Two Stars, Two Songs — Two Triumphs.

Author: Crispin Oduobuk

Two Stars, Two Songs — Two Triumphs
By Crispin Oduobuk (@Cris_Odu)

Celebrating Prince Nico Mbarga's "Sweet Mother" and Oliver De Coque's "Identity" - old songs sure to outlive us.

Most days when your correspondent wakes up, he wakes with a song on his mind. On the way to work, he often turns up the music really loud since the car is one of the few places where he can be absolutely alone for a bit of time.

Of course, even if you’re a huge music fan like me, there are times you want dead space silence so you can hear clearly all the angels and demons warring in your head, in rapid turns speaking truth and lying to you that you’re a failure; hell no, you’re doing okay, you only need to keep striving harder, digging deeper, and keep pounding that keyboard since writing is the one thing you love unconditionally, regardless of how it all turns out.

And then there are those other times when you need the inspiring chords of anything from the melancholic classics of your childhood to the headache-inducing angst of a gangster rap hit or the ear-splitting sounds of a heavy metal rock band. Whatever genre of music you prefer, some of your favourite songs may speak to you on some deep spiritual and or philosophical level like “Sweet Mother” and “Identity” do to me.

“Sweet Mother” – Prince Nico Mbarga

Voted Africa’s favourite song by readers and listeners of the BBC in 2004, “Sweet Mother” opens with a probing guitar finger-picking reminiscent of the Congolese Soukous tradition. Those opening notes seem to ask the sort of “Are you ready?” question that performers everywhere have been asking for heaven knows how long. The only difference is that the introductory notes of “Sweet Mother” brims with melodic emphasis that sound to me like someone saying, “You don ready for wetin dey come? You don ready for wetin dey come?”

As a song I have known since childhood, perhaps my imagination has grown wild with assumed innuendo. Whatever the case, right after those probing opening notes, whether you’re ready or not, Prince Nico Mbarga and his band, Rocafil Jazz, unleash pure genius on you; “Sweet Mother”—a song you’ll never forget.

Although the original demo of “Sweet Mother” was recorded in 1974, the song wasn’t released until 1976. The stirring rhythm of “Sweet Mother” immortalises the inexplicable link between the ever-caring mother and the often uncomprehending child. In an upbeat tone that serves to accentuate the poignancy of his lyrics, Prince Nico Mbarga sings:

When I dey hungry, my mother go run up and down

She go find me something wey I go chop o

Now that the child is all grown up and hopefully well-fed, whether he or she is twanging a guitar or pounding a keyboard or just reading an article in a review, he or she is bound to be crooning:

Sweet mother
I no go forget you

For this suffer wey you suffer for me

In weaving such deceptively simple words into a song that millions of people will still be able to connect with for years to come, Prince Nico Mbarga, who passed away twenty years ago on the 24th of June 1997, created an everlasting ode to one of our most cherished symbols - the mother. It is not surprising that "Sweet Mother" - according to Wikipedia - has gone on to become "one of the most popular hits in Africa, selling over 13 million copies."

“Identity” – Oliver De Coque

It wasn't until I got to digging up material for this piece that Irealised just how poetic and deep Oliver De Coque's "Identity" runs. Take these two lines from the song: "Sometimes when I dress, I dress like Boy Yoyo/Sometimes when I dress, I dress like Chief Obi." Do not kid yourself that those lines are referring to sartorial matters alone. As whimsical as they may come across, that's a philosophy of life right there. One understanding that quickly comes to mind is, "I can hustle along with the hustlers, but I can also hold court with royalty."

Like "Sweet Mother" (a song which Oliver De Coque is reported to have played on during its recording), the lyrics of "Identity" can easily fool you into thinking nothing of significance is being said. And oh, you know how you're young and you like a song and you have no idea what the song is really singing, so you make up whatever sounds close and sing along? Aha! Your correspondent sang bunny bunny identity well into adulthood. Turns out Oliver De Coque was actually singing "Funny funny identity." I guess you can say at least your correspondent was close enough on that one. But as a young boy, he could do nothing but mouth sheer nonsense where Oliver De Coque sings:

Always cut my coat, according to my size
I no dey promise, anything wey my power no reach
My yes is my yes, my no is my no
I no dey make Iyanga, I'm a simple man by nature

Besides the similarities in lyrics that run deeper than what appears to be on the surface, "Identity" is marked by the same sort of guitar finger-picking that is present in "Sweet Mother". This is not surprising since Oliver De Coque and Prince Nico Mbarga were influenced by the Congolese Soukos and they recorded their different songs around the same era.

Released in 1980, the guitar work in “Identity” is a grand affair though. You hear this when the electric lead rises to execute a riff between the verses. The sound is lilting and thrilling, confidently reiterating the presence of a maestro. And Oliver De Coque’s craftsmanship is mesmerising when he kicks into the bridge just before the fourth minute of the song and takes it all the way to a little before the sixth minute (“Identity” is a little shy of ten minutes).

The notes are clean, intricate, and celebratory. The deft finger work evokes a sense of energetic lovemaking between man and guitar; and the charged melody of the lead electric guitar lingers even after the other accompanying guitarists from the maestro's Expo '76 Ogene Sound Super of Africa band rejoin the song. The ladies can wiggle their waists to this. The men can stump and kick their feet to this. This is the highlife music elevated to a celestial level. No wonder Oliver De Coque, whose earthly sojourn ended on 21st June 2008, sings: "When I wake up in the morning, I go pray to God/When I come back in the evening, I go pray to my God."

And if you still think it's all on the surface, ponder what Oliver De Coque means when he sings: "When coconut come from up, e no dey harm anybody/Coconut get water, nobody knows from where e enter," and then he quickly follows that up with: "If you do good to me, I go thank you for your favour/If you do bad to me, na you sabi-ooo/Funny funny identity."

Not too long ago, on the first day of June 2017 to be exact, your correspondent was on a writing assignment in the Northwest Nigerian city of Kafanchan when he stopped by a shop near the railway tracks. While looking through articles of clothing, hoping to find that one piece worthy of purchase as a reminder of the trip, "Identity began to play on the stereo. Shopping was immediately abandoned for dancing as a man now in his forties was happily taken back to younger years. Such is the power of Oliver De Coque's evergreen song. And whether bunny or funny, it is an identity it is sure to retain for a long time to come.