Written in 1984, Labi Siffre’s (Something Inside) So Strong occupies a unique place in musical history. Said to have been Nelson Mandela’s favourite song, it became synonymous with South Africa’s ani-apartheid movement and has served as a source of inspiration to millions during times of struggle.
Now, in a rare interview, Siffre has been discussing how the song came to be. Speaking to The Guardian, he says: “I had just seen this documentary of white soldiers [in South Africa] shooting at black people in the street indiscriminately. I knew I wanted to write a song about apartheid.
“One evening, late, I found myself in my studio sat down at the keyboard. I played a C chord, put my head back, and immediately, without thinking, I sang the first two lines of the song. It just came out. I had a tear in my eye and realised that I was writing about my life as a homosexual child, a homosexual youth, a homosexual man, and the battle that that entailed.”
(Something Inside) So Strong is back in the headlines because of its use by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who goes by the name of Tommy Robinson. Siffre has issued a cease-and-desist order to Robinson, and the 80-year-old singer-songwriter can't help bit note the irony of the situation.
“Anybody who knows me and knows my work since 1970 will know the joke of them using the work of a positive atheist, homosexual black artist as apparently representative of their movement,” says Siffre.
(Something Inside) So Strong might be Siffre’s most enduring hit, but you’ll almost certainly be familiar with some of his other work, even if you’re not aware of it. Eminem’s 1999 breakthrough hit, My Name Is, is built almost entirely around an interpolation of the lengthy coda to his 1975 song I Got The…, which featured none other than Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock - AKA Chas & Dave - on guitar and bass respectively.
In a 2012 interview, Siffre said that he refused to approve the use of his music in the song unless certain sexist and homophobic lyrics were removed. Eminem and producer Dr Dre agreed to his request and My Name Is went on to become a worldwide smash.
