protagonist of the song meets an older man who takes him under his wing and teaches him about the local music scene. The older man introduces him to the various styles of music, from boléwo to calypso, as well as the different dance styles such as the conga, compas, salsa, and merengue. The song emphasizes that the Caribbean people have their own unique and vibrant culture and music, and they don't need to emulate or adopt foreign styles to be happy or successful.
The lyrics of the song also suggest that the young protagonist is being initiated into a wider cultural heritage. The older man shows him the way to "groove" and encourages him to learn about the different rhythms and dance moves that are part of the Caribbean culture. The song also touches on the theme of generational transmission, as the older man is an important figure who can pass down the traditions of his community to the younger generation. Overall, the song is a celebration of the rich cultural legacy of the Caribbean people and a call to embrace and preserve that heritage for future generations.
Line by Line Meaning
An ti jenn vini
A young man came
I té sòti Pari
He came from Paris
Té lé montré mwen
He wanted to show me
Sa ki lavi isi
What life is like here
I fini pa di : « Pourquoi on ne dance pas comme ci
He didn't say: 'Why don't we dance like this
Pourquoi on n’dance pas ça »
Why don't we dance that?
I ay chèché lwen
He went to look for
Pou i té espliké mwen
So he could explain to me
Ki jan « to groove it »
What it means to 'groove it'
Tou sa piébwa nou ja monté
All those hills we already climbed
Nou ja trouvé manniè désann dépi lontan
We found a way to come down a long time ago
Nou ja konnet boléwo
We already know Boléwo
Pa menm palé kalipso
Not to mention Kalipso
Yo vini ban nou konpa
They came and introduced us to Konpa
Nou aprann jwé salsa
We learned how to play Salsa
Kantapou mérengé
And even Merengue
Anlè’y nou ja bien swé
We're already good at it
Atjelman nou ni zouk-la
And now we have Zouk
Sa’w ka di di sa
That's what you're saying
A a, nou pa bizwen-n’sa
No, we don't need that
Nou pa bizwen d’sa
We don't need that
Nou ni nou ni nou ni sa ki fo nou
We have what's good for us
Oui monsieur c’est le bon !
Yes, sir, that's the right way!
Pa bizwen-n’sa
No need for that
Pa bizwen-n’sa
No need for that
Way, wayayay, way!
Way, wayayay, way!
Nou bien kon sa
We're fine like this
Fò ou konpwann sa
You have to understand that
Nou té ni bèlè-gwoka
We had Belè and Gwoka
Kalipso épi soka
As well as Calypso and Soca
Bob Marley ba nou régé
Bob Marley gave us Reggae
An mizik bien sizé
In music well sized
Nou ja pasé rockennwol
We've already passed Rock and Roll
Nou klaché asi denns-hol
We complain about the downside
Nou ka gadé zouk-nou
We're looking at our Zouk
Mé sa’w ka di di sa
But that's what you're saying
Mwen di’w nou pa bizwen n’sa !
I'm telling you we don't need that!
Nou bien nou bien
We're fine, we're fine
Nou ni sa ki fo nou
We have what's good for us
Tout biten lakay-nou
Everything we need is here
Nou bien nou bien man di’w
We're fine, I'm telling you
Lyrics © PEERMUSIC FRANCE, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: SIMMONS MASSINI, JEAN-CLAUDE NAIMRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@inesamouzou5229
le bon vieux temps 😌
@albertocostaalberto9500
O melhor Agrupamento de todos os tempos 🎼🎶⭐🔥👌
@conceicaofortes4944
Adoro este Jean Claude!
@eddytoussaint3378
So so good
@pioquintolopez8776
Rico ritmo
@MarkVickers1
Here are the lyrics - can anyone provide a translation? Thanks!
An ti jenn vini
I té sòti Pari
Té lé montré mwen
Sa ki lavi isi
I fini pa di: Pourquoi on ne dance pas comme ci
Pourquoi on n'dance pas ça
I ay chèché lwen
Pou i té espliké mwen
Ki jan to groove it
Tou sa piébwa nou ja monté
Nou ja trouvé manniè désann dépi lontan
Nou ja konnet boléwo
Pa menm palé kalipso
Yo vini ban nou konpa
Nou aprann jwé salsa
Kantapou mérengé
Anlè'y nou ja bien swé
Atjelman nou ni zouk-la
Sa'w ka di di sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n'sa
Nou pa bizwen d'sa
Nou pa bizwen d'sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n'sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n'sa
Nou pa bizwen d'sa
Nou ni nou ni nou ni sa ki fo nou
Oui monsieur c'est le bon!
Pa bizwen-n'sa
Pa bizwen-n'sa
Way, wayayay, way!
Nou bien kon sa
Fò ou konpwann sa
Nou té ni bèlè-gwoka
Kalipso épi soka
Bob Marley ba nou régé
An mizik bien sizé
Nou ja pasé rockennwol
Nou klaché asi denns-hol
Nou ka gadé zouk-nou
Sa'w ka di di sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n'sa
Mé sa'w ka di di sa
A a,
Nou pa bizwen n'sa
A a, nou pa bizwen-n'sa
A a,
Mwen di'w nou pa bizwen n'sa!
Nou bien kon sa
Fò'w konpwann sa
Nou bien nou bien
Nou bien nou bien man di'w
Nou ni sa ki fo nou
Tout biten lakay-nou
Nou bien nou bien
Nou bien nou bien man di'w
Nou bien, nou bien, nou bien...
A a, nou pa bizwen-n'sa...
@balthazarngosbeabea7865
Génial
@albertocostaalberto9500
O melhor Agrupamento de todos os tempos 🎼🎶⭐🔥👌