Aborigines dance to "Zorba": What song from another culture gets you dancing?

Hi everybody,

We live in such a hybrid world, that cross-cultural influences in music seem banal.

But, does a relatively traditional song from another culture ever get you to dance?

Can one dance just for the joy of it, or are some dance attempts best kept private?
It all seems so politically incorrect.
Can one satirize another culture and respect it?

So, do you ever draw the curtains and flutter about to Amazonian pipes, or do you sometimes pour another beer and imagine yourself marching into the battle with Rommel?

I love world music, so please do share.
Also, what draws you to a song, if not your own culture?

Whatever the images and politics, this always gets me dancing (we learnt it here in school, but still don't know what they are singing):


Which also makes me think: did you have a cross-cultural song, but now you don't like it anymore, because your politics have changed?

I know a lot of Europeans look down on the Roma (even moderates), but put on gypsy music and many of them want to dance!

So maybe, music can humanize the "other"?

reply to post by halfoldman


halfoldman I'm a music fan too but not in a world music way. i like most forms of music sold in the USA, aside from teeny-bopper pop 'music' of course - but even then i still like the bubble gum pop of my own youth. music has a way of time-locking feelings, events and state of mind sometimes, making it all the more special to us. people like to remember the younger, more carefree days before life was all work & paying taxes.

two American ethnic forms of music i find painful are Cajun & Alaskan Native. i mean no disrepect to anyone, this is just a matter of personal taste. Cajun music i've heard always seem to make use of accordion or something with a similar shrill sound i don't enjoy.

The Lion Sleeps Tonite is a cultural song that has been covered many times in the States over the years, a few times with great commercial success. this song has great sung sound effects and a funky background chant that makes it much fun and a personal favorite.

reply to post by halfoldman


It maybe a little biased but being from down under like Australian Abo and Maori music.

Aboriginal music when played by large groups is rhythmic, loud and very entertaining. They sounds from the "didg" are odd and haunting but extremely hypnotic and interesting much in the same way the bagpipes are. The way they imitate animal noises is amazing. Combined with the rhythmic dancing and doing the moves of native animals it is extremely entertaining and educational. Educational in that you can learn from the thousands of years of observation they have made of the land and its native animals. A lot of fun in a bush party setting!

We live in such a hybrid world, that cross-cultural influences in music seem banal.

I don 't thinks so. I love the hybrid stuff. I love the Abo Rock & Roll band the Warrumpi's. They are extremely talented, fresh and Rock hard! There's Gonwondaland with Charlie McMahon and Yothu Yindi to name a few. All hybrids of Western and Aboriginal music but with a sweet sound!

Then there is Maori music. It's all about the vocals. Love the traditional stuff with the chanting, hand waves and girls with the poi's. But love the more modern Maori entertainment styles like Prince Tui Teka. Superb vocals with remarkable clarity. Funky songs like ehine hoki mai get the Maori & Anglo crowds up and dancing without fail. My mum always used to say most Maori's sing in English with better tonal qualities than people of Anglo/Celt decent!

reply to post by LargeFries

Excellent choice, although recently there was big court battle about who actually composed it and owned the rights.
Well, here the most famous version by The Tokens:

reply to post by phatpackage

If you appreciate the didgeridoo, you may like an older thread: www.abovetopsecret.com...

I've just heard some music from the aboriginal people of Taiwan (whose main extraction is Polynesian), and I wonder how it compares to modern Maori music?

Though I don't dance to it, many do...
Macarena by Los del Rio

www.youtube.com...

reply to post by halfoldman


I believe the court battle was over who should get the bulk of the royalties... an ongoing battle with many songs in which the artists claim the royalty (pay) structure is unfair. The writer of a song gets royalties forever - the artist only gets royalties when the song sells recordings. The Tokens, recording artists, claim this particular song, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, has done so well through the ages due to the performance of the song as opposed to only the song itself.

But, good choice for this thread, indeed.

reply to post by ChicagOpinion

Well, the song was already recorded in SA in 1939 as "Mbube" by Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds.
Linda was a cleaner at Gallo Records.
The debate only really started when Disney (who sues others for copyright infringements) incorporated the tune into its cartoon movies and stage productions.
en.wikipedia.org...

The result of the 2004 court-case was rather interesting:

In July 2004, as a result of the publicity generated by Malan's Rolling Stone article and the subsequent filmed documentary, the song became the subject of a lawsuit between Solomon Linda's estate and Disney. Brought by the firm of noted South African copyright lawyer Owen Dean, the suit asserted that under the terms of the Imperial Copyright Act, in force in Britain, South Africa, and the Commonwealth Countries during the life of Solomon Linda, ownership of "Mbube" reverted to Linda's heirs 25 years after his death, thereby revoking all existing deals and requiring anyone using Linda's music in Commonwealth territories to negotiate new agreements with his estate. Dean stated that Linda's heirs had received less than one percent of the royalties due him from Abilene Music Publishers (and before them TRO/Folkways) and that Disney owed $1.6 million in royalties for the use of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in the film and musical stage productions of The Lion King. [21] At the same time, The Richmond Organization began to pay $3,000 annually into Linda's estate. In February 2006, Linda's descendants reached a legal settlement with Abilene Music Publishers, who held the worldwide rights and had licensed the song to Disney, to place the earnings of the song in a trust.[22][23]

My musical tastes are unbounded and only matched by my thirst for knowledge from any source that I can get it from. Some of these songs make me want to dance slowly, some make me want to dance fast but make no mistake about it, I dance like a meteor is 5 minutes from impacting my roof.

I love drumming music, and on a long night it keeps me going, long after words fade.
I have a variety of Native American CDs, but my favorite on the web must be the Black Lodge Singers.

The sheer amount of fun and mirth, and ironic humor aimed at the establishment is amazing.
Here they sing: "Old McDonald had a farm" live:

As a child I loved the musical Ipi Tombi.
That didn't always get a good reception from adults.

But at least it taught me useful standard song for the future:


Old cast of Ipi Tombi in Israel.
"The Warrior" and "Bayete".

Perhaps, a lot of songs I like are religious songs.
However, I don't see myself really joining a religion.
But I do love this song, for example:

Brenda Fassie always gets me dancing - "We are going to see the King":

Strange, in the 1980's Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" seemed like patriotic American music.

The first time I heard that it was actually critical of right-wing America and Reagan-ism was in college.

So maybe even American music is another country.

Still gets me dancing though...

www.music-mosaic.com...
Might be a gold mine or just the Techno version...

Klaus und Klaus: German party song.
"Da sprach der alte Haueptling der Indianer" (then spoke the old chief of the Indians).
The chief wants to fight the railroads, but his wife hides his weapons.
He then gets a new job as a conductor on the train.
Silly lyrics, but an old song:

Australia: Waltzing Matilda!
I absolutely love it.

The oldest people and music on earth?
Bushmen's musical bow and guitar.

Anthropological music.

Trance dance of the San.