Music Review: Iyogogo

Singer: Onyeka Onwenu

Reviewer: Ada Dike

Onyeka Onwenu’s ‘Iyogogo’ remains evergreen

Onyeka Onwenu

Iyogogo is a love song Onyeka Onyenwu (MFR) released in 1992. In a society where people wake up early and go to bed late after struggling to make ends meet, there is no better way to relax than to listen to a song which brings beautiful memory of how you danced and sang old tunes which do not fade.

The four minutes, thirty-eight seconds song begins with soft cacophony of instruments which appeal to one’s emotion, before she begins with, “Iyele Iyele, Iyele, Iyele, Iyele, Iyele, Iyele, ... I have been missing you, missing you, why don’t you stay?”

Some people believe it is a moonlight song, others said it is a nursery song but it is purely a song on relationship and a bit of love.

Where she said: “Make up your mind,” appeals to lovers to be serious in their relationship. Shortly after that, males deep voices eulogise her and say: “Onyeka, ihe di nma na diri, …” The tone changes and followed by the chorus: “Iyogogo Iyogo, Iyogogo, Iyogogo Iyogo, Iyogogo,
K'anyi je na nke Bishopu na 5 akuola
Ihe na ewe m iwe bu na efe m akorako
Nwa m bu n'afo na enwe anuli o
K'anyi je na nke Bishopu na 5 akuola
Iyogogo iyogo iyogogo (x2), do you love me?”

The chorus above sounds like a moonlight song. It literally means “a woman reminding her husband that it is 5am, time for them to go to church. Excitedly, she also says, that she is having a baby bump, which signifies that foetus is happy.”

Her voice in this song is soothing, sonorous, captivating and appealing to every listener.

Many years ago, NTA used ‘Iyogogo‘ to open and close their station for eight years and this also helped popularized it. Also, due to timeless and acceptance of Iyogogo, Jebele crooner, Kween in her nine-track album did its remix.

Some people call her Elegant Stallion but everybody knows that she is elegance personified, be it in her physique or works. The Chairperson of Imo State Council for Arts and Culture has been dominating the entertainment scene for over two decades. The singer, actress, writer and politician obtained a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Communication at Wellesley College in Massachusetts USA and Master's in Media Studies at the New School for Social Research in New York.

Shortly after she completed her National Youth Service Corps in 1981 with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Lagos, she released her sophomore album “Endless life” in 1982, followed by “For the Love of You” in 1983.

“In The Morning Light,” was her third album released in 1984 followed by Onyeka’s fourth album “One Love” which was released in 1986.

She released another album “Dancing in the Sun” in November 1988 with a track “Wait for Me,” in which she featured Juju music legend King Sunny Ade.

With art flowing in her veins, she didn’t disappoint her fans when she acted in movies and they among others include Conspiracy, Trinity, Not Your Wealth, Women’s Cot and Different World.

The song is evergreen; in fact, many non-Igbo people sing it with ease without knowing the meaning of its lyrics. From the start to finish of Iyogogo, the song done in Igbo Language with a little mixture of English Language is quite entertaining.