Labi Siffre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Labi Siffre
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Siffre in 2017
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Claudius Afolabi Siffre |
| Born | 25 June 1945 Hammersmith, London, England |
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| Years active | 1970–present |
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Claudius Afolabi Siffre (born 25 June 1945), known as Labi Siffre, is a British singer, songwriter, and poet. He started his music career in 1970.
Labi Siffre has released many albums over the years. Some of his most famous songs include "It Must Be Love" and "(Something Inside) So Strong". "It Must Be Love" became very popular in the UK in 1971. Later, the band Madness made their own famous version of it.
His song "(Something Inside) So Strong" is an important anti-apartheid song. It reached number 4 on the UK music charts. This song also won Labi Siffre a special award called the Ivor Novello Award. This award is for the best song in terms of music and lyrics. The song has also been used in campaigns by Amnesty International, which works to protect human rights.
Besides music, Labi Siffre has written essays and a play for TV called Deathwrite. He has also published three books of poetry. In 2022, a TV show called Imagine featured his life and work in an episode titled Labi Siffre: This Is My Song.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Labi Siffre was born in Hammersmith, London. He was the fourth of five children. His mother was from Barbados and Belgium, and his father was from Nigeria. Labi grew up in areas of London called Bayswater and Hampstead.
He went to St Benedict's School in Ealing, West London. After school, he studied music at the Eric Gilder School of Music. He even wrote a poem about how thankful he was for his music education. Before becoming a full-time musician, Labi worked as a taxi driver and a deliveryman.
He later moved to Cannes, France, where he played guitar with different soul musicians. In the late 1960s, he returned to the UK to focus on his music career.
Personal Life
Labi Siffre has had important relationships in his life. He met his partner Peter Lloyd in 1964, and they were together for 48 years. In 2005, they entered into a civil partnership as soon as it was allowed in the UK. Later, Labi Siffre married Rudolf van Baardwijk in 2014.
In 2014, Labi Siffre appeared on a BBC Radio 4 show called Great Lives. On the show, he talked about how much he admired the British author Arthur Ransome. Labi Siffre shared that Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books taught him about being responsible for his actions. He said these stories helped shape his understanding of right and wrong throughout his life. Today, Labi Siffre lives in Spain.
Music Albums and Songs
Labi Siffre has released many albums and singles throughout his career. Here are some of them:
Studio Albums
| Year | Album | UK |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Labi Siffre | — | |
| 1971 | The Singer and the Song | 47 | |
| 1972 | Crying Laughing Loving Lying | 46 | |
| 1973 | For the Children | — | |
| 1975 | Remember My Song | — | |
| Happy | — | ||
| 1988 | So Strong | — | |
| 1991 | Man of Reason | — | |
| 1998 | The Last Songs | — | |
| Monument (Spoken Word) | — | ||
| "—" means the album did not appear on the music chart. | |||
Live Albums
- The Last Songs (Re-mastered) (2006)
Compilation Albums
- The Best of Labi Siffre (1995)
- It Must Be Love (The Best of Labi Siffre) (2016)
- Gold (2019)
- Watch Me (2023)
Singles (Popular Songs)
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Certifications | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
AUS |
AUT |
BE (FLA) |
IRE |
NL 40 |
NL 100 |
US R&B |
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| 1970 | "Too Late" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "A Little More Line" (Germany-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "Thank Your Lucky Star" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Get to the Country" | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "It Must Be Love" | 14 | 46 | — | — | — | 21 | 25 | — | ||
| 1972 | "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Watch Me" | 29 | — | — | — | 7 | 16 | 14 | — | ||
| 1973 | "Give Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "If You Have Faith" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "(Just) A Little More Line" (Netherlands-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974 | "Dreamer" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1975 | "Another Year | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Love-a-Love-a-Love-a-Love-a-Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Second Time Around" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Staride to Nowhere" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "You've Got a Hold on Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Doctor Doctor" (France and Italy-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "Do the Best You Can" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1978 | "Solid Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1980 | "One World Song" (with Jackie) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "Run to Him" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | "Nightmare" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1987 | "(Something Inside) So Strong" | 4 | 76 | — | 14 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 49 |
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| "Nothin's Gonna Change" | 52 | — | — | 8 | — | 21 | 24 | — | ||
| 1988 | "Listen to the Voices" | 81 | — | 5 | 25 | — | 23 | 22 | — | |
| 1989 | "I Will Always Love You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "And the Wind Blows" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "Most People Sleep Alone" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "A Matter of Love | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "City of Dreams" (promo only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003 | "I Got The..." | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" means the song did not appear on the music chart or was not released in that country. | ||||||||||
Famous Cover Versions of Labi Siffre's Songs
Many artists have covered Labi Siffre's songs, making them popular again.
- "It Must Be Love" was covered by the band Madness in 1981. Their version reached Number 4 in the UK charts. Labi Siffre even appeared in their music video!
- "(Something Inside) So Strong" was covered by singer Michael Ball in 1996. It reached Number 40 in the UK. Another singer, Rik Waller, also covered the song when he was on the TV show Pop Idol. His version reached number 25 in the UK Singles Chart in 2002.
See also
In Spanish: Labi Siffre para niños
