Song of the Day
Sunshowers- The M.I.A. version vs. The Savannah Band version
Sunshowers- MIA/Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band- Today's song of the day is
Sunshowers which was recently popularized by British hip-hop phenom M.I.A. (real name Maya Arulpragasam). Many of her younger fans don't know that M.I.A. is sampling the drum and bass and chorus to a 1976 song by Dr. Buzzard's Orginal Savannah Band called
Sunshowers which was the B side to their smash hit
Cherchez la Femme.
I think it's interesting how M.I.A. takes what originally was a sunny optimistic song and subverts into a vehicle for one of her political broadsides in support of the Tamil separtist rebellion in Sri Lanka. M.I.A. and her entire family are political exiles of Sri Lanka and they currently live in London. The charismatic M.I.A. is very good at playing to the camera. On this video, the camera can hardly contain the sheer force of her magnetism. Speaking from a literary perspective, M.I.A. is the real authentic thing. Her ability to turn a phrase and express herself is above and beyond the limited poetic talents of every contemporary American rapper I've heard.
Sunshowers
Lyrics by M.I.A.
Music by August Darnell & Stony Browder
I bongo with My Lingo
Beat it like a wing yo
From Congo to Columbo
Can't sterotype my thing yo
I salt and pepper my Mango
Shoot Spit Out the window
Bingo I got him in the thing yo
Quit bending all my Fingo
Quit beating me like you're a ringo
You wanna go?
You wanna win a war?
Like p.L.O I don't surrendo
Sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, My baby
And Some Showers I'll be aiming at you
Cause I'm watching you, My baby
I bongo with My Lingo
Beat it like a wing yo
From Congo to Columbo
Can't sterotype my thing yo
I checked that mouth on him
F*cking Checked that gas on him
I had him, Cornered him
****ing Shut that gate on him
Why would you listen to him?
He had his way I'm bored of him
I'm tired of him
I don't wanna be as bad as him
It's a bomb yo
So run yo
Put away your stupid gun yo
Cause see through like a protocol call
Which is why we blow it up 'for we go
Sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, My baby
And Some Showers I'll be aiming at you
Cause I'm watching you, My baby [x2]
Semi-9 and snipered him
On that wall they posted him
They cornered him
And then just murdered him
He Told them he didn't know them
He wasn't there, they didn't know him
They showed him a picture then ;
"Ain't that you with the Muslims?"
He got Colgate on his teeth
And Reebok classics on his feet
At a factory he does Nike
And then he helps the family
Beat heart Beat
He's made it to the Newsweek
Sweetheart Seen it
He's doing it for the Peeps... Peace
Sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, My baby
And Some Showers I'll be aiming at you
Cause I'm watching you, My baby [x3]
The second verion (embedded below) is the original version of
Sunshowers as recorded in the 1976 by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. The Savannah Band was a New York City based band who did a very original form of retro-funk the gave a nod to the big band sounds of Cab Calloway. The band had three R&B superstars, Stony Browder, August Darnell and Cory Day. Browder and Darnell were half brothers and both were multi-insturmental musical prodigies. Cory Day was one of the leading female R&B song stylists of the 70's. All three were involved a second band Kid Creole and the Coconuts in the 80s a musical ensemble which expanded the vision of the Savannah Band to include more exotic music from around the globe. I saw Kid Creole in Boston in the mid 80's and thought they were every bit as good as the JBs, James Brown's legendary ensemble that set the standard for larger size R&B bands.