“Weeping” The Song
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Picture this: the late 1980s, in a country entangled in the death throes of apartheid the military, comprised of young conscripted white men, is dispatched to the black townships under a “state of emergency” to enforce the apartheid regime’s control and “maintain order.” Amidst this turmoil, an anti-apartheid anthem airs on the radio, written by a young soldier who wrote the song whilst a conscript in said army, and performed by young white musicians. This song boldly opposes everything the apartheid regime represents and endeavours to achieve in the name of the white population.
That song was “Weeping” by the band Bright Blue.
While not the most well known anti-apartheid anthem, nor widely heard due to the cultural boycott of South Africa in the 1980s, “Weeping” the song deeply resonated with individuals like Levannah and myself, and others who recognized the systemic injustices of our society. You know that feeling when a piece of art, a song, or any creative work touches you so profoundly that you’re grateful it exists? Well, that’s precisely how Levannah and I feel about “Weeping” — grateful that it entered our lives.
Initially subtle, it took some time for authorities to grasp its true significance. Yet, its impact was substantial, helping to solidify the notion that not all white people supported apartheid and bolstering the resistance against its tyranny.
Written by Dan Heyman, “Weeping” was recorded and released by Bright Blue in 1987, swiftly becoming a favourite in South Africa’s underground and university rock scene. Bright Blue was part of a small yet vibrant anti-apartheid alternative music scene on university campuses in the ’80s and early ’90s. Should you be interested, you can read more about the genesis of “Weeping” here.
Also other notable bands and artists from this movement include eVoid, Via Afrika, the Gereformeerde Blues Band, Johannes Kerkorrel, James Phillips, Bernoldus Niemand, Andre Letoit, and Koos Kombuis. I frequented their concerts during my formative years. I also saw Bright Blue numerous times.
“Weeping” has been covered a few times, notably by Josh Groban. However, Qkumba Zoo was the first band to record and commercially release a cover of it. Here’s how it unfolded: David Gresham, our label head at the time, had a connection to Arista through Richard Sweret, an A&R manager known for his creative signings like Sarah McLachlan and Ace of Base. During the signing process with Arista in 1995, Richard flew to South Africa to meet us. Impressed by our recordings, he suggested we cover a South African song, recognizing our potential beyond being just a dance band with Euro-beat influences.
We immediately gravitated towards “Weeping” the song due to its profound resonance.
I took on the task of crafting a backing track that honoured the original while infusing it with our unique Qkumba Zoo style. It wasn’t easy. I composed “Wake Up & Dream” entirely on an Ensoniq ASR 10 keyboard/sampler, a challenging but ultimately rewarding endeavour. This instrument, though recognized as a classic of the ’90s, posed difficulties in sequencing ideas and songs due to its clunkiness and inefficiency. However, one of the main benefits of using the ASR 10 (which I only recognised later) was that I played all the elements that went into the music “by hand” on the keyboard, without programming in beats and melodies using a mouse in a computer. This led to more interesting results for me than working straight on a computer.
Anyway, I digress. So, I persevered and in the end we layered percussion loops, strings and keyboards from the ASR 10 to 24 track tape, to which we added acoustic guitar, backing vocals, and the vocal interplay between Levannah and Nana Coyote.
Brian O’shea and I meticulously recorded each track from the ASR 10, syncing the timing using SMPTE. But, again, the recording process we used on “Wake Up & Dream” is a story for another day.
We made slight modifications to the song. Levannah added a lyric in the transition section, and we did a key change into the final section of the song, lifting it by 5 keys. The lyric goes: “is there a light, can you see the light shine? I think I found a way through. I know that things have changed but the fear remained in me until I saw the light in you”. We felt that these changes added an important dimension as South Africa was recently post- apartheid and in the midst of discovering what the road ahead meant where previous enemies were now working together.
Notably, while Bright Blue integrated elements of the unofficial anti-apartheid anthem “Nkosi Sikilela iAfrika ” into their version. We opted not to, not out of any sense of objection but because the arrangement changes we did in our version (as noted above) made it impractical. If you want to hear “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika”, have a listen to Dumisana Ma-Afrika!’s great version here.
You can hear snippets of the melody in the Bright Blue version.
Numerous discussions unfolded within our production team, which included Alan Goldswain and Brian O’Shea, and at some juncture, someone (I can’t recall who precisely) proposed that we invite Vusi Mahlasela to lend his vocals to the track.
Levannah and I held great admiration for Vusi; I frequented many of his gigs as a young, inexperienced musician in the 80s. Vusi’s unique songwriting style, mastery of the acoustic guitar, and enchanting vocals had garnered him a diverse fan base. Consequently, we reached out to his record label (BMG Africa) to secure his participation, and upon receiving permission, he came into the studio and delivered an exceptional vocal session that left us exhilarated.
However, our enthusiasm was dampened when Keith Lister, the CEO of BMG Africa, visited the studio to review the final results and denied permission to use Vusi, citing BMG’s decision for Vusi to collaborate with the Soweto Swing Quartet on his own cover version of the song.
This news was disheartening, particularly considering the remarkable synergy between Levannah and Vusi. Nonetheless, the idea was strong, so Alan suggested inviting Nana Coyote to audition for a similar role.
Nana, known for his solo career and as the lead singer of the popular band Stimela, offered a distinct interpretation that, while different from Vusi’s, was equally impressive.
After an intricate recording process, “Weeping” was mixed in New York by Tony Maserati, at the time an up-and-coming mix engineer who later became a “super star” in the audio production world. He also mixed “The Child (Inside)”, “Cloud Eyes” and “Big”.
Thus “Weeping” the song became the final piece of our album “Wake Up & Dream.”
Firstly, when we put out “Wake Up & Dream” online in 2016, getting a publishing licence for a cover song was tricky for independent artists. So, I held off, but a Patreon member’s question last year spurred me into action. With our distributor’s help, we got the paperwork sorted.
Secondly, the timing feels right. In today’s world, with fear, brutality, and autocrats on the rise, “Weeping” serves as a reminder that there’s another way. Paired with “Strike Out Against the Tide,” it’s a call to embrace change and find the light in each other.
That, my friends, is the condensed tale of “Weeping” the song. I hope you enjoyed learning a bit of history about the band and how we came to record our first cover song. May you find a little more light in your day when you listen to it!
Do you have some more facts about the song, artists, time period or other aspects mentioned on this page?
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