My only previously published comment on Seyi Shay's uplifting song, Jangilova, is a tweet I published in 2015. Here it is:
Seyi Shay - Jangilova [Official Video] https://youtu.be/KMEDt9VqXJ4 via @YouTube [Super talented #SeyiShay strutting her luvli stuff]
Click here to watch the video clip of Jangilova
I've been meaning to say more than that twitter 'sketch' about this charmingly sung play/story since then, but something has always gotten in the way -- including her more recent blast of a thing: Your Matter. Maybe I should say that I hadn't mustered the tools and understandings equal to the particular task of decoding Jangilova. Perhaps I have them now; perhaps not yet, even now.
While I 'procrastinated', though, I was intrigued (a fact which only prolonged the delay) by the meaning of the song's title: Jangilova. My pet supposition all along was that it stood for Junglelover; or Jungle Lover, if you like; but I wasn't ever sure, and yet did feel the need to be and to have the requisite words -- time allowing.
It turns out now that the word, which has duly vexed, comes out of a nursery rhyme quite familiar to, I suppose, millions upon millions of Nigerians -- those of a certain age and scattered all across that large country. The general public perception seems to be that it morphed from that nursery rhyme -- "Jingle over like a motor" -- to "Jangulova epo motor" and on to what it is now in Seyi Shay's pick from the extant mini-spectrum of spellings.
So Jangilova should mean a playground see-saw or swing. But Oshosanya Michael (2017) rejects this in a convoluted argument, even though he concurs that Jangilova "is usually used to refer to merry-go-round and other forms of playground equipments (sic) including the swing and roller coaster." He adds, without retreat: "So we sing it with happiness when playing with those stuffs (sic), we didn't care to know what it meant, we were nothing but kids". His objections stand on shaky grounds.
Let's reiterate, then, that Jangilova, the word, alludes to a playground see-saw or swing of sorts. In the play/song, it is a metaphor for a "swinging" existential or emotional state. The staged performance tells the story of the character that Seyi Shay plays. It is about her being swayed this way and that, in her heart and mind, between two men. One of them she's fond of with a breathless and gasping fondness, but he -- he remains for the 'longest time' both distant and near. Another, visibly smitten, hovers all around her and stresses her (and the Other) and remains undeterred, even as she keeps her distance by all means possible. Jangilova must then be the man, the nonchalant man, she's smitten by. And yet, in this tricky weave of emotions, patiently witnessed by that UNILAG Creative Arts crowd, she too embodies Jangilova. So does the situation that everyone finds everyone in! And so, there you are, jungle love (tropical-forest love) of sorts!
Seyi Shay stands out nowadays as a most talented Nigerian songstress. She has indeed become an African Queen. Jangilova, it turns out, was a relatively early hint to lovers of AfroPop that we had in her the promise of a great musical future. Her talent has only grown and asserted itself since.
About Jangilova, the song, then: We are treated to a doubly fine piece of music, whose appeal should last and last. From the very beginning, it stands out for the masterful melody that reaches our ears; and that's crafted by an accomplished and clearly self-assured band which deserves our cheer. It plays, it goes about its role, in perfect harmony with Seyi's singing. And she sings with great passion and a presence befitting the character whom she personifies (and becomes one with) on that stage that's suddenly her entire 'neck of the woods', if not the world as she wants it to be.
She sings, and acts, with the passion that raging love engenders and emboldens. But, for that very same reason, she pitches her voice just a little high. Luckily, the mellow sounds from the ensemble of players tempers it as finely as can be -- in the overall blend and waft of sounds. So does the chorus from her supporting cast of singers -- with its wonderfully delivered, single-word hook: "Jaangiloovaaaa". The sum effect is a thing of beauty. You've got to read the lyrics yourself, though, for the magical effect that you're entitled to -- when all is said and done -- and that awaits you there. The experiencing of Jangilova plainly isn't complete without them.
Click here, if you haven't done so yet, to watch the Jangilova clip
To read the Jangilova lyrics, click here
READ: Kehinde Ajose (2015) "Seyi Shay drops Jangilova to ease pains of xenophobia"
Click here to watch the video clip of Jangilova
I've been meaning to say more than that twitter 'sketch' about this charmingly sung play/story since then, but something has always gotten in the way -- including her more recent blast of a thing: Your Matter. Maybe I should say that I hadn't mustered the tools and understandings equal to the particular task of decoding Jangilova. Perhaps I have them now; perhaps not yet, even now.
While I 'procrastinated', though, I was intrigued (a fact which only prolonged the delay) by the meaning of the song's title: Jangilova. My pet supposition all along was that it stood for Junglelover; or Jungle Lover, if you like; but I wasn't ever sure, and yet did feel the need to be and to have the requisite words -- time allowing.
It turns out now that the word, which has duly vexed, comes out of a nursery rhyme quite familiar to, I suppose, millions upon millions of Nigerians -- those of a certain age and scattered all across that large country. The general public perception seems to be that it morphed from that nursery rhyme -- "Jingle over like a motor" -- to "Jangulova epo motor" and on to what it is now in Seyi Shay's pick from the extant mini-spectrum of spellings.
So Jangilova should mean a playground see-saw or swing. But Oshosanya Michael (2017) rejects this in a convoluted argument, even though he concurs that Jangilova "is usually used to refer to merry-go-round and other forms of playground equipments (sic) including the swing and roller coaster." He adds, without retreat: "So we sing it with happiness when playing with those stuffs (sic), we didn't care to know what it meant, we were nothing but kids". His objections stand on shaky grounds.
Let's reiterate, then, that Jangilova, the word, alludes to a playground see-saw or swing of sorts. In the play/song, it is a metaphor for a "swinging" existential or emotional state. The staged performance tells the story of the character that Seyi Shay plays. It is about her being swayed this way and that, in her heart and mind, between two men. One of them she's fond of with a breathless and gasping fondness, but he -- he remains for the 'longest time' both distant and near. Another, visibly smitten, hovers all around her and stresses her (and the Other) and remains undeterred, even as she keeps her distance by all means possible. Jangilova must then be the man, the nonchalant man, she's smitten by. And yet, in this tricky weave of emotions, patiently witnessed by that UNILAG Creative Arts crowd, she too embodies Jangilova. So does the situation that everyone finds everyone in! And so, there you are, jungle love (tropical-forest love) of sorts!
Seyi Shay stands out nowadays as a most talented Nigerian songstress. She has indeed become an African Queen. Jangilova, it turns out, was a relatively early hint to lovers of AfroPop that we had in her the promise of a great musical future. Her talent has only grown and asserted itself since.
About Jangilova, the song, then: We are treated to a doubly fine piece of music, whose appeal should last and last. From the very beginning, it stands out for the masterful melody that reaches our ears; and that's crafted by an accomplished and clearly self-assured band which deserves our cheer. It plays, it goes about its role, in perfect harmony with Seyi's singing. And she sings with great passion and a presence befitting the character whom she personifies (and becomes one with) on that stage that's suddenly her entire 'neck of the woods', if not the world as she wants it to be.
She sings, and acts, with the passion that raging love engenders and emboldens. But, for that very same reason, she pitches her voice just a little high. Luckily, the mellow sounds from the ensemble of players tempers it as finely as can be -- in the overall blend and waft of sounds. So does the chorus from her supporting cast of singers -- with its wonderfully delivered, single-word hook: "Jaangiloovaaaa". The sum effect is a thing of beauty. You've got to read the lyrics yourself, though, for the magical effect that you're entitled to -- when all is said and done -- and that awaits you there. The experiencing of Jangilova plainly isn't complete without them.
Click here, if you haven't done so yet, to watch the Jangilova clip
To read the Jangilova lyrics, click here
READ: Kehinde Ajose (2015) "Seyi Shay drops Jangilova to ease pains of xenophobia"
