"Zombie", a political crisis musical.

The song/instrumental that I chose to analyze is one that comes from the musician, Fela Kuti. The name of the song is called Zombie, which not only has lyrics from Fela Kuti, but also instruments that are put together by a band named Africa 70. As the song first comes on there is simply nothing but instruments being played with a funky/jazzy vibe that caught my ear. Before I go into the lyrics that Fela Kuti chose to put with the melody of the beat, i would like to focus on the title of the song for a better understanding. As I do this I plan to give an explanation of why "Zombie" is a word that can describe what is going on and maybe why it was chosen by Fela Kuti. The song may have a title that is deadly, but the instruments of Africa 70 along with the vocals of Fela Kuti are what brings the song to life for listeners.

Zombie is a word that is usually used pertaining to those who are dead, but have the ability to come back to life. A zombie is also seen as a mindless human being. For the time period in which this song was made and performed there was a political struggle with the military government. From information I looked up about the song it deeply explains the wrath of the government in which Fela Kuti was also subject to. Not only is Zombie a song from the great musician Fela Kuti, but it is also a full length album that focuses on issues dealing with the Nigerian military.

I would now like to focus on the lyrics chosen from Fela Kuti in order to put this track together. As Fela Kuti starts of with the word Zombie, there are also other phrases and statements he puts in his lyrics to give a better understanding of exactly what or who he is addressing. By stating the word zombie, following with something as "no go, unless you tell them to" or " no go stop, unless you tell them stop", he is showing how a specific authority has control over these "zombies", in this case the definition being a mindless human being. The authority being the military government that has these soldiers, but are metaphorically looked at as zombies. The last couple of words said towards the end of the lyrics of the song are those dealing with military commands. Fela Kuti vocally states; "about turn", "salute", "halt". This gives me more than enough reason for me and anyone else to understand that the Nigerian military are these mindless zombies that are targeted through the music of Fela. Fela Kuti is a very talented musician who seemed to express exactly what was going on through his eyes and was able to put it in his music to show the attacks which were made on Nigerian people by these political zombies.