I couldn't have written this post any better even if I had tried. You see, I came across HarrySong's Reggae Blues song only last week and I tweeted about how silly I found the lyrics of the song but how annoyingly yet deliciously catchy the melody was. It simply wouldn't leave my head. You will find the video/song at the end of this post which my good friend Temitayo Fabunmi has written. I've featured a few of his posts here.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
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The marimba calls out a repetitive, haunting “fah soh /fah mi”, the first notes of this addictive track by HarrySong. Then the snares roll in and the madness of the song starts – “After the reggae play the blues… fah soh fah mi”. Underpinning the marimba’s call is a constant bass strum “fah soh/fah doh”, which goes on until it is interrupted either by a roll of the snare or a more emphatic bassline when Olamide and Iyanya sing their parts. Dissecting the bass lines of songs is one of my favourite pastimes, often at the expense of the lyrics of the song. This song is no exception.
One of the things I love about the track is how the different musical instruments make their staggered entry into the song. This is perhaps most pronounced around the 50 second mark when Olamide starts his hook; the bass line makes a reinforced re-entry that either forces you to move your head along or roll your waist (depending on your dancing skills or lack thereof). Add to that recurrent “fah soh / fah mi” of the marimba.
Ladies call me “Talk and Do”! KCee intro plays on the Igbo translation of the phrase “talk and do” (Ekwueme). He could have done a bit more with his hook, but he is forgiven… after all he is “talk and do”!
Iyanya’s part was flawlessly executed from a production point of view – the accompanying bassline at this segment of the track re-echo the play on the bassline that was used in Olamide’s segment. His lyrics are not exactly top notch, but hey who cares?
Orezi’s shout out to Enugu girls… I’ll leave Enugu girls to defend themselves, but allegations like “Enugu girls dem like to do/ As long as you get money to lose”! Ndi nwanyi Enugu, biko, is this true? From a musical point of view, Orezi’s segment has a hint of Congolese influence that results in a mini-genre that is neither Makossa nor Woro. Absolute genius!
Silly lines like “Enjoy yourself baby boo / ’cause even your boo get a boo” do nothing to help the song’s seriousness, but they add to its attraction. A tweet over the weekend was about a bride who pointedly told the DJ at her wedding to stop playing this song!
The video does the song a lot of help as well. A small-joint setting without the usual raft of half-clad women, Klint-D-Drunk’s cameo, as well as Orezi’s harassment of some aristo’s girl are either amusing or irritating (depending on who you are).
If you don’t mind your music silly but nice, then this track should be on repeat until, like me, you start singing it in your dreams. By that time, please lay off the Reggae Blues!
Enjoy #ReggaeBlues below by @iammrsongz :)
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