Miriam Makeba used her voice to entertain, but also to give a voice to millions of oppressed fellow South Africans who suffered as a result of apartheid. The price she had to pay for her actions was high, namely her South African citizenship. After she appeared, in 1960, in the an anti-apartheid documentary Come Back, Africa, the South African regime banned her from returning to her home country and took away her citizenship.
This event didn't stop her from continuing to raise her voice against the apartheid regime. Between 1964 and 1975, as a United Nations delegate of Guinea where she was granted asylum, Miriam Makeba addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations regularly on the tragic developments in South Africa.
Meanwhile she carried on singing, a process in which she put South African music on the map. Over the years Makeba worked with artists as Joe Sample, Stix Hooper, Arthur Adams, and David T. Walker of The Crusaders. In the late 1980's she joined Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo during their world-wide Graceland tour and in 1990 she worked with Odetta and Nina Simone for the One Nation tour.
Following Nelson Mandela's release from prison, the citizen of the world Makeba returned to South Africa in December 1990; more than thirty years after she went in exile. In April 1991 she performed her first concert in her homeland in three decades.
The years after were busy ones for Makeba. She starred in the South African award-winning musical Sarafina! , about the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, playing the role of the title character's mother. She then reunited with her first husband, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, for the Tour Of Hope. She also performed at the Vatican's Nevi Hall during the world-wide broadcasted show, Christmas In The Vatican. In 2000 Makeba released the grammy-nominated Homeland, her first studio album in a decade. In 2002 she shared the Polar Music Prize with Sofia Gubaidulina, in recognition of her exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.
After her return to South Africa Miriam Makeba recorded over ten albums. In 2004, at the age of 72, she relased Reflections honoring the tenth anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa. In that same year Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. She also started a 14 month worldwide farwell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all countries she had visited during her life.
With an impressive career spanning more than four decades Miriam Makeba is, indeed, one of the most respected, loved and cherished treasures in (South) Africa.
On the early morning of 10th of November 2008 she died at the age of 76 after being taken ill near the southern Italian town of Caserta, after performing at a concert against organized crime.
Source: Miriam Makeba, A true South African musical Legend
Discography on last.fm
External links:
Official website
Unofficial website
Movie database
Ring Bell
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd shine now, shine now
How I would shine
Someone I love has promised to be
Mine now, mine now
Someone is mine
So ring bell, ring bell
Ring bell, ring bell
Love is here and all is well
If I could be a beautiful song I'd
Sing now, sing now
How I would sing
Warm is the sunlight in his eyes it's
Spring now, spring now
Suddenly spring
So ring bell, ring bell
Tell the world that all is well
Ring bell, ring bell
Love is here and all is well
Yesterday, just another day
But today everything is going my way
So ring bell, ring bell
Tell the world that all is well
Ring bell, ring bell
Love is here and all is well
I said ring bell, ring bell
Tell the world that all is well
Ring bell, ring bell
Love is here and all is well
All is well
All is well
All is well
The lyrics to Miriam Makeba's song "Ring Bell" express the idea of being in love and the joy it brings. The song is about feeling so happy that if one were a star, they would shine brightly, and if they were a song, they would sing so beautifully. The refrain of "ring bell, ring bell" serves as a call to celebrate this joy and share it with the world. The lyrics also convey a sense of newfound happiness, as the singer reflects on how just yesterday was ordinary, but today everything is going their way.
Makeba's rich, warm voice adds depth to the lyrics, conveying the emotions behind them. The song's simple melody is repetitive, making it easy to sing along or join in on the chorus. The lyrics are straightforward but powerful, expressing a universal feeling of joy and happiness.
Overall, "Ring Bell" is an uplifting song that celebrates love and the joy it brings. It encourages listeners to share their happiness with others and to revel in the simple pleasures of life.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could be a shimmering star
I'd shine now, shine now
How I would shine
The singer wishes to be a star and shows eagerness to shine bright and dazzle in the sky
Someone I love has promised to be
Mine now, mine now
Someone is mine
The singer is in love with someone who has promised to be theirs and they feel content and happy to be with them
So ring bell, ring bell
Tell the world that all is well
Ring bell, ring bell
Love is here and all is well
The singer wants everyone to know that they are happy and in love, and that everything is well and good in their life
If I could be a beautiful song I'd
Sing now, sing now
How I would sing
The singer wants to be a beautiful song and sing with all their might, expressing their joy and happiness through music
Warm is the sunlight in his eyes it's
Spring now, spring now
Suddenly spring
The singer is filled with warmth and joy when they see the person they love, and it feels like spring has suddenly arrived
Yesterday, just another day
But today everything is going my way
So ring bell, ring bell
Tell the world that all is well
Ring bell, ring bell
Love is here and all is well
The singer had an ordinary day yesterday, but today everything is going their way and they are happy to let the world know how blessed they feel to be in love
I said ring bell, ring bell
Tell the world that all is well
Ring bell, ring bell
Love is here and all is well
All is well
All is well
All is well
The singer repeats their desire for everyone to know that they are happy and in love, and that their life is good and filled with joy
Contributed by Ella F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ticket88
About 25 years ago I found this album on vinyl LP. It's awesome!
Gary Kennon & The Dream Debut
I've loved this song since I was a child, so wonderful.
Keith Scott
this song ,more than any other , mariam.s voice is truly like a bell
Maxine A Sterling
I love this song, it reminds of Sunday evening on the radio in the Caribbean , beautiful memories
lilli rhys
You're so right. I am a Caribbean woman and this is one of the many songs that were played on the radio on a Sunday. I call them Sunday songs. Lol.
BrickCityBornandBred
this is the album I carried about the hallways of high school in the '70's, sharing it with my friends. I loved this song, it always made me feel hopeful and uplifted. Sweet high school memories!
MrCenturion455
When I first listened to this song my life was filled with possibilities.Ah youth
Francis Denedo
MrCenturion455 it still brings tears to my eyes.
D. Blank
Mine too. We had the eight track in the car, listened to this entire album over and over as a kid in the back seat staring out the window.
Josie Van Otterlo
One of my all time favorite songs...joyful.