During his career, Tabu Ley composed up to 3,000 songs and produced 250 albums.
Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu was born in Bagata, in the then Belgian Congo. His musical career took off in 1956 when he sung with Joseph "Le Grand Kallé" Kabasele, and his band L'African Jazz. After finishing high school he joined the band as a full-time musician. Tabu Ley sang in the pan-African hit Indépendance Cha Cha which was composed by Grand Kallé for Congolese independence from Belgium in 1960, propelling Tabu Ley to instant fame. He remained with African Jazz until 1963 when he and Dr Nico Kasanda formed their own group, African Fiesta.[6] Two years later, Tabu Ley and Dr. Nico split and Tabu Ley formed African Fiesta National, also known as African Fiesta Flash. The group became one of the most successful bands in African history, recording African classics like Afrika Mokili Mobimba, and surpassing record sales of one million copies by 1970. Papa Wemba and Sam Mangwana were among the many influential musicians that were part of the group. He adopted the stage name "Rochereau" after the French General Pierre Denfert-Rochereau, whose name he liked and whom he had studied in school.
In 1970, Tabu Ley formed Orchestre Afrisa International, Afrisa being a combination of Africa and Éditions Isa, his record label. Along with Franco Luambo's TPOK Jazz, Afrisa was now one of Africa's greatest bands. They recorded hits such as "Sorozo", "Kaful Mayay", "Aon Aon", and "Mose Konzo". They performed also at the Zaire 74 and therefore are in the documentary film Soul Power.
In the mid 1980s Tabu Ley discovered a young talented singer and dancer, M'bilia Bel, who helped popularise his band further. M'bilia Bel became the first female soukous singer to gain acclaim throughout Africa. Tabu Ley and M'bilia Bel later married and had one child together. In 1988 Tabu Ley introduced another female vocalist known as Faya Tess, and M'bilia Bel left and continued to be successful on her own. After M'bilia Bel's departure, Afrisa's influence along with that of their rivals TPOK Jazz continued to wane as fans gravitated toward the faster version of soukous.
After the establishment of Mobutu Sese Seko regime in the Congo, he adopted the name "Tabu Ley" as part of Mobutu's "Zairization" of the country, but later went into exile in France in 1988.
In 1985, the Government of Kenya banned all foreign music from the National Radio service. After Tabu Ley composed the song "Twende Nairobi" ("Let's go to Nairobi"), sung by M'bilia Bel, in praise of Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi, the ban was promptly lifted. In the early 1990s he briefly settled in Southern California. He began to tailor his music towards an International audience by including more English lyrics and by increasing more international dance styles such as Samba. He found success with the release of albums such as Muzina, Exil Ley, Africa worldwide and Babeti soukous. The Mobutu regime banned his 1990 album "Trop, C'est Trop" as subversive. In 1996, Tabu Ley participated in the album Gombo Salsa by the salsa music project Africando. The song "Paquita" from that album is a remake of a song that he recorded in the late 1960s with African Fiesta.
When Mobutu was deposed in 1997, Tabu Ley returned to Kinshasa and took up a position as a cabinet minister in the government of new President Laurent Kabila. Following Kabila's death, Tabu Ley then joined the appointed transitional parliament created by Joseph Kabila, until it was dissolved following the establishment of the inclusive transitional institutions. In November 2005 Tabu Ley was appointed Vice-Governor of Kinshasa, a position devolved to his party, the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) by the 2002 peace agreements. He also served as provincial minister of culture. In 2008, he was said to have fathered up to 102 children, including the French rapper Youssoupha, with different women.
He has been described as "the Congolese personality who, along with Mobutu, marked Africa's 20th century history." He was dubbed "the African Elvis" by the Los Angeles Times.
Tabu Ley Rochereau died on 30 November 2013, aged 76, at Saint-Luc hospital in Brussels, Belgium where he had been undergoing treatment for a stroke he suffered in 2008. He was buried on 9 December 2013 in the Cimetière Acropolic de la N'sele in Kinshasa, DR Congo, after receiving an official mourning ceremony at the Palais du Peuple.
I Need You
Tabu Ley Rochereau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We Used To Bow Our Heads Then Wonder Why
And Now You′re Gone I Guess I'll Carry On
And Make The Best Of What You′ve Left To Me
Left To Me Left To Me
I Need You Like The Flower Needs The Rain
You Know I Need You Guess I'll Start It All Again
You Know I Need You Like The Winter Needs The Spring
And Every Day I'd Laugh The Hours Away
Just Knowing You Were Thinking Of Me
And Then It Came That I Was Put To Blame
For Every Story Told About Me
About Me About Me
I Need You Like The Flower Needs The Rain
You Know I Need You Guess I′ll Start It All Again
You Know I Need You I Need You
I Need You Like The Winter Needs The Spring
You Know I Need You Guess I′ll Start It All Again
You Know I Need You I Need You
I Need You Like The Flower Needs The Rain
You Know I Need You Guess I'll Start It All Again
You Know I Need You I Need You
I Need You Like The Winter Needs The Spring
You Know I Need You Guess I′ll Start It All Again
You Know I Need You I Need You
The song "I Need You" by Tabu Ley Rochereau is a romantic, heart-rending ballad that speaks of a love lost and the singer's deep longing for their loved one to return. The opening lines "We used to laugh, we used to cry / We used to bow our heads then wonder why" sets the tone for the rest of the song, with its mournful melody and reflective lyrics.
As the song progresses, the singer admits that they feel lost without their loved one, but they will try to make the best of what's left to them. However, they cannot deny the intensity of their need for this person - "I need you like the flower needs the rain / You know I need you, guess I'll start it all again". The repetition of this verse throughout the song emphasizes the depth of the singer's longing and desire for their loved one's return.
The middle section of the song speaks to the joy and happiness that this person brought the singer - "And every day I'd laugh the hours away / Just knowing you were thinking of me". However, it is revealed that the singer has been "put to blame" for "every story told about me", suggesting that their relationship may have been the subject of gossip and criticism. Despite this, the singer's need for their loved one remains unshaken.
Overall, "I Need You" conveys a sense of yearning and heartbreak, capturing the intense emotions that come with the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
We Used To Laugh We Used To Cry
We used to share many emotions together like joy and sorrow
We Used To Bow Our Heads Then Wonder Why
We used to encounter misfortune and wonder why it happened to us
And Now You′re Gone I Guess I'll Carry On
Although you're no longer here, I must continue to live my life
And Make The Best Of What You′ve Left To Me
I will do my best with what you have given me
Left To Me Left To Me
It's all up to me now
I Need You Like The Flower Needs The Rain
I need you desperately just like a flower needs rain to survive
You Know I Need You Guess I'll Start It All Again
I need you to help me start anew
You Know I Need You Like The Winter Needs The Spring
I need you just as much as winter relies on spring
You Know I Need You I Need You
I can't emphasize enough how much I need you
And Every Day I'd Laugh The Hours Away
Every day I used to laugh and enjoy my time with you
Just Knowing You Were Thinking Of Me
I felt happy and valued knowing that you cared for me
And Then It Came That I Was Put To Blame
Unfortunately, a time came when I was blamed for things I did not do
For Every Story Told About Me
Many negative stories were being spread about me
About Me About Me
It was all directed at me
Writer(s): Tabu Ley
Contributed by Cameron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alexander LUOBA
on Sacramento
My best song of all time, I really appreciate the Legend Tabu
Adam
on Monsieur Malonga
Can anyone share lyrics for Monsieur Malonga?
I love how this song sounds and would really like to know what it's about. Thanks in advance!
Tony Menzies
on Kimakango Mpe Libala
I would really love to get the lyrics for Aon Aon. It's been a long time favourite of mine. From the 'Dance d'Afrique' LP's