Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Song of the Day: 'Aie a Mwana' by Bananarama

 

Anyone interested enough to read this is probably already a member of the Bananarama Facebook group from which I stole these photos. But it was nice to (finally) learn who recorded the original version of "Aie a Mwana," the quirky song the gals decided to cover as their first single. 
[The song] was first recorded in 1971 under the title "Aieaoa" by the Yamasuki Singers on the album "Le Monde fabuleux des Yamasuki." In 1975, a version with predominantly Swahili lyrics by Black Blood, an African group recording in Belgium, was released as "A.I.E. (A Mwana)". (The Swahili version also appeared in a football video game, "Pro Evolution Soccer 2011.)" In 1981, "Aie a Mwana" became the first single released by English girl group Bananarama. In 2010, with an identical melody but new lyrics and released as "Helele," it became an official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in a version by Velile and Safri Duo.
Have a listen to the other versions, below. But first check out this adorable Zoom interview on the Australian "60 Minutes," where Sara and Keren discuss their 40 years in music -- "including stints as a trio"(!) -- and their new memoir, "Really Saying Something." 





Listening options HERE.




2 comments:

tmpr said...

Great post. The Bananarama version is in the top two with Black Blood. Thanks! Your music posts are always worth a listen. Have you done Blancmange yet?

Stephen said...

Love the Bananarama interview.