''Qongqothwane'' is a traditional song of the

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

people of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It is sung at

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

s to bring good fortune. In the

western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...

it is mainly known as ''The Click Song''. The Xhosa title literally means "knock-knock beetle", which is a popular name for various species of

darkling beetle Darkling beetle is the common name for members of the beetle family Tenebrionidae, comprising over 20,000 species in a cosmopolitan distribution. Taxonomy ''Tenebrio'' is the Latin generic name that Carl Linnaeus assigned to some flour beetles ...

s that make a distinctive knocking sound by tapping their abdomens on the ground. These beetles are believed by the Xhosa to bring good luck and

rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

. The song is known worldwide thanks to the interpretation of South African singer

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba ( , ; 4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, ja ...

. In her discography, the song appears in several versions, both with the title ''Qongqothwane'' and as ''The Click Song''. The song was written and originally performed by The Manhattan Brothers who made it famous across Africa. Miriam was discovered by them and sang with them throughout the 1940s.

Lyrics

;Original :''Igqirha lendlela nguqongqothwane'' :''Sel' eqabel' egqith' apha nguqongqothwane'' ;Phonetic transcription : : ;Translation :A diviner of the roadways is the knock-knock beetle, :Already it climbs up and passes by here, it's the knock-knock beetle.

Other versions

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and f ...

included the song in his debut recording ''

Trumpet Africaine ''Trumpet Africaine: The New Beat from South Africa'' is the debut studio record (LP) by South African musician Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in New York City and released in August 1962 via Mercury Records. The album was released whilst Maseke ...

'' (1962). *

Four Jacks and a Jill Four Jacks and a Jill is a South African folk rock ensemble. Career They originally formed in 1964 without a "Jill" under the name "The Nevadas". Subsequently, they became the first group in South Africa to wear their hair long and they changed ...

released a version of the song on their 1965 album, ''Jimmy Come Lately''. *

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

released a version of the song as the lead-single of her 1968 album ''

Backstage Backstage may refer to: * Backstage (theatre), the areas of a theatre that are not part of the house or stage Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1917 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1919 film), a silent film starri ...

''. *

The Cool Crooners of Bulawayo ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

include a version of the song on their 2003 album, ''Isatilo''.

References

External Links

* Miriam Makeba - Live 1963 {{DEFAULTSORT:Click Song Songs about insects Songs about luck Songs about marriage Miriam Makeba songs Four Jacks and a Jill songs South African folk songs Year of song unknown