10 Of My Favourite Songs

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain" - Bob Marley.

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My highschool bestie Hoonski
There are two things that can really jog a memory, well, my memory anyway - smell and music.

I have perceived some smells randomly walking down the road that reminded me of something that happened when I was just a little child, or of someone I once cared about.

Music has the exact same effect on me. There is a reason why we hardly ever forget a song, once learnt. Music holds a special place in our brains, our minds, and our hearts.

I have lived in many countries and had many lives effectively, each drastically different from the other. It reflects strongly in my taste in music. Many people could probably list 10 of their favourite songs, and they would fall roughly within the same genre, or two to three genres at most. My taste is beyond eclectic and is a direct reflection of my life and how I grew up.

Here I share with you ten of my all time favourite songs, all of which remind me of a point of time in my life. Each song came into my world either via a loved one, a special place, a hobby or something I watched on TV. There are more songs that are not included here, but these 10 are a good sample.

Morning Has Broken - Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)

This was the very first song I ever learnt in the English language. It was taught to me by my mother’s sister who lived with us when I was a child. I was only 3 years old, but I clearly remember her teaching it to me from a Chrstian songbook. Every time I hear this song, I think of her❣️

By the rivers of Babylon - Boney M

When I was about 4 years old, my dad bought a Betamax - which is a Video Cassette Recorder. The first cassette he bought was a Boney M album. My sister and I would spend hours memorising all the songs when we were allowed to watch TV. When I hear this song, I think of my sister and our old Betamax.

This song was my favourite on the cassette by far. Imitating Bobby Farrell’s dance moves is how my love for dance all began - especially in the “Daddy Cool” video. Hey, I was only 4.

I eventually met one of the ladies in the group a decade ago in London. It so happened that a friend lived right next door to her. Imagine that!

I feel for you - Chaka Khan

Fast forward to my teenage years - I was 13 when I first heard this song. I think I accidentally let it be known that I had a crush on a girl in class - BIG MISTAKE! haha. All my friends, especially this one girl, made fun of me by singing this song when said crush was around. Terrible times. When I hear this song, I think of both of those girls and wonder what became of them.

Doxandem - Cheik Lo

One of the most impactful places I’ve lived in is the West African country of Senegal. It was a rather turbulent time for me as I was attending 3 schools simultaneously - one in normal day time, one in the evening and one virtually on weekends and my ‘free’ time. One was British, one American and the third French.

R.I.P Mr. Padget (Far Left)
[I only just learnt of his passing while typing this :( ]

I loved, loved the music of Senegal while I lived there. Of all the great songs I loved, this one was my favourite by far. It truly evokes deep emotions of nostalgia every time I hear it, no matter how frequently. When I hear it I think of the beautiful Senegalese people, food and weather. I think of playing basketball with the locals in the scorching African sun.

Lambada - Kaoma

This song also reminds me of Senegal, even though it’s a Brazilian song recorded and marketed in Europe. In fact, it’s a huge pop song - one of the hottest selling singles of all time reaching number 1 on multiple charts across the world.

Graduation dinner

I didn’t know any of that of course. In fact I just assumed it was a Senegalese song. It was used in a TV commercial by a fabrics company Sotiba Simpafric, and I was just mesmerised by it. Then one day I was invited to a school dance and show where I saw the Lambada dance performed to the song. I was like WOW. WOW!

When I hear this song, I think of colourful Senegalese fabrics and dancers twirling and turning all over the place.

Wild World - Maxi Priest

By the time I was at University, it was possible to own quite a bit of music. I had a CD player and one of the first CDs I purchased was an album by Maxi Priest. I still have that CD today. I love most of the songs on that CD to be honest, but the one that is most emotive for me is Wild World.

Back when I could fly
I understand that Maxi Priest only covered the song - the original was by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) who also wrote ‘Morning Has Broken’.

This song was a favourite in my student house. We all loved it. I lived with 5 other friends that were more like family to me. When I hear this song, I think of them and miss them.

Ahla Ma Feki - Hisham Abbas

Ahmed, my dear friend from Uni was one of my housemates mentioned above. In hindsight, he was a huge musical influence on me, as I was on him. He’s Egyptian, and for about a year or so, all I ever listened to was Egyptian music. I remember it got to a point that even my brother and mum were learning Arabic lyrics because I wouldn’t stop playing the songs at home during summer.

Giza, Egypt

I spent some time with Ahmed and other friends in Egypt those two summers. It was amongst the best times of my life I tell you. The people I met, the places we went and the experiences we had. Once in a lifetime stuff.

Alexandria, Egypt

I still know the words to this song and I occasionally astonish Arabic speaking (especially Egyptian) people with my knowledge of Egyptian songs.

All along the watchtower

I first heard this song at the end of a long binge of 4 seasons of Battlestar Galactica. The very last episode - the finale - finished with this song. I don’t know if it was because I’d just finished watching one of the most immersive and epic sci-fi dramas ever created, or that Jimmy Hendrix just totally killed it with this song.

I was so struck by the song and the robotic figures at the end of the show that I quickly ran to the Internet to fetch the song, and played it on loop for the rest of the evening.

It’s now one of my favourite songs of all time.

El Negro Lucumi - Fruko

I love, love Latin American music. If I were to list absolutely all the songs I love in each genre of music there is, “Latin” would have the most number of songs. This is probably because I spent a lot of my youth dancing Salsa and other Latin/Caribbean dances.

Latin American float, Notting Hill Carnival

Of all the Latin countries, Cuba is my favourite. I spent some time in Cuba when it wasn’t easy or cool to go there. Those days when you’d go in, and be radio silent. There was no checking email, neither did you have a mobile phone. It truly was like stepping back in time to the 1950’s.

There is nothing like the Cuban spirit. Despite all their problems, Cuba is the safest place I’ve ever been to date. They also have the best healthcare system (relatively speaking), Education system (relatively speaking), athletes, musicians and dancers I’ve ever encountered anywhere.

Fruko Y Su Tesos is actually a Colombian band, but the song “El Negro Lucumi” was a nod to Afro-Cuban music. “Lucumi” is a term used in Cuba to describe people of Yoruba descent. The Yoruba originate in West Africa in present day Nigeria and Benin.

The very first line of the song says “Es Yoruba el Negro Lucumi” - meaning “The Lucumi black man is a Yoruba”.

Old Havana, Cuba

The song weaves together many complex South American, Spanish and West African musical elements that could almost bring you to tears. There’s a bit at the end when it goes into an all African call and response including chants in ancient Yoruba language. Beautiful.

Mentirosa - Concha Buika

Concha Buika is one of my most recent discoveries this decade and I’m deeply in love with her music.

Buika was born to West African political refugees in Spain and grew up within the Flamenco culture. She’s actually a drummer, but could never get a job in Spain because nobody wanted a female drummer apparently - so she changed to singing. THANK GOD!

Her voice - you have to hear it to see what I mean. Her voice is haunting and powerful.

The Song Mentirosa I believe really showcases her other influences of American Jazz, West African Polyrhythms and Spanish Copla.

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Well there you go folks. I hope by reading this and listening to the soundtrack of my life, you get a better idea of me. Like I said before, I have more songs that mean a lot to me for different reasons, and I may consider writing a second essay with another 10 songs.

Let me know which of these songs you already knew, or which one you enjoyed the most. Also feel free to recommend me some new music. I’m always looking to expand my horizons . I have included a playlist both on Spotify and YouTube below.

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🎧 Spotify Playlist

📺 YouTube Playlist

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Peace and Love ✌🏿
Adé

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