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Labi Siffre
British singer, songwriter and poet (born 1945)
British singer, songwriter and poet (born 1945)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Labi Siffre |
| image | Tom Robinson and Labi Siffre, 2017 (cropped).jpg |
| caption | Siffre in 2017 |
| birth_name | Claudius Afolabi Siffre |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Hammersmith, London, England |
| background | solo_singer |
| occupation | |
| genre | |
| instruments | |
| years_active | 1970–present |
| label |
Claudius Afolabi "Labi" Siffre ( , born 25 June 1945) is a British singer, songwriter and poet.
Siffre released six albums from 1970 to 1975 and four from 1988 to 1998. His compositions include "It Must Be Love", which reached Number 14 on the UK singles chart in 1971 (and was later covered by the band Madness), "Crying Laughing Loving Lying", and "(Something Inside) So Strong" — an anti-apartheid song inspired by a television documentary in which white soldiers in South Africa were filmed shooting at black civilians in the street – which hit Number 4 on the UK chart. The latter song won Siffre the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and it has been used in Amnesty International campaigns.
He has published essays, the stage and television play Deathwrite and three volumes of poetry: Nigger, Blood on the Page, and Monument. In 2022, his life and work was explored in the series Imagine, under the title, Labi Siffre: This Is My Song.
Early life and education
Claudius Afolabi Siffre was born in Hammersmith, London in 1945 as the fourth of five brothers to a British mother of white British and Afro-Barbadian descent and a British Nigerian father. Siffre was brought up in Bayswater and Hampstead and educated at a Catholic independent day school, St Benedict's School, in Ealing, West London.
Siffre studied music at the Eric Gilder School of Music in Wardour Street, Soho, London. Gilder is remembered with gratitude in Siffre's poem "education education education".
Career
After leaving school, Siffre worked as a taxi driver and a deliveryman, before deciding to concentrate on music.
Siffre played jazz guitar at Annie Ross's jazz club in Soho, London, in the 1960s as part of a Hammond organ, guitar, drums house band.
He released six albums between 1970 and 1975. In the early 1970s, three of his singles became hits: "It Must Be Love" (No. 14, 1971, and performed the song on the BBC's Top of the Pops) (later covered by and a No. 4 hit for Madness, for which Siffre himself appeared in the video); "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" (No. 11, 1972); and "Watch Me" (No. 29, 1972). In 1978, Siffre took part in the heats to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest. He performed "Solid Love", co-written with Tom Shapiro, which placed fifth of the 12 songs up for consideration at the A Song for Europe contest. Additionally, he co-wrote the song "We Got It Bad", performed by Bob James, which came in 10th.
Siffre came out of self-imposed retirement from music in 1985, when he saw a television film from Apartheid South Africa showing a white soldier shooting at black children. He wrote "(Something Inside) So Strong" (No. 4, 1987), which he also performed on Top of the Pops, and released four more albums between 1988 and 1998.
In 2023, Siffre's 1972 ballad Crying Laughing Loving Lying was used in the soundtrack of The Holdovers, an Oscar-nominated film, "introducing Siffre to a new generation." His music was also used in the 2020s on the soundtracks of Better Call Saul, Hacks, Sentimental Value and other popular television and film soundtracks.
In 2025 to 2026, a remastered version of Siffre's 1971 single "Bless The Telephone" went viral online, further spurring on the Siffre revival. Siffre also has a large social media following.
Legacy
Multiple parts of Siffre's 1975 track "I Got The..." were sampled in popular hip hop songs in the 1990s, most notably in the 1999 Eminem single "My Name Is". As a result of the song's newfound fame, it was finally released as a single in 2003. The track was also featured in the Better Call Saul episode "Bagman".
Siffre's 1972 track "My Song", the 10th track on his album Crying Laughing Loving Lying, was sampled by rapper Kanye West on the song "I Wonder" on his third album Graduation.
In February 2022, the BBC broadcast Labi Siffre: This Is My Song, as part of the Imagine series, in which Alan Yentob presented a film exploring Siffre's life and work.
Personal life
Siffre met his partner Peter Lloyd in July 1964 and they were together for 48 years. They entered into a civil partnership in 2005, as soon as it was legally possible in the UK. From the mid-1990s until Lloyd's death in 2013, he and Siffre lived in a ménage à trois with Rudolf van Baardwijk in the village of Cwmdu, near Crickhowell, South Wales. Siffre and van Baardwijk married in December 2014. Van Baardwijk died in 2016. As of 2022, Siffre lives in Spain.
In 2014, Siffre appeared on the BBC Radio 4 series Great Lives, championing the life of British author Arthur Ransome. Siffre said that Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books had taught him responsibility for his own actions and also a morality that has influenced and shaped him throughout his life. Siffre is an atheist.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | UK |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not 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
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Certifications | UK | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||||||||||
| AUT | |||||||||||
| BE (FLA) | |||||||||||
| IRE | |||||||||||
| NL 40 | |||||||||||
| NL 100 | |||||||||||
| US R&B | |||||||||||
| 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 | ||
| "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..." | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Notes
Notable cover versions and samples of Siffre's songs
- "It Must Be Love" was covered by Madness in 1981. The song reached Number 4 in the UK chart, and Number 33 in the U.S. in 1983. Labi Siffre also made a cameo appearance in the music video.
- "(Something Inside) So Strong" was covered by singer Michael Ball in 1996, reaching Number 40 in the UK. Rik Waller also covered the song while a contestant on Pop Idol, hitting Number 25 in the UK Singles Chart in 2002.
- "My Song" was sampled by rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, on his 2007 song "I Wonder" on the album Graduation. Siffre received a songwriting credit on the track as a result.
- "I Got The..." was sampled by producer Dr. Dre for rapper Eminem's 1999 breakout single, "My Name Is" from the album The Slim Shady LP. Siffre initially denied the duo permission to use the sample, based on his objection to homophobic and misogynistic lyrical content in the song, but ultimately agreed to let them release the record having heard only the song's clean version.
Bibliography
Poetry
- Nigger (Xavier Books 1993)
- Blood on the Page (Xavier Books 1995)
- Monument (Xavier Books 1997)
Plays
- DeathWrite (Xavier Books 1997)
Essays
- Choosing the Stick They Beat You With (Penguin 2000)
References
References
- (5 December 2017). "Disturbing Definitions: Labi Siffre".
- (2006). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Oxford University Press.
- "Labi Siffre Page".
- Pollard, Alexandra. (1 April 2020). "Labi Siffre, the black, gay musician whose music helped make Eminem famous".
- Atkins, Jamie. (21 April 2024). "Labi Siffre: 'I've had far more difficulties in my life due to being a homosexual than being Black'". The Big Issue.
- Larkin, Colin. (2002). "The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music". Virgin.
- "Labi Siffre - poetry into the light: poems / poetry: political".
- "It Must Be Love - full Official Chart History".
- Roberts, David. (2006). "[[British Hit Singles & Albums]]". [[Guinness World Records]] Limited.
- (18 May 2021). "14 singers you totally forgot did Eurovision (or failed to get there)".
- Mathur, Paul. (August 1989). "So Strong".
- Browne, David. (5 August 2025). "A New Labi Siffre Compilation Will Finally Be Released in the U.S.".
- movie credits
- Gordon, Lauren. (10 October 2025). "People Are Rediscovering a '70s Folk Legend, 80: 'Truly Underrated Artist'". Parade.
- "TikTok - Make Your Day".
- "Artist Biography".
- Jones, Lucy. (27 September 2012). "When Sampling Goes Wrong". [[NME]].
- Fogarty, Paul. (8 April 2020). "Better Call Saul: Bagman's use of Labi Siffre's 'I Got The...' wins praise from surprised fans".
- Greenberg, August. (29 October 2018). "Sample School: Labi Siffre". [[WVAU]].
- "BBC One - imagine..., 2022, Labi Siffre: This is My Song". BBC.
- Jonze, Tim. (31 January 2022). "'I had the perfect life – then both my husbands died': Singer Labi Siffre on love, loss – and happiness".
- "Great Lives, Series 34, Labi Siffre on Arthur Ransome".
- (14 December 2012). "Q&A: Labi Siffre". [[New Humanist]].
- "Labi Siffre {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company.
- "Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1972".
- "Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1987".
- "Das österreichische Hitparaden- und Musik-Portal".
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS".
- "The Irish Charts - All there is to know".
- Top 40, Stichting Nederlandse. "Labi Siffre".
- "Dutch Charts".
- "Labi Siffre Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography".
- Hung, Steffen. "Labi Siffre - Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying".
- "Labi Siffre - (Something Inside) So Strong". British Phonographic Industry.
- "Madness Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography".
- "So Strong".
- Pytlik, Mark. "Kanye West: Graduation".
- (14 December 2012). "Q&A: Labi Siffre".
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