‘You always think that you’ll make a difference’
Simon Lawton is an Accountant.
Without knowing anything:
This reminds me so much of the music that I listened to whilst I was growing up. I was a hippie, as was everyone in England during the 1970’s, and these repetitive beats with simple but political lyrics appealed to us. I don’t think it’s a particularly good song, no, but it does appeal to the youth in me who was rebellious and wanted to change the world. I think the writer of this song thought the exact same thing, because you always do. You always think that you can change the world, be it through art or music or poetry or film, you always think that you’ll make a difference. And in Africa (I know it’s very generic), I’m sure this man thought he could make a change. It’s always been unstable so no matter when this song was made, it will always be relevant, which is really sad. I don’t think it would be popular in England now like it would have been in the 1970s, it has too much weight, too much meaning behind it which we just don’t care about.
After being informed:
William Onyeabor is a name I know incredibly well I just didn’t realise this song was his, you must have chosen an obscure one. He was incredibly popular with… Me, at least during the 1970s and 80s. All of his music has a political undertone or overtone, but that combined with the really chilled beat is the reason that I liked it so much. I’m not shocked that it wasn’t popular in Nigeria, it was really dangerous to enjoy this kind of music at that time… Any music that called into question the government’s morals was bound to cause a problem. In fact, I’m shocked that this isn’t more well recognised in England, it certainly was in the 1970’s when I was around. The way he addresses everyone is all encompassing I think, which was perhaps for his own safety, but it’s really effective in involving all listeners. It makes me sad to think that he died without having ever explained why he made the songs that he did and what his political beliefs really were.