Labi Siffre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Labi Siffre
Siffre in 2017
Background information
Birth name	Claudius Afolabi Siffre
Born	(1945-06-25) 25 June 1945 (age 80)
Genres	Soul jazz funk soft rock folk
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter poet
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards
Years active	1970–present
Labels	EMI Pye China

Claudius Afolabi "Labi" Siffre is a British singer, songwriter, and poet. He was born on June 25, 1945. Labi Siffre released many albums throughout his career, starting in 1970.

He is famous for songs like "It Must Be Love" and "Crying Laughing Loving Lying". Another very important song is "(Something Inside) So Strong". This song was inspired by a TV show about unfair treatment in South Africa. It became a top hit and won Labi Siffre a special award called the Ivor Novello Award. This award was for the best song in terms of music and lyrics. His songs have also been used to support groups like Amnesty International.

Besides music, Labi Siffre has written essays and plays. He has also published three books of poetry. In 2022, a TV show called Imagine featured his life and work.

Labi Siffre's Early Life and Education

Labi Siffre was born in 1945. He was the fourth of five brothers. His mother was British with both white British and Afro-Barbadian family roots. His father was British Nigerian. Labi grew up in London, in areas called Bayswater and Hampstead. He went to a Catholic school in Ealing, West London. Even though he went to a Catholic school, Labi Siffre has said he does not believe in God.

He studied music at the Eric Gilder School of Music in London. After school, he worked as a taxi driver and deliveryman. But he soon decided to focus on his music career. In the 1960s, he played jazz guitar in a band at a jazz club in London.

Music Career and Famous Songs

Labi Siffre released six albums between 1970 and 1975. In the early 1970s, three of his songs became popular hits. "It Must Be Love" reached number 14 on the UK charts in 1971. He even performed it on the TV show Top of the Pops. Later, the band Madness covered this song, and it became a big hit for them too. Labi Siffre appeared in their music video!

His song "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" reached number 11 in 1972. "Watch Me" also became a hit, reaching number 29 in 1972. In 1978, Labi Siffre tried to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest. He performed a song called "Solid Love," which placed fifth.

Labi Siffre stopped making music for a while. But in 1985, he saw a TV show about unfair treatment in Apartheid South Africa. The show featured a white soldier shooting at black children. This made him feel very strongly. He then wrote "(Something Inside) So Strong". This powerful song reached number 4 on the UK charts in 1987. He performed it on Top of the Pops as well. After this, he released four more albums between 1988 and 1998.

Some of Labi Siffre's older songs have been used in new ways. Parts of his 1975 song "I Got The..." were used in popular hip hop songs in the 1990s. A famous example is the 1999 Eminem song "My Name Is". Because of this, "I Got The..." was finally released as a single in 2003. It was also featured in an episode of the TV show Better Call Saul.

Another song, "My Song" from his 1972 album Crying Laughing Loving Lying, was used by rapper Kanye West (also known as Ye). It was sampled in Kanye West's 2007 song "I Wonder" from his album Graduation. Labi Siffre received credit for writing part of that song.

In February 2022, the BBC aired a special program about Labi Siffre. It was called Labi Siffre: This Is My Song and was part of the Imagine series. It explored his life and music.

Labi Siffre's Personal Journey

Labi Siffre met his partner Peter Lloyd in 1964. They were together for 48 years. In 2005, they entered into a civil partnership in the UK, as soon as it became legal. Peter Lloyd passed away in 2013. Labi Siffre later married Rudolf van Baardwijk in December 2014. Rudolf van Baardwijk passed away in 2016. As of 2022, Labi Siffre lives in Spain.

In 2014, Labi Siffre appeared on a BBC Radio 4 show called Great Lives. He talked about the British author Arthur Ransome. Labi Siffre explained that Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books taught him about being responsible for his actions. He said these books helped shape his ideas about right and wrong throughout his life.

Labi Siffre's Works

Labi Siffre has released many musical works and written pieces.

Studio Albums

• Labi Siffre (1970)
• The Singer and the Song (1971)
• Crying Laughing Loving Lying (1972)
• For the Children (1973)
• Remember My Song (1975)
• Happy (1975)
• So Strong (1988)
• Man of Reason (1991)
• The Last Songs (1998)
• Monument (Spoken Word) (1998)

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)

Poetry Books

• ...
• Blood on the Page
• Monument

Notable Cover Versions and Samples

• "It Must Be Love" was covered by the band Madness in 1981. Their version reached Number 4 in the UK. Labi Siffre even appeared in their music video!
• "(Something Inside) So Strong" has been covered by other singers. Michael Ball covered it in 1996, and Rik Waller sang it on Pop Idol in 2002.
• "My Song" was sampled by rapper Ye for his 2007 song "I Wonder" from the album Graduation. Labi Siffre received credit for writing part of this song.

See also

In Spanish: Labi Siffre para niños