Picture: gillstrawberry.co.za
I'm Dan Heymann, and I wrote the words and music of "Weeping" during the mid-1980's
when I was an unwilling soldier, drafted into the army of South Africa's white-supremacist regime.
I now live in New York City. To contact me via e-mail, please click
The first recording of "Weeping" to be played on the radio
Today that tune (Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika) is South Africa's National Anthem,
In the event, the radio DJ's had a field-day with "Weeping", and it spent two weeks at Number One.
To read the lyrics of "Weeping", please click here
Over the years, the following artists have released recordings of "Weeping":
Weeping
, written by
Dan Heymann
(sometimes mis-spelled as
Dan Heyman
), is a
famous protest song
that emerged from the
South African anti Apartheid movement
during the mid-1980's, and this
song of freedom
has been recorded by many artists, including noted South African band
Bright Blue
and, more recently,
Josh Groban
, in a collaboration with
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
and
Vusi Mahlasela
, who has previously released a solo recording of this
song of protest
. The
anti Apartheid
lyrics Weeping
contains are among the most-recorded
freedom song lyrics
of any
protest song
to have come out of South Africa.
The Weeping song
(rights to which are partially controlled by
Muffled Music
) led to a February, 2006, encounter between singer Josh
Groban
and songwriter Dan
Heymann
(occasionally mis-spelled as
Heyman
) at New York City's Sony Studios, a legendary institution which has given many a
song freedom
to soar. It was a thrill for Dan to hear his anti
Apartheid song
being recorded by such a high-caliber team. Having been a musician in contact with various
anti-Apartheid movements
during the Freedom-Struggle in South Africa, when examining the
Weeping lyrics
, Dan was thrilled to feel the connection of his
lyric to protest song
tradition. When the time came to add backing vocals, nobody needed to teach
Vusi Mahlasela lyrics
to the
Weeping song
, having already performed it live so many times, and this new rendition of Dan's familiar rhyming-
lyric protest song
should give
the song freedom
to reach many new listeners. Many
protest songs
were inspired by the
anti Apartheid movement
and Dan is proud that his
freedom song
has been so well-received, particularly when there are already so many wonderful
anti-Apartheid
protest song lyrics
in existence.
To see Josh Groban's 2008 performance of "Weeping" on CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman", click here
To see the original video of "Weeping" (recorded by Bright Blue, video directed by Nic Hofmeyr, and that's me on keyboards!), click here
Click here to view the lyrics of "Weeping"
Click here to read about the development of "Weeping"
Click here to see the story of Bright Blue
Click here to view some details about Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Click here to read something about Josh Groban's career through 2006
Click here to read a little about Vusi Mahlasela's story through 2006
Click here to view a very compressed history of the anti Apartheid movement in South Africa
Click here for Muffled Music
Click here to read my story through 2006
Click here to see the Sitemap
______________________________
(the 1987 version by South African band Bright Blue)
included a refrain from the anthem of the African National Congress.
but at the time, it was under a "ban" by the Apartheid government.
______________________________
1987: Bright Blue (on the flip-side of our "forty-five" Yesterday Night)
1993: Various personnel (recorded for Ipi Tombi movie soundtrack)
1996: Qkumba Zoo (on their CD Wake Up & Dream)
1996: Soweto String Quartet, with guest vocalist Vusi Mahlasela (on their CD Renaissance)
Around 1997: Coenie de Villiers (with lyrics in Afrikaans, on his CD Solo)
2000: Kearsney College Choir (on their CD Road to the Olympics)
Around 2002: James Stewart (on his CD Eklektik)
2004: Jinny Sagorin (on her CD It's For You)
2004: Soweto Gospel Choir (on their CD Blessed)
2006: Josh Groban (on his CD Awake)
2008: Josh Groban, a second time (on his DVD-CD package Awake Live)
2009: Josh Groban, a third time (on his DVD An Evening in New York City)
2009: Louise Carver (on her CD 'The Home Tour' Live)
2010: St Alban's College (on their CD Chapel Choir)