Sweet Lullaby

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"Sweet Lullaby"
Song
B-side"Remix"

"Sweet Lullaby" is a world music/ethnic electronica song by Deep Forest which originally appeared on their eponymous album. The song gained popularity in 1992 and 1993 where it was released as a single, becoming a top 30 hit in many European and Oceanian countries. In 1994, it was re-released in remixed versions.

Song information

The song is based around a traditional Baegu lullaby from the Solomon Islands called "Rorogwela", and uses a vocal sample originally recorded by ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp in 1970 and later released by UNESCO as part of their Musical Sources collection.[1] The lyrics refer to a young orphan being comforted by his older brother despite the loss of their parents.[2]

The music video, directed by Tarsem Singh, was also nominated for several awards at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.[3] The video consists of a little girl riding a tricycle in front of iconic scenes from around the globe.

In 2005, the song gained renewed exposure when it was featured in Matt Harding's Where the Hell is Matt? viral video. The video featured the Nature's Dancing 7" Mix of the song.[4] In 2008, Harding traveled to the Solomons island of Malaita to try to find Afunakwa, the woman who is thought to be the performer of "Rorogwela" on Zemp's recording. According to Harding's follow-up video Where the Hell is Afunakwa?, Afunakwa had died in 1998.[5]

The song and music video were used at some point in the mid-1990s to advertise the world-conscious Australian television station SBS. The song inspired a short film depicting a little girl travelling around the world on her tricycle while the lullaby played in the background, eventually returning home to hear the lullaby while in her mother's arms. The short film was accompanied by the subtext "The world is an amazing place".

The song was sampled by Moby in his track Flying Foxes from Play: The B Sides.

The saxophonist Jan Garbarek recorded his own instrumental arrangement of the song on his album "Visible World" (1995), with the title "Pygmy Lullaby". In the CD cover it is erroneously stated that the melody is African.

Chart performances

The debut single for the group, "Sweet Lullaby" was a success for Deep Forest, reaching #3 in Norway,[6] #7 on the Australian ARIA Charts,[7] #10 on the British charts, #78 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100 and the Top 20 in France and Switzerland.

Track listings

CD single
  1. "Sweet Lullaby" (original mix)
  2. "Sweet Lullaby" (ambient mix)
CD maxi
  1. "Sweet Lullaby" (original mix) – 3:55
  2. "Sweet Lullaby" (remix) – 6:08
  3. "Sweet Lullaby" (nature's dancing mix) – 6:01
  4. "Sweet Lullaby" (natural trance mix) – 6:32
  5. "Sweet Lullaby" (ambient mix) – 3:47
12" maxi
  1. "Sweet Lullaby" (nature's dancing mix) – 5:58
  2. "Sweet Lullaby" (remix) – 6:10
  3. "Sweet Lullaby" (natural trance mix) – 6:32
  4. "Sweet Lullaby" (ambient mix) – 3:46
7" single
  1. "Sweet Lullaby" – 3:54
  2. "Forest Hymn" (edit) – 3:49
CD single - Promo
  1. "Sweet Lullaby" (first single original mix) – 3:55
  2. "Deep Forest" – 5:34
  3. "Desert Walk" – 5:15
12" maxi - Remixes
  1. "Sweet Lullaby" (round the world mix) – 6:58
  2. "Sweet Lullaby" (DJ EFX's tribal as a mofo mix) – 4:40
  3. "Sweet Lullaby" (the riot mix) – 6:51
  4. "Sweet Lullaby" (digit's wet dream mix) – 4:25
  5. "Sweet Lullaby" (Q-bass mix) – 5:57
  6. "Sweet Lullaby" (the downstream mix) – 5:57
  7. "Sweet Lullaby" (bonus a la EFX) – 3:08

Charts

References

  1. ^ A Sweet Lullaby for World Music
  2. ^ Deep Forest Lyrics and Meanings
  3. ^ 1994 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS
  4. ^ Where the Hell is Matt? FAQ
  5. ^ Where the Hell is Afunakwa?
  6. ^ norweigancharts.com
  7. ^ australian-charts.com
  8. ^ a b c d "Sweet Lullaby", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 14, 2009)
  9. ^ "Deep Forest singles, German Singles Chart" (in German). musicline. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  10. ^ a b c Billboard allmusic.com (Retrieved April 14, 2009)
  11. ^ a b "Single top 100 over 1994" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  12. ^ Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 14, 2009)
  13. ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 14, 2009)