"Bayini" is 'spiritual love song' performed in Yolngu Matha, an

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

language of Northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is track three on

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was a Yolŋu Aboriginal Australian musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he played drums, keyboards ...

's album, ''

Rrakala ''Rrakala'' is the second album from Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. It is performed in Yolngu. Gurrumul plays piano, drums, nylon-string acoustic guitar, electric and acoustic guitars. It reached number three on the ARIA charts. At the 2011 AR ...

'', which was released by Skinny Fish Music on 15 April 2011.

Meaning

According to the

National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia (NMA), in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''Nation ...

, "Bayini" are light-skinned mythological beings who were also involved in collecting and curing trepang (an edible sea cucumber). In literature, the first non-Aboriginal visitors to the

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

coast are referred to as Bayini. In songs that record and preserve their traditions, Aboriginal people of Arnhem land tell of the Bayini gypsies with copper coloured skin who visited their shores. John Gratorex said in the ''Rrakala'' sleeve notes; "Yolngu are deep thinking philosophical people. The words in the song refer to many families sitting together on the beach looking to waves and sea, the horizon, contemplating. Long ago from over the horizon the Bayini came to Yolngu country."

Gurrumul and Sarah Blasko version

On 1 June 2012, "Bayini" was re-recorded for radio release. The main version contained vocals from singer,

Sarah Blasko Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow (born 23 September 1976), known professionally as Sarah Blasko, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. From April 2002, Blasko developed her solo career after fronting Sydney-based band Acquie ...

, singing additional lyrics in English. In July 2012, the song received unprecedented attention and began getting airplay on ABC radio and

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

and Gurrumul's album, ''Rrakala'', achieved platinum sales in Australia.

Gurrumul and Delta Goodrem version

In 2013, Gurrumul joined

Delta Goodrem Delta Lea Goodrem Order of Australia, AM (born 9 November 1984) is an Australian singer, songwriter, television personality and actress based in Sydney. Goodrem signed a recording contract with Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut studio album ...

and the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney. With roots going back to 1908, the orchestra was made a permanent professional orchestra on the formation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. ...

for a special performance of Bayini on ''

The Voice Australia ''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original Dutch singing competition '' The Voice of Holland'', a ...

''. The clip has had over 1,746,395 views on YouTube. Goodrem said of the performance; "Gurrumul is one of this country's greatest voices and to receive his invitation to perform on 'The Voice' was so special and something I will cherish forever." The performance was in celebration of

National Reconciliation Week National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is intended to celebrate Indigenous history and culture in Australia and foster reconciliation discussion and activities. It started as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993, developing into National R ...

and following popular demand, the single was released on 31 May with proceeds of the single going towards the newly formed Gurrumul Yunupingu Foundation, which aims to help young people in indigenous communities realise their potential. Despite peaking at number #1 on iTunes throughout the week, "Bayini" debuted at #4 on the

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

singles chart, thus becoming Gurrumul's highest-charting single and Goodrem's 13th top 5 single.

Meaning

Gurrumul and Sarah Blasko version

Gurrumul and Delta Goodrem version

Charts

Weekly chart

Yearly chart

References

External links