Enjoy Yourself
Two bands, worlds apart, released songs titled, “Enjoy Yourself” in 1976. One was the Jackson Five, the other was The Sahara All Stars of Jos. The similarity between the two ends with the name, and while most would likely recognize the prior of the two, the latter (as you might guess) went almost entirely unnoticed outside of West Africa.
The Sahara All Stars started as a Highlife band in the plateau city of Jos, but heavily influenced by the sound of Fela and Lagos which infused their music with heavy doses of Afrobeat, Funk and Jazz, transforming their sound into the unique Afrobeat/Soul Jazz sound they’re known for today.
Their song Enjoy Yourself, calls on the audience to live for today, for the future is unknown:
Jump, if you get bele to put am
Drink, if you get bele to take am
Enjoy yourself as you think say you sabi
Nobody knows, the day him go die
You die, somebody go do your work
You die, somebody go sit for your chair
You die, somebody go chop your money
You die, somebody go marry your wife
So…
Enjoy yourself as you think you sabi
Enjoy yourself, make you forget say you go die
…
The people wey live yesterday wey no enjoy
They don quench
sombody dey chop their money for dem now
You get money, you no enjoy
na you sabi…
I no get money for bank
My bele na my bank
I hide money for bank
My bele na my bank
I dey chop, I dey drink
I dey henjoy myself
While I won’t forward this advice as words to live by, it does come in handy when you want to let loose, kick back and enjoy.
This songs effortlessly combines the playful syncopation of the drum set, with the tight rhythm section and syncopated guitar skanks, layered with bellowing horns, strong vocals/lyrics & even the rhodes piano. Excellent work from the band that put Jos on the Afrobeat map - The Sahara All Stars.
