Davido’s “With You” is the song on the number one spot of many Nigerian and Afrobeat music lists. The song comes as one of the tracks in Davido’s latest album: 5ive.The tone of the song and its tunes has a way of taking one back in time to the golden old schools when Nigerian acts like Felix Liberty and Chris Okotie were ruling the airwaves.
Omah Lay’s Soulful Contribution
Omah Lay comes into the song with his soulful sounds, bringing the emotion from within like a man wailing for attention, baring his soul, seeking for love that warms one in cold weather. He has his way of getting you into the spiritual when he sings, a testimony of his upbringing around a church.
Featuring Omah Lay in a song like this is a very good choice for Davido, tapping into his Port Harcourt feel and his easy-paced music style.
Davido’s “With You”: The Problem with Short Songs
One thing disrupts the song though, and it is the fact that songs these days have become too short. They are so short that they end as abruptly as they start, cutting you off from its enjoyment at the time you begin to settle into its melody and flow. Davido’s “With You” breaks your heart, leaving you yearning for more at just 2 minutes, 16 seconds.
This also makes you wonder if the track was just a freestyle that came forth while Davido and Omah Lay were playing around in the studio; or something they planned carefully for. If it was a playful freestyle that stuck, that’s great. But if it were carefully planned, then it’s a waste of time and resources that could have been made better.
Longing for Longer Tracks
It is quite unfortunate that many Nigerian and even international songs continue to get shorter and shorter each year, making one yearn for the good old days when a track was between four to eight minutes long. They didn’t just make you enjoy the words, they also showed the dexterity of the instrumentals and other elements of the track. The songs gave time for everyone to shine: the drummers, the man on the keys, the guitarists and all. With The Track making you feel the essence of the lyrics and the song’s message through the melody of the instrumentals.
But today, it’s just one short track and the artistes are on to the next ones. And we find out that even the covers made by upcoming artistes are even better than the songs themselves.
The Need for Clearer Lyrics
There is also the part that tells Omah Lay to stop mumbling his lyrics. He should “sing up!” Many find it hard to hear him clearly, making the whole communication function of songs lost on the audience.
Also, there is the part where we have to tell Nigerian artistes to sing with words that can be clearly understood. Not all Afrobeat lovers are Nigerians or riddle breakers. You do not need them to always seek a reviewer on YouTube to explain what the lyrics mean; even when you are singing in English or Pidgin.
Some would say the essence of music is in its hidden or subconscious meaning; I say sometimes we don’t have time to go on an expedition to unravel the meaning of song lyrics.
Omah Lay’s lyrics are not too heavy with hidden meanings, but he is also guilty:
Baby, the weather
Is getting cold
Cold inside
Double sweater (people tend to wear double sweaters during extreme cold)
The weather imagery shows one of the popular Nigerian myths. Many believe that having sex during cold weather is the best way to keep warm. They also believe that people’s sex hormones rage hotly during cold weather and must be sated with sex. In reality, it is just an excuse to justify having that person you fancy beneath the sheets with you.
Davido’s Confusing Lyrics
Davido is highly guilty, with his words sometimes not coherent enough to be strung together:
Sweet Fanta Diallo (Sweet Fanta, the bold or courageous one)
I no fi forget you
Ebezenah ebezenah (Don’t cry, don’t cry)
Nzogbu Nzogbu, oh (Yeah) [trouble, trouble oh]
If I speak English, oh-oh
Cho-cho-cho, no working
I no wan punish, woah, woah
I wantu punish you, idiarabanko
If you see my baby, you go short up, oh, Idiarabanko
Omoge too fine, no be makeup, oh
Davido calls his love interest “Sweet Fanta Diallo”—we know what Sweet and Fanta are. “Diallo” is Fula (an African tribe) for “bold” or “courageous”. Is he saying “Sweet Fanta, the bold or courageous one”? Do ladies need to be called “bold” or “courageous” when being wooed to give her “goodies” out? Maybe some.
He says “Ebezina, ebezina” which means don’t cry. Is the Sweet Fanta courageous or bold one supposed to contradict herself by crying? Why is she crying? Is that how sweet the love is that she has to break character and cry?
“Nzogbu” means “problem” or “trouble” in Igbo language. Joined to the previous part of the lyrics, is Davido trying to say he is in trouble for trying to bed a bold woman who is crying?
The Need for Coherent Songwriting
All we are trying to say in essence is that a lot of thought should be put into writing songs. They should contain coherent meanings that flow into and complement each other. Words and meanings should be clear and inter-relatable.
The violin solo at the end of the track is not needed. The bloody thing just veers off key, leaving the listener wondering if he is still listening to the track or on another one.
Final Words On Davido’s “With You”
In conclusion, Davido’s “With You” is one hell of a beautiful song, its melody, instrumental and all makes it sweetly different; especially with the Omah Lay style infusion. But the song has too many issues to be called a masterpiece. We hope Davido and Omah Lay are reading this and make amends to the elements of their music. We here at Trickle Media wish them good luck!
