Zenzile Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), also known as Mama Africa, was beyond di… Read Full Bio ↴Zenzile Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), also known as Mama Africa, was beyond dispute one of South Africa's true legends. Born March 4, 1932 in Johannesburg, Miriam Makeba was barely 21 years old when she, as a member of the Manhattan Brothers, reached for the stars in her home country. It didn't take long before Miriam Makeba's career was brought to another level. In 1966 she received a Grammy Award for the album An Evening with Harry Belafonte & Miriam Makeba, making her the first African artist to win a Grammy. Her star rose further when she released her 1967 globally acclaimed Pata Pata, including the worldwide hit "Qongqothwane" (better known as the 'Click Song'). Shortly thereafter she published her autobiography .

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

The House of the Rising Sun
Miriam Makeba Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
It's been the ruin of many a poor girl
And me, oh Lord is one

Go tell my baby sister
Never do what I have done
To shun the house in New Orleans

They call the Rising Sun

I'm going back to New Orleans
My race is almost run

I'm going back to end my days
Beneath the Rising Sun

Overall Meaning

Miriam Makeba's rendition of the classic folk song "House of the Rising Sun" tells the tale of a woman who has fallen victim to the notorious New Orleans brothel, the Rising Sun. The lyrics speak to the dangers and temptations that await those who enter the house, which has brought ruin upon many poor girls, including the singer herself.

The desperation and regret in the lyrics are palpable as the singer warns her baby sister to avoid the same mistakes and to shun the Rising Sun. The singer acknowledges that her own time is coming to an end, and she plans to return to New Orleans to spend her final days there. The repetition of the phrase "the Rising Sun" throughout the song serves as a haunting reminder of the dangers that lurk within the house, and the devastating consequences it can bring.

Overall, "House of the Rising Sun" is a cautionary tale that speaks to the corrupting influences of power, temptation, and vice. It's a powerful song that has been covered by countless musicians over the years, and one that continues to resonate with listeners to this day.

Line by Line Meaning

There is a house in New Orleans
In New Orleans, there is a particular house that is notorious among the locals

They call the Rising Sun
This house is known as 'the Rising Sun', possibly due to its location or history

It's been the ruin of many a poor girl
Over the years, many young, vulnerable women have suffered due to their association with the Rising Sun

And me, oh Lord is one
The artist, Miriam Makeba, is one of those poor girls who has experienced hardship because of this house

Go tell my baby sister
The artist is urging someone to pass on a message to her younger sibling

Never do what I have done
She is warning her sister, or anyone else who will listen, not to make the same mistakes as she has

To shun the house in New Orleans
Specifically, she advises her sister to avoid the Rising Sun at all costs

I'm going back to New Orleans
Despite her past experiences there, the artist is returning to New Orleans

My race is almost run
The artist is aware that her life is drawing to a close, so she is making a final journey

I'm going back to end my days
The purpose of her trip is to spend her remaining days in New Orleans

Beneath the Rising Sun
Once there, she plans to live near or perhaps even in the very house that caused her so much pain – the Rising Sun