Something Inside So Strong
Soul Music
BBC
4.7 • 831 Ratings
🗓️ 15 April 2014
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Labi Siffre wrote Something Inside So Strong in 1984.
Widely believed to have been inspired by seeing film footage from South Africa, of young blacks being shot at by white policeman, the singer-songwriter now reveals that the lyrics were also informed by the oppression he had experienced as as a gay man.
The song has been taken up by individuals and groups around the world who have suffered from discrimination. The Choir With No Name in Birmingham, made up of homeless singers, always close their concerts with the song. Choir members explain why it's so important to them, giving them a sense of pride and dignity.
American singer Suede, talks about the power she finds in the song while South African singer, Lira talks about making a special recording of it for the birthday of Nelson Mandela, as it was one of his favourite pieces.
Also hear how Celtic football fans sing it as an act of solidarity with their beleaguered manager, Neil Lennon.
In his first interview for over a decade, Siffre explains how he still sings the songs as he tries to put his life back together after the death of his partner, Peter.
Contributors:
Labi Siffre Bill West Peter Churchill Neil Lennon
Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact
Producer: Lucy Lunt
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2014.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to quickly tell you about some others. |
| 0:05.1 | My name's Andy Martin and I'm the editor of a team of podcast producers at the BBC in Northern Ireland. |
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| 0:16.2 | but which also resonate and apply to listeners around the world. |
| 0:19.6 | And because the team has such a diverse |
| 0:21.1 | range of skills and strengths, we've trained journalists, people who love digging through archives, |
| 0:26.6 | we've got drama and even comedy experts, we really can do those stories justice. So if you |
| 0:31.9 | like this podcast, head to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more fascinating stories from all around the UK. |
| 0:38.9 | So can we try putting that in, that arpeggio, away, away, away. |
| 0:48.7 | My name is Pete Churchill. I'm the musical director of the choir with no name in Birmingham. |
| 0:54.8 | It's a choir that's been running for two and a half years |
| 0:57.3 | and it's made up mainly of people who have experienced homelessness |
| 1:01.8 | or whose lives have been affected by homelessness. |
| 1:15.6 | Something inside so strong has become a bit of an anthem for us really. |
| 1:18.3 | We often end our gigs with it. |
| 1:22.4 | It's a powerful song anyway, but I think even more so when you take in consideration in the background of the people singing it, |
| 1:26.5 | most of the people in the choir have been homeless and certainly have lived at the background of the people singing it. Most of the people in the choir have been |
| 1:28.8 | homeless and certainly have lived at the edges of society and have dealt with all sorts of |
| 1:34.7 | struggles. And then they come together and they're singing about the strength of the human spirit |
| 1:40.2 | and not being defeated and carrying on and having pride and I think it just makes it |
| 1:48.8 | more powerful and often we have people in the audience who are in tears after something inside |
| 1:54.0 | so strong. |
... |
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