naptu2: I wonder if I should call Uncle Tunji Oyelana to mark the end of the day for us.
naptu2: I mentioned Tunji Oyelana earlier, so I need to clarify.
NO
There's no "I Love My Country" or "Sura Di Tailor" in the list.
naptu2: I have got to admit that I would not have remembered the lyrics of this version of this song if the Internet did not exist. It has been overshadowed in my mind by a slightly slower version with slightly different lyrics that was used as the theme song of the early 1980s sitcom, Sura Di Tailor (Tunji Oyelana also starred in the sitcom).
This song is on the B side of Unlimited Liability Company (Share-Di-Garri, i.e. Shagari).
Lyrics by Professor Wole Soyinka, sung by Tunji Oyelana:
Tunji Oyelana And The Benders - I Love My Country.
naptu2: I've posted this many times before, but I'm going to post it again, because I think I'll need it very soon.
The question is, is there anything that this man could not do? He is a great actor, a fantastic comedian and just listen to the music in the video I posted yesterday. Is there anything that he could not do?
This particular song was like a second Nigerian anthem. This is the original version. It's not the version that was used in the sitcom or the version that was used by government.
naptu2: To be honest with you, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey but, thinking about the meaning of this song can make you weep.
It's the human condition. The problems of the world (problem no the finish) and it almost seems like he predicted the problems of Nigeria. The problem is the people and the traits in the people.
I'm updating the list, now that I've found Tyna Onwudiwe's second song. As you can guess, the most difficult part is in figuring the year that Tunji Oyelana's songs were released. It's like I've heard them my whole life.
I'll post the list shortly
naptu2: Meditating on Tunji Oyelana all morning. I had to download it. Great wisdom and great music combined. What a throwback!
This is what they call music. The name of this thing is music.
naptu2: I was really hurt when this man died. He was an all round entertainer. A musician, magician, tv show host, night club host, hotel owner, etc. I loved watching the funny magic that he performed on his tv show.
naptu2: I don't think there has ever been a Mothers Day in my life that I've not heard this song. There's a live band here and I can hear the bass line from the car park.
Ok, these are the most popular tributes to mothers in Nigeria. The first is by a Nigerian and the second is by a non-Nigerian.
Prince Nico Mbarga - Sweet Mother (originally done in 1974, but released in 1976).
naptu2: Today is June 25th. The great Prince Nico Mbarga died in a motorcycle accident in Ikom 20 years +1 day ago. May his soul rest in peace.
Here is his biggest hit.
Prince Nico Mbarga - Sweet Mother (1976).
naptu2: And now it's time for the National Anthem.
This is one of the biggest songs to come out of Africa.
It has been covered uncountable times in uncountable languages.
It was, of course, very popular in Nigeria and across West Africa, it had a massive impact on Congolese rumba and soukous (what Nigerians call makossa), it was huge in East Africa (there are East African cover versions) and believe it or not, it was also very big in South America.
I read his column in. . .was it the Sketch or the Tribune? He often predicted the results of football matches (he got a few of them wrong). He was a musicologist and an academician (he lectured at UNN and Ife). He was also a broadcaster.
Despite the fact that he was a famous musician, he often sat with the Nigerian Football Supporters Club during Green Eagles matches and he played the trumpet with them. The NTA usually interviewed him at half time.
What I want you to listen to is his pronunciation of the following words: "Dodo", "Moi-moi", "Ero".
naptu2: This is the origin of the Bala Miller Show signature tune.
This song was a huge hit for Bala Miller and the Musical Pirameeds of Africa in the 1970s. He decided to use it as the signature tune of his TV show in the 1980s.
"Wait a minute", you might say. "That's not Bala Miller!"
Well, Bala Miller isn't the one singing. That's a member of the band called Abdullahi. Bala Miller is at the back (to the left), conducting the band.
Bala Miller and the Musical Pirameeds of Africa - Ikon Allah (performed on the Bala Miller Show in 1984).
naptu2: The reason that I have never posted this song is because I am still searching for the original. However, I will make an exception here. This is the original singer, but this version was recorded in the 2010s, when he was 83 years old.
naptu2: You won't believe the places that I've heard the bassline and chords of this song. So many groups, bands and choirs have adapted it for their use.
Feladey also covered this song in 1990.
naptu2: Everybody knows this song. It has also been covered uncountable times.
This song has been covered by uncountable musicians including Art Alade (as Sisi Jowo) in the 1980s, Lieutenant Shotgun in the 1990s, OGD All Stars (Richard Mofe-Damijo and other Nollywood stars) in 2008 and in 2013 the originator, Dr Victor Olaiya, collaborated with 2Face Idibia to produce another version.
I have posted the original many times on Nairaland, but it is no longer on YouTube. Luckily, Dr Victor Olaiya remade a lot of his classic songs in 2016 and that version is still on YouTube. This is Victor Olaiya's 2016 cover of his classic 1960s song.
These next two songs are two of the most covered songs in Nigeria. So many musicians have covered the songs over the years.
This classic song has been covered by many people including Feladey in 1990, Flavour (as Nwa Baby) in 2011 and Ziggy Zaga (an Ethiopian singer) in 2012.
naptu2: This is a popular Lagos Island folk song that Fela transformed into an amazing highlife song.
The original folk song is one of my favourite childhood songs. I could picture the scene in my head and I often imagined how it would be. The song is from the red and white part of Lagos Island, that is, the famous Lafiaji.
It's about kids that have been sent to sell dodo and moinmoin, but they didn't make much sales. Therefore, they did something crazy, mischievous to attract people .
Fela added some words to the end of the song and they made it funnier. He sang about the things that were thrown on his body when the fight started.
I have become seriously addicted to this song in the past few days.
naptu2: Now let's go waaaay back to the afro-jazz and highlife era. Back before the politics. These are the Lagos songs.
Fela Ransome-Kuti and his Koola Lobitos - Oni Dodo (1968).
naptu2: This is another song that was played/performed at state banquets, command performances and other such occasions.
This is the original version and when you listen to it you'll know why I'm still searching for the original version of Baby Jowo. Victor Olaiya's voice in the early 1960s is quite different from his voice in 2016.
These are some of the biggest Nigerian highlife songs of the 1940s to 1980s. You can add more songs to the list.
naptu2: No state banquet or command performance is complete without this song.
naptu2: This was one of the other "state songs", along with the hausa song that I posted above, Omo Pupa and Iya Ni Wura. It's also one of the most popular highlife songs. The song has been covered many times.
Music/Radio › Re: Nigerian Highlife Songs Of The 1940s-1980s by naptu2(op): 5:37am On Oct 12, 2022
