About "Biko"
"Biko" is an anti-apartheid protest song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released by Charisma Records as a single from Gabriel's eponymous third album in 1980.
The song is a musical eulogy, inspired by the death of the black South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in police custody on 12 September 1977. Gabriel wrote the song after hearing of Biko's death on the news. Influenced by Gabriel's growing interest in African musical styles, the song carried a sparse two-tone beat played on Brazilian drum and vocal percussion, in addition to a distorted guitar, and a synthesised bagpipe sound. The lyrics, which included phrases in Xhosa, describe Biko's death and the violence under the apartheid government. The song is book-ended with recordings of songs sung at Biko's funeral: the album version begins with "Ngomhla sibuyayo" and ends with "Senzeni Na?", while the single versions end with "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika".
"Biko" reached No. 38 on the British charts, and was positively received, with critics praising the instrumentation, the lyrics, and Gabriel's vocals. A 2013 commentary called it a "hauntingly powerful" song, while review website AllMusic described it as a "stunning achievement for its time". It was banned in South Africa, where the government saw it as a threat to security. "Biko" was a personal landmark for Gabriel, becoming one of his most popular songs and sparking his involvement in human rights activism. It also had a huge political impact, and along with other contemporary music critical of apartheid, is credited with making resistance to apartheid part of western popular culture. It inspired musical projects such as Sun City, and has been called "arguably the most significant non-South African anti-apartheid protest song".
Top songs by Peter Gabriel
- Solsbury Hill
- Don't Give Up
- Sledgehammer
- Biko
- Blood Of Eden
- Across The River
- Lay Your Hands On Me
- I Have The Touch
- Big Time
- Steam
- Intruder
- In Your Eyes
- Family Snapshot
- Mercy Street
- My Head Sounds Like That
- Modern Love
- Red Rain
- On The Air
- Come Talk To Me
- Here Comes The Flood
- Love To Be Loved
- Humdrum
- A Wonderful Day In A One—way World
- Games Without Frontiers
- Home Sweet Home
- Growing Up
- No Self Control
- I Don't Remember
- Washing Of The Water
- Down The Dolce Vita
- The Rhythm Of The Heat
- The Drop
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