Malavoi's style mixes French Antillean music with modern influences from across the Americas, especially Caribbean and Brazilian music, as well as jazz. Their early popular singles included "Albé" and "En lè mon là". The band was soon expanded to include saxophonist Bib Monville and pianist Paulo Rosine. The singers alternated and included Raymond Mazarin, Pierre Jabert, Maurice Marie-Louise, Pierre Pastel and Julien Constance.
Malavoi's first album was Malavoi, released in 1978 and featuring singer Ralph Thamar. The band broke up soon after, however, and didn't perform again until re-uniting under Rosine's leadership in 1981. Rosine greatly expanded the fiddle section, first to ten performers, then down to four with Philippe Porry taking over for Dantin, and also added Jean-José Lagier on cello. Malavoi's fame soon spread across the Caribbean and abroad with the 1983 album Zouel, featuring Thamar on vocals along with Marie-José Alie. They played at the Printemps de Bourges in 1983 and at the Caribbean festival in Cartagena, and won the Caribbean music prize, the Maracas d'Or, as well as scoring the film Rue Case Nègres.
They continued touring widely into the late 1980s, in the United States, France, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Canada and Ecuador. Thamar was replaced by Pipo Gertrude in 1988. In the early 1990s, the band's popularity continued to grow, and the membership expanded with the addition of singer Tony Chasseur. Their 1992 Matebis included collaborations with numerous Caribbean musicians, including Jocelyne Beroard, Bethova Obas, Kali (musician), Edith Lefel and Tanya Saint-Val.
Malavoi's leader, Paulo Rosine, died in 1993. He was replaced by José Privat, while two French violinists, Jean-Luc Pino and Daniel Dato, also joined; the band's leader became Jean-Paul Soïme.
La filo
Malavoi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Papyé a lèt rendez-moi la réponse
Zépeng kochi ka taché l'amitié
Voilà bouton de rose ka di dé mo d'amour
LA FILO (...), LA FILO (...)
SI FILO (...), LA FILO (...)
Mahogany asiz a koté mwen
An ti zétwal briyé au firmament
Sé dé zié lanmou mwen ki ka ékléré mwen
(CHOEUR)
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Tout jèn jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl
An zépeng kochi
An zépeng kochi
An zépeng kochi ka taché l'amitié
An, ti citron ka di "écrivez-moi"
Papyé a lèt rendez-moi la réponse
Zépeng kochi ka taché l'amitié
Voilà bouton de rose
An bouton de rose
An bouton de rose
An bouton de rose ka di dé mo d'amour
Mwen té asiz asou ban la savann
Mahogany asiz a koté mwen
An ti zétwal briyé au firmament
Sé dé zié lanmou mwen
Dé zié lanmou mwen
Dé zié lanmou mwen
Dé zié lanmou mwen ki ka ékléré mwen
Si, môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Tout jèn jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl
Jèn Jan môn balé
Jèn Jan môn balé
Jèn Jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl
The song "La filo" by Malavoi is about the power of communication, particularly through letter writing. In the first verse, the singer mentions a lemon tree that tells him to write a letter, and he asks for a response through a written note. However, he also mentions the danger of gossip and lies, represented by the "zépeng kochi" that stains friendships. Nevertheless, the singer notes the beauty and power of love, symbolized by a "bouton de rose" (rosebud) that speaks of love's language.
In the second verse, the singer describes his experience sitting on a savannah with a mahogany tree next to him, observing a shining star in the sky. He sees the star as the eyes of his lover, shining with love's light. The refrain, "La filo," is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of communication and correspondence to maintain relationships. The final verse repeats the message about the power of love, that if love were a drug, everyone would be flying high in the sky. The song ends with the phrase "Jèn Jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl" (young people will fly in the sky), suggesting a message of hope for the future.
Overall, the song seems to convey the idea that communication is essential for building and maintaining relationships, but there is a need to be mindful of the dangers of gossip and lies. The power of love is emphasized as something that can overcome these obstacles and lift us up.
Line by Line Meaning
An ti citron ka di "écrivez-moi"
A little lemon says "write to me"
Papyé a lèt rendez-moi la réponse
Paper and letter, give me the answer
Zépeng kochi ka taché l'amitié
A cactus thorn can stain the friendship
Voilà bouton de rose ka di dé mo d'amour
Here is a rosebud that says the words of love
LA FILO (...), LA FILO (...)
The line..., the line...
SI FILO (...), LA FILO (...)
If the line..., the line...
Mwen té asiz asou ban la savann
I was sitting on the savanna grass
Mahogany asiz a koté mwen
Mahogany tree sitting next to me
An ti zétwal briyé au firmament
A small star shining in the sky
Sé dé zié lanmou mwen ki ka ékléré mwen
It's two eyes of love that light me up
CHOEUR
CHORUS
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
If my dance had a pharmacy
Tout jèn jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl
All young people would fly in the sky with my dance
An zépeng kochi
A cactus thorn
An bouton de rose
A rosebud
Mwen té asiz asou ban la savann
I was sitting on the savanna grass
Mahogany asiz a koté mwen
Mahogany tree sitting next to me
An ti zétwal briyé au firmament
A small star shining in the sky
Dé zié lanmou mwen
Two eyes of my love
Jèn Jan môn balé
Young people would
Tout jèn jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl
All young people would fly in the sky with my dance
Contributed by Carson V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@crmd1579
An ti citron ka di "écrivez-moi"
Papyé a lèt rendez-moi la réponse
Zépeng kochi ka taché l'amitié
Voilà bouton de rose ka di dé mo d'amour
LA FILO (...), LA FILO (...)
SI FILO (...), LA FILO (...)
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Mwen té asiz asou ban la savann
Mahogany asiz a koté mwen
An ti zétwal briyé au firmament
Sé dé zié lanmou mwen ki ka ékléré mwen
(CHOEUR)
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Tout jèn jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl
An zépeng kochi
An zépeng kochi
An zépeng kochi ka taché l'amitié
An, ti citron ka di "écrivez-moi"
Papyé a lèt rendez-moi la réponse
Zépeng kochi ka taché l'amitié
Voilà bouton de rose
An bouton de rose
An bouton de rose
An bouton de rose ka di dé mo d'amour
Mwen té asiz asou ban la savann
Mahogany asiz a koté mwen
An ti zétwal briyé au firmament
Sé dé zié lanmou mwen
Dé zié lanmou mwen
Dé zié lanmou mwen
Dé zié lanmou mwen ki ka ékléré mwen
Si, môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Si môn balé té ni an pharmacie
Tout jèn jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl
Jèn Jan môn balé
Jèn Jan môn balé
Jèn Jan môn balé té ké volé dan syèl
@slizzor
La première fois que j'ai écouté et dansé ce morceau c'était à un mariage,il a fait lever et danser tout le monde,toute génération confondu......cette chanson a tellement mis le feu durant ce mariage que le Dj choqué de l'ambiance produit par ce morceau n'a cessé de le mettre a plusieurs reprises....au grand plaisir des invités ....depuis lors c'est resté gravé dans ma mémoire....bravo a Ralph Thamar et groupe Malavoi...
@marieagnes7326
Rodney Slizzor, c'est vrai ça été un enorme succès dans toutes les soirées.Que du bonheur.
@jean-jacquesndinga5940
Un classique des classiques souvenir de mon ami Marc Boski Louvila de Brazza 1987
@ignaceparfaitnze-mba1446
Ça me fait revivre mon enfance avec mes grands grands frères Régis Alain Aimé Gervais souvenir souvenir
@maralouna8536
je revois mon quartier d'enfance où les enfants faisaient la course avec de vieux pneus poussé par 2 bâtons lol l'épicerie de monsieur polo où on achetait nos friandises chacha, floup et nos ti bonbon qu'on partageais en petits morceaux tellement on étaient nombreux pour peu faillait nous voir tchè nou té toujou kontan belle époque
@davidmanscour2622
C'était exactement tel que tu l'a décrit
@NzambaNadegethera-qi3pp
En écoutant Malavoi (la filo) je pense à ma defunte Maman 😍 tu es toujours dans mon cœur Maman 💖
@Marie-lj2pe
Super Malavoi. Que de bons souvenirs...❤
@kamalirassi3391
Je suis animateur-programmateur à la radio au Maroc depuis des décennies et c'est le morceau dansant que je préfère entre tous et dieu sait que je m'y connais .... le finish instrumental est sublissime !!!
@thierryfromgwada9312
Je suis Guadeloupéen. Probablement le meilleur son de Malavoi … magnifique