music language & appreciation || 'Sorrow, Tears and Blood' - FELA Kuti

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Sorrow, Tears and Blood: Their Regular Trademark

            Fela Anikulapo Kuti was a Nigeirian musician, and is the grandfather of Afrobeat music: a fusion of funk, jazz and West African Highlife.  A rich engagement of instruments, polyrhythmic sounds, and a great deal of syncopation, characterize the Afrobeat music. Following the richness and unpredictability of sound, Fela Kuti’s lyrics are mostly controversial, precisely reflecting the true situation in the Nigerian government, and with the Nigerian people. Fela was a Human Rights Activist and a Political Maverick and so, free-thinking naturally served as the theme of his music and his life. It comes as no surprise that Fela is still heavily identified with around the world, as a force of action, giving his unique sound and potent lyrics. Across Nigeria, and some parts of the world, his music, even without the lyrics stir up memories of a certain era, just as if it were an image or a piece of literature. 
             Indeed, Fela Kuti’s music has been pervading the global music scene very quickly in recent times, and in spite of the language barrier, people of different descents find his music to be quite magnetic.  He is ranked in the HMV Magazine, as No. 46— six places below Michael Jackson—on the list of 100 most influential musicians of the 20^th century.  The song, ‘Sorrow, Tears and Blood’ by Fela Kuti was released in 1977, following a violent experience with the Nigerian military and government, and the 1976 Soweto uprising in South Africa in which students rioted. This Fela song is one unlike majority of his discography, which are usually very metaphorical and emotive. Fela employs direct language in this song, succinctly drawing the listener into the situation at the scene of the events, and straight to the heart of the message, as though it were a real time event, preceding a conversation with him, Fela.  With such direct language, he paints a real time, vivid picture of violent acts of authority, in almost a way that, however oppressive these actions, the listener is left thinking of authority in light of cowardice.

            Fela breaks into the second verse, with a seemingly evolved agenda. He uses extreme depictions of fear that seem unreal at first, but unhurriedly awaken a subliminal truth within us, of the expression of these extreme fears in our everyday lives. Still, using the plainest words. Fela Kuti employs minimal metaphors in this work, but uses cliché’s, not forcefully delivered, and neither disguised, but directly tendered with a clear intention to our everyday state of mind; as if to say “you have been caught”. 

            The opening instrumentation almost communicates the genesis of a play. Fela also, occasionally, mimics the sound of a police troop on their motorcycles.  In my opinion, these are all language, and serve as part of the reason why I have never experienced a song the way I experience this one. ‘Sorrow, Tears and Blood’ plays on the understated illusion of liberty and control often adopted by a people, when they are most evidently under oppression. Fela Kuti uses this song to tear this veil of illusion by hitting us with language, so untarnished and unshakeable, that it might as well serve as a rock to a veil. When I listen to the song, I ponder about how thin a line exists between ‘power’ and ‘cowardice’, and the use, misuse and disuse of power.