Neneh Cherry

Released: June 7, 1994

Featuring: Youssou N’Dour

Songwriter: Booga Bear Jonathan Sharp Youssou N’Dour Neneh Cherry

Producer: Jonny Dollar Booga Bear

[Verse 1: Youssou N'Dour]
Boul ma sene, boul ma guiss madi re nga fokni mane
Khamouma li neka thi sama souf ak thi guinaw
Beugouma kouma khol dal diné yaw li neka si yaw
Mo ne si man, li ne si mane moye dilene diapale

[Verse 2: Neneh Cherry]
Roughness and rudeness we should be using
On the ones who practise wicked charms
For the sword and the stone, bad to the bone
Battle is not over, even when it's won
And when a child is born into this world
It has no concept of the tone it's skin living in

[Chorus: Neneh Cherry & Youssou N’Dour]
It's not a second—we're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay; I'll be waiting
It's not a second—we're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay; I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting...I'll be waiting

[Verse 3: Youssou N'Dour]
J'assume les raisons qui nous poussent de changer tout
J'aimerais qu'on oublie leurs couleurs pour qu'ils espèrent
Beaucoup de sentiments de races qui font qu'ils désespèrent
Je veux les deux mains ouvertes
Des amis pour parler de leurs peines, et de leur joie
Pour qu'ils leur aient des infos qui ne divisent pas—
Changez!

[Chorus: Neneh Cherry & Youssou N’Dour]
7 seconds away, or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
It's not a second–we're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay; I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting...I'll be waiting

[Bridge: Neneh Cherry & Youssou N’Dour]
And when a child is born into this world
It has no concept of the tone the skin it's living in
And there's a... million voices!
And there's a... million voices
To tell you what you should be thinking
So you better sober up for just a second

[Outro: Neneh Cherry & Youssou N’Dour]
We're 7 seconds away
Or just as long as I stay; I'll be waiting
It's not a second—we're 7 seconds away
Or just as long as I stay, I'll be waiting
It's not a second; we're 7 seconds away
Just as long as I stay, I'll be waiting
It's not a second, we're 7 seconds away
Or just as long as I stay; I'll be waiting
It's not a second; we're 7 seconds away
For just as long as I stay, I'll be waiting...

Neneh Mariann Karlsson was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and a father from Sierra Leone. Her mother raised her in a commune with her stepfather, jazz musician Don Cherry (father of Eagle Eye Cherry).

She moved to London in the 1980s and immersed herself in the Bristol music scene (where Massive Attack and Portishead would form), getting involved with bands such as The Cherries, The Slits, New Age Steppers, Rip Rig + Panic and Float Up CP.

But it was her collaboration with the duo Morgan-McVey, who released only the one single “Looking Good Diving”, that would be the springboard to launch her into international stardom. The single’s B-side featured Cherry rapping over the A-side’s instrumental tracks with what later became the lyrics to her 1988 debut breakout single “Buffalo Stance” (its music reworked by Bomb The Bass' Tim Simenon) – which reached the top 10 in eleven countries.

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