MUSIC IS MIRROR: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DAVIDO’S EKURO AND PSQUARE’S ONYINYE
(Who sabi do love pass: an Igbo man or a Yoruba man?)


After carefully listening to Davido’s Ekuro and Psquare’s Onyinye, I decided to do a comparative analysis of the two love songs. To be sincere, I really had a nice time playing these beautiful songs…I tell you, I can always play them forever in my memory. Besides, I have even copied a lot of lines that I could use to woo any Nigerian lady that comes my way anytime from now. So, ladies, BEWARE!

Indeed, I have learnt a lot from these two Nigerian super star artistes. I have learnt that music could be used to reflect people’s character, interest, culture, values and perception of life in general.

My analysis in this write-up however seeks to explore the perception of the Yorubas and the Igbos (two out of the three major tribes in Nigeria) towards expressing their love for a beautiful lady. I hope you will find this analysis insightful and entertaining.

You may want to sip a coffee as you listen to these songs before I continue my analysis?

Ekuro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxgYPz-sTc4

Onyinye: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY2H2ZP56K4


Song Title: Ekuro (the radicle of a bean seed)



Ekuro

My analysis of this song starts from the title. For a start, one could be tempted to conclude that the title of the song is absurd and irrelevant to the theme of love expressed by the singer. I suggest that a closer look at the meaning of the Yoruba word Ekuro in relation to the theme of love should help here. As stated above, Ekuro is the essential part of a bean seed that sticks with the seed from its germination till harvest. Even when we cook and eat a bean seed, the ekuro (radicle) is eaten with the seed. When the seed germinates, the cotyledons become two embryonic leaves, the radicle grows into the embryonic root and the plumule develops into the shoot. I know I am already taking you deep into some boring stuffs. Never mind, the beauty of the title of this song can be seen from the everlasting union and bond between a bean seed and its radicle.

The Intro
Mr Cheeto on the beat e
Davido

This is very typical of many Yoruba artistes. They believe in name calling, not for fun but for some kind of respect or media recognition. This is clearly reflected in the lyrics of most Yoruba Fuji musicians. They are fond of repeating their names and mentioning the names of their producers, promoters, marketers, record label, makeup artistes, landlords, in-laws, family members, girlfriends, etc (please, permit my laughter)

The Chorus
Ekuro la labaku ewa (a bean seed and its radicle arinseparable)
Bojo ro (in rain)
Bo orun ran (in sunshine) 4x

I’m sure that the chorus needs no more explanation. You may scroll up if you think you need more explanation on this.

The First Verse
When I look into your eyes
You’re a blessing in disguise
Eh, you make me wanna do the ring-around the roses


Hey! Come-on! That is too sharp for a lady. No introduction, no greetings, not even a ‘hi5’. Haba! This shows the unusual confidence that some Yoruba guys could put up when wooing a lady. Some of them are too raw (lacking courtesy) while some could be very smart with it that most ladies won’t notice. One funny thing about this song is that the singer makes us to know the man on the beat at the beginning of the song but fails to say anything about the lady he loves. I mean the lady that is meant to be the subject of the whole song. Who knows, trust a Yoruba man, it may be intentional; it may be the fear of insecurity he thinks he would get from the world of babes curling around him. A correct Yoruba man always enjoys having them around as long as the money is there. What else do you even expect from the Omo Baba Olowo (The son a wealthy Yoruba man)?


And I love the way you smile
While I give it to you nice

Trust Yoruba babes, they don’t carry last. They can fake smile…but I keep wondering what the guy could have given her to make her smile. Do you want to guess?

I hold your hands
And everybody wants to hold you

How come? I am very sure it couldn’t have been just a hand shake. Trust Yoruba guys na, he must have squeezed some money into her hand, such that would make her friends plead for a share.

When I am with you
You give me these sorts of feeling in my heart

What feeling please? Yoruba guys! They can lie en! Feelings to have sex or what? Say the truth and let the coward be ashamed. This reminds me of the saying that whenever a Yoruba guy is alone in the room with a beautiful lady, there is always a devil in their midst…


When I see you
You give me these thoughts of tingle in my heart

Tingle what?

When I am with you
You give me these sorts of single in my heart
When I see you
You give me these thoughts of tingle in my soul

Did I hear you say single or tingle? What the heck! Yoruba men can say anything to win a lady’s heart; not minding the meaning, all they want to achieve could just be some crazy rhyme.

The Second Verse

When I need to love
It’s you that I am loving
When I need a hug
It’s you that I am hugging
When I need a kiss
It’s your lips that I am kissing
When I need to breathe
It’s your air that I am breathing

[b]Hmmm! Here is where the beauty of the song lies. The closeness, the togetherness, the perpetual commitment of love is clearly expressed here. No sane woman would hear this from a guy and still resist his proposal. I trust some Yoruba women; many of them are very emotional. They are easily carried away with words. Just tell them that ‘I swear by my mother’s grave that I will not leave you’ or you may be creative enough to say ‘I swear by Davido’s song Ekuro, that I will never forsake you’…that is all you need to strip them off. It is just as simple as that, nothing more. Some genuine Yoruba ladies would not even want your money so long you are ready to be close to them always. They are always fond of these ‘me and my husband’ syndrome. They want you to be around when they need to be pampered, loved and appreciated. Like the radicle of a bean seed, it is amazing how some genuine Yoruba ladies could still choose to start a life with a guy from zero and expect to end their life with them, irrespective of all odds.[/b]

In fact, I suggest that this song should be on the playlist of every wedding ceremony and in every home where love song is expected to be the only matrimonial anthem.


Ekuro la labaku ewa (a bean seed and its radicle are inseparable)
Bojo ro (in rain)
Bo orun ran (in sunshine) 2x
Iwo sa ni te mi o (you are always mine)
Esu oni le ya wa (devil can’t separate us) 5x

When two lovers genuinely decide to be one and one forever, who can put asunder? Not even the DEVIL!


Song Title: Onyinye (gift)

ONYINYE

Unlike the previous song Ekuro, Onyinye (gift) as a title is self explanatory. It is simply the name of the lady that is being addressed by the singer. From a literary perspective, we could attempt to dig deep by showing the relationship between the meaning of the name Onyinye and the theme of love as expressed in the song. In contrary to what many Igbo men may believe, love can never be bought with money. True love is expected to be a free gift from God. You need to give love before you can earn it from God. Let’s see if the idea of love as a free gift from God is reflected in this song and also in the mindset of a typical Igbo man. By their fruits you shall know them, I am sure that this lyrics will help us to understand the Igbo men and women better than we may think. Kindly read on…

The Intro

e yeh e yeh e yeh eh
e yeh e eeeyeh
Onyinye eh ye eh
Mama eh , eh eh eh eh
Nne meh , eh eh eh eh
All the beautiful onyinye e eh eh eh eh
e ye eh

[b]What a hell is this!!! (Permit my punctuation blunder). This is real, if you don’t believe me, go to the East, you will see plenty Igbo guys who can do anything to attract a lady’s attention. Some of them could go as low as crying, shedding hot tears. What a shame! An Igbo man does not care about whoever does the beat or whoever sings the song…all he wants to do is to attract your attention. When it comes to love matters, most Igbo men find it very difficult to different their wife from their mother.

I won’t blame them, what becomes of a man when he spends all his entire life savings in paying the bride price of a lady? Why won’t he cry when such moment approaches? I mean the moment when he will tell a woman (for the very first time in his life) that I am ready to freeze my account all for your sake. If you see any Igbo man who womanizes, he is not a true son of the soil. Possibly, his mother is a foreigner. There is no crown without a cross; no glory, no pain; no omelets without breaking eggs…you can’t approach an Igbo lady without… (you can fill in the blank space and send me a copy).
[/b]


WATCH OUT FOR THE PART 2 OF THIS ARTICLE!

(I promise it will be out soon)



Follow @playmyjamz on twitter for an update on other articles by the author or follow him directly @kurlarday



info@playmyjamz.com

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You must be outta ur senses for even trying to compare davido to PSquare,who da heck is that davido?, if u call that noise he makes as song then u really need to have ur ears checked.

tolu001: You must be outta ur senses for even trying to compare davido to PSquare,who da heck is that davido?, if u call that noise he makes as song then u really need to have ur ears checked.

+1.

The problem with many folks nowadays is that they don't read. Davido and Psquare are regarded as Nigerian musicians-not minding the age or number of fans. If you are a fan of Psquare, that doen't mean Davido does not exist. Read and read smartly before you post any comments next time pls.

[quote author=s.depanace]MUSIC IS MIRROR: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DAVIDO’S EKURO AND PSQUARE’S ONYINYE
(Who sabi do love pass: an Igbo man or a Yoruba man?)


After carefully listening to Davido’s Ekuro and Psquare’s Onyinye, I decided to do a comparative analysis of the two love songs. To be sincere, I really had a nice time playing these beautiful songs…I tell you, I can always play them forever in my memory. Besides, I have even copied a lot of lines that I could use to woo any Nigerian lady that comes my way anytime from now. So, ladies, BEWARE!

Indeed, I have learnt a lot from these two Nigerian super star artistes. I have learnt that music could be used to reflect people’s character, interest, culture, values and perception of life in general.

My analysis in this write-up however seeks to explore the perception of the Yorubas and the Igbos (two out of the three major tribes in Nigeria) towards expressing their love for a beautiful lady. I hope you will find this analysis insightful and entertaining.

You may want to sip a coffee as you listen to these songs before I continue my analysis?

Ekuro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxgYPz-sTc4

Onyinye: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY2H2ZP56K4


Song Title: Ekuro (the radicle of a bean seed)



Ekuro

My analysis of this song starts from the title. For a start, one could be tempted to conclude that the title of the song is absurd and irrelevant to the theme of love expressed by the singer. I suggest that a closer look at the meaning of the Yoruba word Ekuro in relation to the theme of love should help here. As stated above, Ekuro is the essential part of a bean seed that sticks with the seed from its germination till harvest. Even when we cook and eat a bean seed, the ekuro (radicle) is eaten with the seed. When the seed germinates, the cotyledons become two embryonic leaves, the radicle grows into the embryonic root and the plumule develops into the shoot. I know I am already taking you deep into some boring stuffs. Never mind, the beauty of the title of this song can be seen from the everlasting union and bond between a bean seed and its radicle.

The Intro
Mr Cheeto on the beat e
Davido

This is very typical of many Yoruba artistes. They believe in name calling, not for fun but for some kind of respect or media recognition. This is clearly reflected in the lyrics of most Yoruba Fuji musicians. They are fond of repeating their names and mentioning the names of their producers, promoters, marketers, record label, makeup artistes, landlords, in-laws, family members, girlfriends, etc (please, permit my laughter)

The Chorus
Ekuro la labaku ewa (a bean seed and its radicle arinseparable)
Bojo ro (in rain)
Bo orun ran (in sunshine) 4x

I’m sure that the chorus needs no more explanation. You may scroll up if you think you need more explanation on this.

The First Verse
When I look into your eyes
You’re a blessing in disguise
Eh, you make me wanna do the ring-around the roses


my guy, i knw dia is lack of employment in our country, buh dis tin u re doin is not worth ur tym na, luk 4 a better tin 2 do ok? Nd stp doin dis 2 ur sef u hear? All dsam i tink u re a gud writer

s.depanace:
The problem with many folks nowadays is that they don't read. Davido and Psquare are regarded as Nigerian musicians-not minding the age or number of fans. If you are a fan of Psquare, that doen't mean Davido does not exist. Read and read smartly before you post any comments next time pls.

Who's going by age number or number of fans? The fact remains that Davido and P-Square are not in the same league and won't be for a long time. Why compare established veterans to a tata? You might as well compare Celine Dion and Selena Gomez. They're both musicians after all.

@ Poster dont mind or beta still ignore nairalanders comments,dey can criticize any and everything.if u dont know nairaland,peoples comment will put u off.domt b discouraged,i really enjoyed ur write up seriously,u made me understand some yoruba songs for endearment.i love both artist,dey are good in their own ways.nairalanders are excellent @ criticizing but when it comes to bringin out ur own,lets c if ure beta dan d person ure criticizing,they will resort to pointing out grammatical errors n insults,many critics are mediocres.anyway i read every bit of ur analogy and its superb :*

One of those dull threads. Just like comparing a Rick Ross with T Rock ....not in the same league. Only link is that they both sing...nobody who knows what hez doing will compare them. You compare things in the same league dear. Only shows you're a die hard Davido fan(which is okay) but not an objective one(which is not okay)
Your thread can not attract any reasonable comment. #dull#

infolekan: One of those dull threads. Just like comparing a Rick Ross with T Rock ....not in the same league. Only link is that they both sing...nobody who knows what hez doing will compare them. You compare things in the same league dear. Only shows you're a die hard Davido fan(which is okay) but not an objective one(which is not okay)
Your thread can not attract any reasonable comment. #dull#

guy take it easy na, dnt u see wot d last prsn(kulyie) b4 u wrote? I read it n i tuk correction nvr 2 criticsize any post again, 2 be sincere d op is a vry gud writer kip it up dude @op

kulyie: @ Poster dont mind or beta still ignore nairalanders comments,dey can criticize any and everything.if u dont know nairaland,peoples comment will put u off.domt b discouraged,i really enjoyed ur write up seriously,u made me understand some yoruba songs for endearment.i love both artist,dey are good in their own ways.nairalanders are excellent @ criticizing but when it comes to bringin out ur own,lets c if ure beta dan d person ure criticizing,they will resort to pointing out grammatical errors n insults,many critics are mediocres.anyway i read every bit of ur analogy and its superb :*

if you see chaps who started listening to music yesterday you'll know

In most cases, too much experience hinders creativity. It inspires complexity in nonentity. Those who truly think outside of the box are people with ordinary mind, with little or no experience and are ready to approach anything with simplicity. What if you never knew anybody like Davido or Psquare and you are meant to talk about music in terms of its genre or lyrics. Forget about personality or relationship with any of these artistes, until then you will not enjoy music at all. Music as they say is a universal language; it is no man's property. Even the profs of music can't claim they know everything about it. I have never met any of those artistes before and do not prefer one to the other. I love music. @kulyi @
Odizzy thanks for your understanding. Life will be better if we start living it with clear mind.

mikuz: if you see chaps who started listening to music yest erday y ;Dou'll know

I guess you are a prof of musik...it shows in your wealth of experience.

Some people on this nairaland forum are fools, tell me what is wrong in this guy comparing P Square and Davido is just a comparative analysis, in comparative analysis you can compare two or more variables whether they are equal in status or not, dependent or interdependent. The researcher (Analyst) only interested in evaluating the similarities and dissimilarities of the latter variables (P Square and Davido).

@s.depanace, abeg carry on with your analysis joor, do not mind those fools.

wilfred84: Some people on this nairaland forum are fools, tell me what is wrong in this guy comparing P Square and Davido is just a comparative analysis, in comparative analysis you can compare two or more variables whether they are equal in status or not, dependent or interdependent. The researcher (Analyst) only interested in evaluating the similarities and dissimilarities of the latter variables (P Square and Davido).

@s.depanace, abeg carry on with your analysis joor, do not mind those fools.

Nice one bro! Glad to know that some good thinking nairalanders still exist.