1001 South African Songs You Must Hear Before You Go Deaf

Just another music list

16 Jan 2026

Distant Lover – Louis Mhlanga

Shamwari - Louis Mhlanga

Shamwari – Louis Mhlanga

After making a name for himself in Zimbabwe (where he was born), Mhlanga decided to head South to pursue other musical opportunities. There he would establish himself as one of Southern Africa’s leading guitarists, working with the likes of Ray Phiri, Sipho Mabuse and Busi Mhlongo as well as collaborating with Hugh Masakela and Miriam Makeba.

‘Distant Lover’ comes from his 2001 album, ‘Shamwari’ and is a laid back, African Jazz tinged guitar workout. There is a gentle rhythm to the piece which is introduced by a few bars of bass and drum led music before Mhlanga kind of strolls into the track with his guitar. And the track builds with other guitars (all played by Mhlanga) joining in, each seeming to do their own thing, but it all gels together into a coherent track.

The song was never going to set the world alight, but then I don’t believe that it was Mhalnga’s intention. The song is there to be enjoyed. It is as smooth as an evening whisky on the rocks while watching the sun set on a warm and sunny South African day. It is an ‘ease you into the night’ track that is evocative, designed to make one reminisce. Your reminiscences may be about a distant lover, a long lost lover or even how well the Bokke did in their last game.

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09 Jan 2026

St Aidan’s – Age Of Innocence

Nowhere Land - Age Of Innocence

Nowhere Land – Age Of Innocence

On the album ‘Nowhere Land’, from whence this week’s song, ‘St Aidans’, comes, the track is split into 2 parts. The first is a short instrumental piece which leads into the main song. Age of Innocence was a band consisting of Off The Edge’s Peter Hamner and Sherry Lee Jones. Off the Edge first surfaced in 1993 with an eponymously entitled album, but then went quiet until 1999 when they released ‘On The Run’ and the following year released ‘Just Another Band’.

Age Of Innocence was a side project for Hamner as just after releasing their only album in 2001, he was back with Off The Age for 2002’s ‘Unfinished Business’ (although that was largely re-worked versions of previously released tracks). The interlude with Age Of Innocence produced just the one album which drew on Hamner’s guitar mastery and Jones’ beautiful voice and this is particularly so on ‘St Aidan’s’

St Aidan was an Irish monk who, it is claimed, was responsible for converting Britain to Christianity. And there is a kind of mystical Celtic feel to the track which comes through both in the guitar riff and in Jones’ vocals which have been compared to those of Maggie Reilly who sang on Mike Oldfield’s hit ‘Moonlight Shadow’.

The song is a big one with its dramatic piano-driven opening accompanied by angelic guitar playing which leads into the sweet purity of the vocals. There is a spiritual feel to this ballad which fills your speakers with heavenly sounds.

Buy here:

https://ageofinnocence1.bandcamp.com/track/st-aidens-parts-1-and-2
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02 Jan 2026

Sweet Stellenganga – Akkedis

Voortvlugtend - Akkedis

Voortvlugtend – Akkedis

We have seen a few versions of ‘Mbube’/’The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ on this list so far, but this one is different. Why? Well for a start the lyrics of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ are translated to Afrikaans (‘in die oerwould die mooerse oerwoud slap die leeu vanaad’). And then there is a mash up of this with lyrics from ‘Sweet Stellenganga’, a slightly obscure Valiant Swart track.

So, perhaps the starting point is the Valiant Swart track which appeared on his early album, ‘Dorpstraat Revisited’. As the album title suggests (being a take on Bob Dylan’s ‘Highway 61 Revisited’), Swart’s version is Dylan-esque being a stripped down folk version with guitar, harmonica and Valiant’s vocals telling the story of finding some ‘sweet stellenganga’ (dagga) in Stellenbosch. There is a hint of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ in Valiant’s version with a few falsetto ‘ooh-ooh-ooh’s and the syncopation of the track has a ‘Lion Sleeps Tonight’ feel to it. But the similarity is less obvious. It was no wonder then that Akkedis grabbed the track by the scruff of its neck and transformed it into a bouncing African Jazz-ish joyfest, complete with a playful sax dancing around the rock sensibilities of the vocals and guitars.

Full marks to the Dennis Brothers (the driving force behind Akkedis) in seeing the potential of Valiant Swart’s little ditty and turning it (with a tongue firmly in a cheek) into a slice of happiness. Yes, the upbeat sound of the track is at odds with the stoner lyrics, but that is partly what makes the track as there is much humour in the words and this is augmented by the juxtaposition of the music with the subject matter.

None of this means one should discard Valiant Swart’s version. It is a little gem in itself and would probably have made this list had there not been so much else from Valiant to choose from. There is a line in the song that goes ‘en as die goetes goed is/is die dorp my oester’ (if the goods are good then the town is my oyster). And these goetes are goed, so make the town your oyster and listen to both versions. I’m now sitting back and waiting for someone to do a real stoner version of the song.

Akkedis Video:

Valiant Swart video:

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26 Dec 2025

I’d Like – Freshlyground

I’d Like – Freshlyground

I’d Like – Freshlyground

‘I’d Like’ came off Freshlygound’s difficult second album. In 2003 they released ‘Jika Jika’ to much (and well deserved) critical acclaim. The album featured the hit ‘Castles’. And then they needed to follow up their strong start and they did that with ‘Nomvula’, their second offering. About halfway through the album one comes to the track ‘I’d Like’ (and no it’s not a cover of the 1982 ‘I Like’ by John Ireland).

The track is a haunting one from the opening piano notes. It builds slowly with strings coming in to accompany the piano. Then Zolani’s beautiful vocals come in, asking the question ‘What would you do if I kissed you’. The piano continues most of the way throughout the track, keeping the song in a melancholic frame of mind as the lyrics roll out a tale of love in an almost lazy but yet intense way. There is a slow build to a soaring chorus of ‘whoa-whoo-ao’ where Zolani takes the song to a new height and the strings are rushing along to accompany her as she stretches the music, almost wrapping it around her as she ascends     to the intensity of her feelings.

The song is an emotion packed track that is perfectly executed. It is a journey through a heartache and one feels a little voyeuristic as a passenger on the trip. The naked emotion and intimate lyrics make it that way. Some songs speak of the joy of being in love and all the happy, candyfloss things that go with it, while others get to the gut wrench that love can be and ‘I’d Like’ certainly falls into the latter category. It crams all the emotions that make people say ‘it hurts to be in love’ into six and a half and a half minutes of pure, delicious emotional torment. It leaves you drained yet somehow feeling that your life has been reaffirmed.

Video:

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19 Dec 2025

Samurai – Dr Jive & The Bluenotes

Samurai – Dr Jive & The Bluenotes

Samurai – Dr Jive & The Bluenotes

Dr Jive & The Bluenotes was made up of brothers Tony, Greg and Clive Ridgway. They were not very prolific as ‘Samurai’ is their only release listed on Discogs.com although those awesome guys at the Southern African Music Archive have also put a song called ‘Blues Suite In A Minor’ onto Youtube.

‘Samurai’ was released in 1984 and starts off with an Oriental keyboard which pops up every now and then throughout the track, but other than this and the lyrics, the song does not have much of an Eastern feel to it. In fact it is more a kind of dark indie rock sound that pervades the song. I want to use the word ‘trudge’ to describe the beat, but that has kind of negative connotations about defeat and tiredness, but I’m afraid I can’t think of a better word. It is more about the pace of the rhythm rather than the feeling, so if you can imagine a trudge pace without the weight of defeat, you may get the idea.

There is a strong vocal which has a slight echo to give it an esoteric edge while the lyrics tell the story of a Geisha girl who falls for a Samurai (‘a man whose only friend is the sun’). There is a dense feel to the track as the lyrics are somewhat claustrophobic and the music closes in around you in an almost menacing way. You are absorbed into the track and the fate of the Geisha and the Samurai.

There was a bit of a fascination with the orient in South African rock circles in the late 70’s early 80s with McCully Workshop releasing ‘Chinese Junkman’ in 1977, Steve Linnegar’ ‘Classic Epics’ and various other albums throughout the first half of the 80s and to add to that list is Dr Jive & The Bluenotes’ ‘Samurai’. These were probably influenced first by Bruce Lee’s ‘Enter The Dragon’ (1973) and then the TV show ‘Shogun’ which starred Richard Chamberlain and was aired around 1980.

It is worth checking out the band’s other single mentioned above. It is even more brooding than ‘Samurai’ but, in my opinion, not as fascinating as ‘Samurai’. Clive and Tony Ridgway would go on to form the Country-Rock band Rocking Horse which had a very different sound to Dr Jive & The Blue Notes.

Video:

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12 Dec 2025
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Rain Rain Rain – Gentle People

Gentle People - Gentle People

Gentle People – Gentle People

The Gentle People took their name from Scott McKenzie’s song ‘San Francisco (Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)’, in particular the line ‘….you’ll meet some gentle people there’. And with the song ‘Rain Rain Rain’, they live up to their name as the track is a gentle one. They also live up to the hippy values of Scott McKenzie’s song as there is a kind of ‘flowers in the hair’ hippy lilt to the track.

But the intro to the song may make one disagree with what I have just said as you are welcomed into the track by a hard-edged guitar and some tribal-esque drums. However, this only lasts a few seconds before the bright and breezy tune comes in with a gentle beat and kind-on-the-ears vocals. Everything about the track is pleasant. It is not a thunderstorm of rain, but the kind that comes as a blessing after a period of drought, the kind that soaks into the earth and nourishes the soil. Likewise the song soaks into your mind and nourishes the soul with its good natured feel.

The song would be the 1st of 2 hits that the Gentle People would manage on the Springbok Top 20. It would peak at number 3 in the August of 1971 and spend a total of 12 weeks on the charts. Their second hit, ‘In The Summertime’ was not quite so successful, spending just 1 week at 20, but that is also worth checking out. In fact, their whole eponymously entitled album (and from what I can tell, their only album) is also worth a listen (it’s available on Youtube and Spotify), but ‘Rain Rain Rain’ is probably the stand out track.

Video:

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05 Dec 2025

Walk Right Through Me – Dolly Rockers

The Dolly Rockers - The Dolly Rockers

The Dolly Rockers – The Dolly Rockers

‘Walk Right Through Me’ was the closing track on The Dolly Rockers’ eponymously entitled debut album from 1995 (they did release a live cassette called ‘Live At The Playground’ prior to this and an EP). The band formed around Greg Donnelly who had been in the band Penguins in Bondage who had been heard on the excellent 1988 alternative compilation album ‘The Flying Circus’. After the Penguins boke up, Donnelly spent some time in the UK where he was particularly influenced by The Jesus And Mary Chain.

And that influence shows through clearly on ‘Walk Right Through Me’. Perhaps not the influence from some of The Jesus And Mary Chain’s more ‘industrial noise’ earlier works, but it certainly takes something from their more tuneful numbers like ‘Some Candy Talking’ and ‘April Skies’. The Dolly Rockers take on that sound with ‘Walk Right Through Me’ is a superb effort, bringing in all the elements of a great JAMC track. There is the driving guitar that sets the pace, there is a tune that twists itself around your brain, there is a noisy instrumental break with the serrated edged guitars to the fore and there is the plaintive singing delivering the slightly obscure, slightly dark but no less endearing love lyrics.

The song would have not been out of place on the UK indie charts of the late 80’s, rubbing shoulders with the likes of The Jesus & Mary Chain, Balaam & The Angel and Gene Loves Jezebel. Yes, one may argue that they came almost a decade late with this, and yes, one can argue that they were just trying to sound like the UK bands, but one cannot argue that they produce an extremely polished song with ‘Walk Right Through Me’ It was one that should have been a massive indie hit, not just in South Africa, but in the rest of the world as it has held its own against the ravages of time and still sound as exciting and listenable to all these years later.

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28 Nov 2025

Paralyser – Ghettomuffin

Paralyser – Ghettomuffin

Paralyser – Ghettomuffin

Ever wondered what would happen if Kwaito clashed with dub and trance. Or what Massive Attack would have sounded like had they been from a South African township instead of Bristol. Well wonder no more and head over to your CD collection or Spotify or Youtube, or wherever you source your music from these days (you may even own the 12” vinyl release) and put on Ghettomuffin’s ‘Paralyser’.

There is not much information about Ghettomuffin out there. The Bandcamp page (https://ghettomuffin.bandcamp.com/album/paralyzer) for what appears to be their only album notes that they hail from Cape Town and that the words and vocals were by Mziyanda Mbutuma (Suga) & Vumile Sitokisi (Ginga). It also notes that the music was by the Kalahari Surfers. So if you can imagine the Surfers in dub mode being fronted by a couple of gruff voiced Kwaito rappers, you begin to get the picture. The song is dub heavy, sounding like a Rocksteady reggae 45 played at 33 in an echo chamber and wrapped in an ethereal vibe. It’s stoned funk at its best.

The song first came to my attention on the excellent ‘African Dope Vol.1’ compilation which was the introduction for many to other awesome acts such Moodphase5ive and Felix Laband. However, while those 2 acts went on to get greater recognition, Ghettomuffin seemed to have faded into obscurity (or the Kalahari Surfers just went on to concentrate on their own stuff) leaving us with this gem.

Their only album (of which ‘Paralyser’ was the title track) has a few other dub track, but also some more Kwaito and rap tracks. ‘Paralyser’ is the standout track on the album as it reverberates around the brain, hypnotising you into a state of paralysis.

Video:

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21 Nov 2025

Backstreet – The Outlet

Backstreet – The Outlet

Backstreet – The Outlet

The Outlet saw their popularity peak towards the end of 1969 and at the beginning of 1970 when they saw first ‘Backstreet’ and then ‘Working On A Good Thing’ make the Springbok Top 20. The former spent 6 weeks on the charts and the latter 14 weeks and peaked at 2, denied the top spot by Christie’s ‘Yellow River’. And it’s not too difficult to see why they were popular as the band members have become recognisable names on the local music scene. Peter Vee would see success as a solo artist as well as with his band Buffalo, Neil Herbert would top the Springbok Charts in 1974 with ‘She’s A Woman’ and Clive Calder and Robert Schroder would become successful producers.

‘Backstreet’ is a happy party song and that’s clear right from the start with a ‘Laaaa-la-la-la-la-la’ chant sung over the sounds of a party going on in the studio with whoops, whistles and hand claps. There is also some warm and breezy brass that compliments the reggae lilt of the beat. At some point a marimba joins in with a kind of steel drum sound almost placing the song on a Caribbean beach with the sun shining brightly, the golden sand gleaming, the palm trees blowing in the breeze and a turquoise sea inviting you in.

The song is bursting with a feel good groove. At times it feels almost chaotic with the party going on in the background, but it never crosses the line to become a kind of drunken irritation. This is local 60’s/70’s pop at its best. It’s catchy, infectious and just a huge amount of fun. So join the party and ‘Laaa-la-la-la-la-la’ along with The Outlet.

Video:

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14 Nov 2025

Third World Child – Johnny Clegg

Third World Child – Johnny Clegg

Third World Child – Johnny Clegg

I must admit that when I first heard ‘Third World Child’ I was a bit disappointed. Back then it seemed to me to be too simple a song for Johnny Clegg to be singing. But this was the title track to his first solo album after his Juluka partner, Sipho Mchunu, had left. He had not yet added Savuka to the name on his albums. But I was deceived by the simplicity of the track but this one grows on you.

It first appeared as the title track of Clegg’s 1985 album and then again in 1987 on the international album, also called ‘Third World Child’ which only had the title track and a song called ‘Don’t Walk Away’ in common. The version on the international release (which is credited to Johnny Clegg & Savuka) is the same as on the earlier release. It starts off quietly with a kalimba sound (which I think is generated by a synthesizer) accompanied by an atmospheric beat. Johnny’s breathy vocals then seem to blow into the song like mist creeping into an African valley.

Johnny’s words tell the story of a European’s encounter with a local African (the picture of an elderly African man sitting by the roadside comes into my mind) and hearing his story of how the whites tried to influence his way of life, telling him to ‘learn to walk in the dreams of a foreigner’. The song is rich in the words. The man’s story does not take on an accusatory one, but rather one of puzzlement, as if to say, ‘why are you trying to make me like you, I am content with my life the way it is’.

The early part of the song has less of the Zulu sound of Clegg’s work with Juluka and maybe that was why I was first a little disappointed, but then as the cultures in the words of the song grapple with their differences, the music brings in the Zulu influences, saying that the two cultures can live side by side. It is almost as if the first 2 minutes of this 4 minute song are the western person being puzzled by the local man’s culture, then there is about a minute when the local man puts forward his side of the story before the last minute when the song fairly explodes with joy as the drums suddenly thunder and the local man shouts out to the hills that he is a third world child, ‘he is the seed, he has survived’.

This is Johnny at his lyrical best. Although born in England, he became a ‘third world child’ and learned to embrace it to an extent that most westerners who came to the continent were completely incapable of doing.

Video:

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