# Songs about Apartheid **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363 "2011-06-22T00:54:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/1 "2011-06-22T00:54:07Z")
I just noticed a reference to Apartheid in an '80s calypso tunes by an artist called Becket. It got me thinking about songs about Apartheid. Here’s the ones I can think of, off the top of my head: Christy Moore - [Biko Drum](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI0c3c_epCU) Peter Gabriel - [Biko](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLg-8Jxi5aE) The Special AKA - [Free Nelson Mandela](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgcTvoWjZJU) Artists United Against Apartheid - [Sun City](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjWENNe29qc) Labi Siffre - [(Something Inside) So Strong](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otuwNwsqHmQ) Sweet Honey In The Rock - Chile (Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto) Can ye think of any more? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/2 "2011-06-22T01:08:30Z")
[“Johannesburg,”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SPj8PRf9Zw) by the late [Gil Scott-Heron.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Scott-Heron) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/3 "2011-06-22T04:11:06Z")
[Gimme Hope Jo’anna](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNNfAuMq-M0) by the incomparable and unfairly one-hit wonderized Eddy Grant. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/4 "2011-06-22T13:08:24Z")
There’s also a Housemartins song called “Johannesburg.” The YouTube video is not available in my country, but might be in yours. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/5 "2011-06-22T13:27:38Z")
Randy Newman, “Christmas in Capetown:” [Christmas in Capetown - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqsFfILSLgA) ---
**Author:** ![thebenn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@thebenn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thebenn)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/6 "2011-06-22T13:58:51Z")
U2 _Silver & Gold_ Not a well-known song (it was a B-side to _Where the Streets Have No Name_, but they played it fairly often in concert. It was a highlight of the concert film _Rattle and Hum_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/7 "2011-06-22T14:04:13Z")
Tom Paxton [The Death of Stephen Bilko](http://new.music.yahoo.com/tom-paxton/tracks/death-of-steve-bilko--205373644) ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/8 "2011-06-22T14:26:40Z")
Peter Hammill - A Motorbike in Afrika Labi Siffre - [Something Inside So Strong](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otuwNwsqHmQ) ---
**Author:** ![Galwegian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galwegian/32/3426_2.png) [@Galwegian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galwegian)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/9 "2011-06-22T15:28:35Z")
Dolores Keane - [Lion In A Cage](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkXxi5OgNzo) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/10 "2011-06-22T16:01:12Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Tom Paxton [The Death of Stephen Bilko](http://new.music.yahoo.com/tom-paxton/tracks/death-of-steve-bilko--205373644) Was that the Sergeant’s brother? Should be “Biko,” and there are quite a few songs about him, I see: [Steve Biko - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Biko#Music) ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/11 "2011-06-22T16:18:02Z")
If you’re interested, I recommend looking up Johnny Clegg (with or without Savuka). The main song I know is _One (Hu)man, One Vote_, but almost everything he did in the 80’s & 90’s was related to Apartheid. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/12 "2011-06-22T16:29:46Z")
“Apartheid” Peter Tosh ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/13 "2011-06-22T16:50:48Z")
[It’s Wrong (Apartheid)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqVGyLtqQCk) by Stevie Wonder. (Guess what position the song takes. ;)) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/14 "2011-06-22T17:07:13Z")
> [@thebenn](#): > > U2 _Silver & Gold_ > > Not a well-known song (it was a B-side to _Where the Streets Have No Name_, but they played it fairly often in concert. > > It was a highlight of the concert film _Rattle and Hum_. FYI there’s a great demo of this on the Sun City album (not the single) with Bono doing the vocals and Keith Richards and Ron Wood playing guitar. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/15 "2011-06-22T17:07:27Z")
Sun City (I…ain’t gonna play Sun City)… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/16 "2011-06-22T17:14:45Z")
Trying to find out why two songs on your list included the word Biko, I eventually made it to Steve Biko’s Wiki page which includes a [list of songs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Biko#Music) that mention or are about him. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/17 "2011-06-22T17:35:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Trying to find out why two songs on your list included the word Biko, I eventually made it to Steve Biko’s Wiki page which includes a [list of songs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Biko#Music) that mention or are about him. See post #10. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/18 "2011-06-22T18:25:54Z")
Does this count? > **[I've Never Met a Nice South African](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I've_Never_Met_a_Nice_South_African)** > > "I've Never Met a Nice South African" is a satirical song originating in a sketch on the British television series Spitting Image (series 2, episode 5). It was written by John Lloyd and Peter Brewis and was sung by Andy Roberts. In 1986 it was commercially released as the B-side of the chart-topping "The Chicken Song". When the song was recorded, South Africa was still under the apartheid regime and widely considered to be a pariah state as a result. > The song is narrated in the music video by a ... ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/19 "2011-06-22T19:46:36Z")
Bob Marley & The Wailers’ [_War_](http://lyrics.wikia.com/Bob_Marley_%26_The_Wailers:War) [could](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_%28Bob_Marley_song%29) fit the bill too. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363/20 "2011-06-22T19:51:02Z")
[“Bring Him Back Home,”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9JTuaC-x2Q) Hugh Masekela [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-apartheid/586363.md?page=2)