Ricus Nel se talent en passie vir musiek het oor die afgelope paar jaar van… Read Full Bio ↴Ricus Nel se talent en passie vir musiek het oor die afgelope paar jaar van hom ‘n huishoudelike naam in Suid-Afrikaanse musiek gemaak. Vingers wat ewe flink met ‘n pen as met ‘n hele rits musikale instrumente kan toor en sy growwe country-rock stem het dié sanger sommer gou by duisende musiekliefhebbers laat aanklank vind.

Hoewel Ricus, voordat hy voltyds tot die musiekbedryf toegetree het, by ‘n platinummyn, ‘n tabak koöperasie en ‘n musiekwinkel gewerk het, was musiek dit wat die sterkste deur sy are gepols het. Hy het reeds op 4-jarige ouderdom sy eerste instrument, dromme, begin bespeel - iets wat uiteindelik een van dertien instrumente sou word wat hy bemeester het.
Hy het later aangesluit by sy pa-hulle se boereorkes waar hy gedurende sy laerskool- en hoërskoolloopbaan verder kon skaaf aan sy instrumentale-, sowel as sy vokale vernuf. Hy onthou met ‘n glimlag dié “Lekker ou Jan”-tye as van die beste in sy lewe.

Nadat hy in 1998 matrikuleer het, het Ricus soos vele ander musikante in kroeë gespeel totdat hy uiteindelik in 2003 sy voet formeel in die deur van die musiekbedryf gekry het as lid van Dozi se orkes by Hartebeespoortdam.

Hierna het hy sy talente geleen aan ‘n hele rits groot name se opvoerings, DVD-produksies en TV-reekse, wat Theuns Jordaan en Juanita du Plessis se duet-DVD, Bok van Blerk se orkes, KKNK, Skouspel, Innibos, ‘Dis hoe dit is met Steve’ en ‘Jukebox’ met Kurt Darren insluit. Hy het ook in Londen opgetree tydens die ou UKasie-fees en ook gehore in Australië, Kanada en die VSA bekoor met sy talent.

Ricus het sy eerste solo-album, ‘Sak en pak’, in 2011 vrygestel. Dit is met oorweldigende ondersteuning deur Suid-Afrikaanse gehore ontvang en het later goue status bereik. Dit is gevolg deur die vrystelling van ‘Sout van die aarde’ in 2013 en ‘Ricus Nel sing Don Williams en ander country legendes’ in 2014 – ‘n album wat ook binne net ‘n paar maande die goue-kerf verbygesteek het.

Oorspronklike treffers soos ‘Sak en pak’, ‘Spyt kom te laat’, ‘Windgat, my honne’ en ‘Nogsteeds so lief vir haar’, sowel as Ricus se vertolkings van ‘I recall a gypsy woman’, ‘Some broken hearts never mend’, ‘You’re my best friend’ en ‘Lay down beside me’ het landswyd opslae op radio-ranglyse gemaak.

Een van die groot hoogtepunte van sy loopbaan tot dusver was om die wêreldbekende Air Supply - die Australiaanse duo wat in die 80’s bekendheid verwerf het met treffers soos ‘All Out of Love’, ‘Every Woman in the World’, ‘Lost in Love’ en ‘Making Love (Out of Nothing At All)’- in 2014 by die Grand West Arena in Kaapstad in te lei tydens hul wêreldtoer.

Amanda
Ricus Nel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

"Amanda"

I've held it all inward
Lord knows I've tried
It's an awful awakenin'
In a country boy's life
To look in the mirror
In total surprise

At the hair on your shoulders
And the age in your eyes.

Amanda light of my life
Fate should have made you a gentle man's wife
Amanda light of my life
Fate should have made you a gentle man's wife.

Well the measure of people
Don't understand
The pleasures of life
In a hillbilly band
I got my first guitar
When I was fourteen
Now I'm crowding thirty
And still wearin' jeans.

Amanda light of my life
Fate should have made you a gentle man's wife
Amanda light of my life
Fate should have made you a gentle man's wife.

Amanda light of my life
Fate should have made you a gentle man's wife

Amanda light of my life
Fate should have made you a gentle man's wife

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ricus Nel's song "Amanda" tell the story of a country boy who is reflecting on his life and the choices he's made. He's held everything inwards, tried to soldier on, but as he looks in the mirror, he sees a middle-aged man staring back at him. He's surprised at how he's aged, and the hair on his shoulders exemplifies this point. The singer then directs his attention to Amanda, telling her that fate should have made her a gentle man's wife, indicating that she deserves better than what he's able to offer.

As the song continues, the singer talks about how people often don't understand what brings him pleasure in life, specifically, playing in a hillbilly band. He's been doing this since he was a kid, and he's now in his thirties but still wearing jeans, and he wouldn't have it any other way. As he looks to Amanda once more, he repeats the chorus, emphasizing that she's the light of his life, but also pointing out that fate should have given her someone other than himself.

The song captures a sense of wistfulness and regret, as the character acknowledges his limitations and how they affect his relationship with Amanda. He recognizes that she's a special person, and he wishes that things could have worked out differently.

Line by Line Meaning

I've held it all inward
I've been keeping everything inside

Lord knows I've tried
I've tried my best to handle it on my own

It's an awful awakenin'
It's a terrible realization

In a country boy's life
In the life of someone from a rural background

To look in the mirror
To see yourself in the mirror

In total surprise
Completely surprised

At the hair on your shoulders
At the hair growing on your shoulders

And the age in your eyes
And how old you look

Amanda light of my life
Amanda, the most important person in my life

Fate should have made you a gentle man's wife
You deserve to be with someone more refined

Well the measure of people
People's values and standards