Siffre released his first six albums of songs between 1970 and 1975, and a further three albums between 1988 and 1998. During this period he had several solo hits, including "It Must Be Love" (No. 14, 1971) (later covered by and a No. 4 hit for Madness, for which Siffre himself appeared in the video); "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" (No. 11, 1972); and "Watch Me" (No. 29, 1972). In 1978 two of his songs, "Solid Love" (performed by Siffre) and "We Got It Bad" (co-written and performed by Bob James) reached the UK finals of the BBC's A Song for Europe. His 1987 hit "(Something Inside) So Strong", which reached No. 4, was an anti-Apartheid anthem that won the Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically", and has since been used in Amnesty International campaigns, a television advertisement and Alice Walker's film against female genital mutilation: Warrior Marks.
In 1997, Siffre's play "DeathWrite" was staged at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and later televised.
His song "I Got The..." was sampled in rapper Eminem's hit single "My Name Is," Siffre, who is openly gay, said in an interview that he turned down the offer to approve the song at first until the original sexist and homophobic lyrics were removed: "Dissing the victims of bigotry – women as bitches, homosexuals as faggots – is lazy writing. Diss the bigots not their victims." Siffre eventually allowed its usage when he was sent a censored "clean" version, not realizing that he was also allowing the riffs use on the alternative "dirty" versions with the original lyrics.
In 1984 Siffre began writing poetry and has since released three books of poetry: "Blood on the Page" 1995 and "Monument" 1997. His poetry addresses a variety of themes, from theology and childhood to sociology, love, hate, language, critical thinking, and communication. In 2006, he released a new album, The Last Songs.
Make My Day
Labi Siffre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pretty little girl in a blue dress
Pretty little girl in a blue dress playing in the sand
Make my day, smile for me
Sun in the sky
Sun in the blue sky
Sun in the blue sky above my head
Why is today, a day like any other day
sadder than yesterday?
Minutes or hours separate me
from yesterday's man with a grin
Whatever happened to him?
Butterfly, flying by, how could you ever know?
You and your mind haven't the time
to think about things that you do
How I wish I was like you
Pretty little girl
Pretty litte girl in a blue dress
Pretty litte girl in a blue dress playing in the sand
Make my day, smile for me
The lyrics of Labi Siffre's song "Make My Day" depict a longing for happiness and a sense of nostalgia for a happier past. The first verse describes a pretty girl in a blue dress playing in the sand, prompting the singer to ask her to smile and make his day. The second verse describes the sun in the blue sky shining above the singer's head and the longing for it to shine for him, further emphasizing his desire for happiness. The third verse then poses the question of why today, a day like any other, feels sadder than yesterday, and wonders what happened to the man from yesterday with a grin.
The fourth and final verse employs the use of a butterfly as a symbol of simplicity and lack of worry, and expresses a desire to be like the butterfly and not be burdened by the anxieties and worries of life. Throughout the song, there is a sense of yearning for the past or for a simpler life, alongside a desire for happiness and positivity in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretty little girl
Addressing a girl he finds attractive
Pretty little girl in a blue dress
Describing the girl's attire
Pretty little girl in a blue dress playing in the sand
Narrating what the girl is doing
Make my day, smile for me
Asking the girl to smile and make him happy
Sun in the sky
Referring to the sun in the sky
Sun in the blue sky
Adding more detail to the description of the sky
Sun in the blue sky above my head
Narrating where the sun is located
Make my day, shine for me
Asking the sun to shine and make him happy
Why is today, a day like any other day sadder than yesterday?
Questioning why he feels more sad today than yesterday
Minutes or hours separate me from yesterday's man with a grin
Reflecting on how much time has passed since he was happier
Whatever happened to him?
Questioning what caused him to become less happy
Butterfly, flying by, how could you ever know?
Addressing a butterfly and its inability to understand the complexities of human emotions
You and your mind haven't the time to think about things that you do
Reflecting on how simple the butterfly's life is compared to his own
How I wish I was like you
Expressing a desire for a simpler life
Contributed by Olivia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Melanie
on Cannock Chase
So beautiful :)