"Helule Helule"
Cover of the single released in Germany
Single by the Tremeloes
B-side"Girl from Nowhere"
Released3 May 1968 (1968-05-03)
GenrePop
Length2:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mike Smith
The Tremeloes singles chronology
"Suddenly You Love Me"
(1968)		 "Helule Helule"
(1968)		 "My Little Lady"
(1968)

"Helule Helule" is a Swahili song written by Kenyan musician Daudi Kabaka. It was first released as a single by Kabaka and fellow Kenyan musician George Agade in 1966 through Equator Records.[1][2] However, the song is better known for the version by British group the Tremeloes, who kept the original chorus and added English verses, with it becoming a top-twenty hit in the UK in May 1968.[3]

The Tremeloes version

Background

The Tremeloes' manager Peter Walsh met Irving Wilson, owner of Rare Records and Disc Imports in Manchester, at a reception for the group and told him that he had an interest in African records. Wilson said that he had some and so Walsh and two of the Tremeloes, Len "Chip" Hawkes and Alan Blakley, went to Wilson's warehouse to listen to some of these records. They bought several of them, with Wilson saying that "they took out world options on three of them [from Equator Records], including "Helule Helule"".[4] Rick Westwood was very disdainful of these records, but said that Hawkes and Blakley "wrote two songs, then scrapped them and took bits of them and joined them together", which led to the final song.[5] After recording "Helule Helule", much to the appal of Wilson, the group attempted to reduce the royalties to be paid, claiming they had significantly altered the original version.[4]

Despite being credited on the Tremeloes version, Kabaka claimed he never received mechanical copyright money for having written the song. According to a contract, the rights to "Helule Helule" were bought by Peter Walsh Music on 25 April 1968 for a sum of one shilling.[6] However, elsewhere, it has been claimed that Kabaka received a "substantial licensing fee", which he shared with his producer and Equator owner Charles Worrod.[7]

Reception

Reviewing for Record Mirror, Peter Jones wrote that "there is an automatic drumming kit featured on this – and certainly the basic jungle-type rhythms make it a stand-out production even for this stand-out group. African material, given English lyrics, and a tremendous sense of vitality".[8] For Disc and Music Echo, Penny Valentine described it as "an absolutely astounding bit of lyrical brilliance" and that "it moves like nobody's business but somehow sounds a bit dated".[9] Cash Box wrote "a steadily churning island rhythm, a Calypso-like lyric and delivery and a sprinkling of good hard rock are the prime ingredients of this latest Tremeloes concoction".[10]

Charts

Chart (1968) Peak
position
Argentina (Escalera a la Fama)[11] 7
Australia (Go-Set)[12] 23
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 29
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] 19
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[15] 46
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] 77
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 36
Germany (Official German Charts)[18] 20
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 16
Malaysia (Radio Malaysia)[20] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 26
New Zealand (Listener)[22] 13
Rhodesia (Lyons Maid)[23] 13
Spain (Promusicae)[24] 9
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[25] 17
Sweden (Tio i Topp)[26] 8
UK Melody Maker Top 30[27] 13
UK New Musical Express Top 30[28] 10
UK Record Retailer Top 50[3] 14
US Bubbling Under the Hot 100 (Billboard)[29] 122

References

  1. ↑ "EQUATOR RECORDS". www.kentanzavinyl.com. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  2. ↑ Eagleson, Ian (2014). "Between Uptown and River Road: The Making and Undoing of Kenya's 1960s 'Zilizopendwa". The World of Music. 3 (1): 43. JSTOR 24318231 – via JSTOR.
  3. 1 2 "TREMELOES | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 "How the Trems came to record 'Helule Helule'" (PDF). New Musical Express. 16 June 1968. p. 13. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "Screamers don't worry Trems" (PDF). New Musical Express. 25 May 1968. p. 12. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  6. ↑ Wallis, Roger; Malm, Krister (1984). Big Sounds from Small Peoples: The Music Industry in Small Countries. London: Constable & Company. p. 186. ISBN 0094653003.
  7. ↑ "Daudi Kabaka: King of the Kenyan Twist". eastafricanmusic.com. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "New Singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. 4 May 1968. p. 9. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Tremeloes join the Dave Dee paddock" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo. 4 May 1968. p. 19. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 18 May 1968. p. 34. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  11. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 17 August 1968. p. 62. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  12. ↑ "Go-Set Australian charts - 3 July 1968". Gosetcharts. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  13. ↑ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
  14. ↑ "The Tremeloes – Helule Helule" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  15. ↑ "The Tremeloes – Helule Helule" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  16. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 100195." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  17. ↑ "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit Tom - TUN". Sisältää hitin. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  18. ↑ "The Tremeloes – Helule Helule" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  19. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Helule Helule". Irish Singles Chart.
  20. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 10 August 1968. p. 51. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  21. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Tremeloes" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  22. ↑ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  23. ↑ Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  24. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (2015). Sólo éxitos 1959–2012 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 978-84-8048-866-2.
  25. ↑ "Helule Helule av Tremeloes". NostalgiListan (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  26. ↑ Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (2012). Tio i Topp - med de utslagna "på försök" 1961–74 (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Premium. p. 286. ISBN 978-91-89136-89-2.
  27. ↑ "Pop 30" (PDF). Melody Maker. 25 May 1968. p. 2. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  28. ↑ "NME Top 30" (PDF). New Musical Express. 1 June 1968. p. 7. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  29. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2009). Top Pop Singles 1955–2008. Record Research. p. 996. ISBN 9780898201802.
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