Melody Unchained

This was one of the songs from my earlier days (I was probably ten or so) that changed my perception of music forever. It made me aware that you don’t have to understand the language a song is written in to enjoy and appreciate it (it’s in Yoruba which I don’t speak a word of).  It was released in the early 1990s and prior to this I didn’t know of any other African musicians besides the local ones. Most of what I listened to were songs that were adjudged ‘safe’ for children by my parents and consisted of music from some local and western artistes (I don’t know how Madonna managed to escape this ban but I will forever be thankful).  Commercially it was a huge success and got Angelique Kidjo her first Grammy Award nomination.

See original video here