(Something Inside) So Strong

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(Something Inside) So Strong

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"(Something Inside) So Strong"

Single by Labi Siffre

from the album So Strong

B-side

"I'm Alright"

Released

February 1987

Genre

R&B, gospel

Length

4:10

Labi Siffre

Labi Siffre singles chronology

"Nightmare"
(1982)

"(Something Inside) So Strong"
(1987)

"Nothin's Gonna Change"
(1987)

"(Something Inside) So Strong" is a song written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Labi Siffre. Released as a single in 1987, it was one of the biggest successes of his career, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart.^[1]

The song was written in 1984, inspired by a television documentary on apartheid in South Africa seen by Siffre in which white soldiers were filmed shooting at black civilians in the street.^[2] He told the BBC's Soul Music programme in 2014 that the song was also influenced by his experience as a homosexual child, adolescent, and adult.^[3] Siffre originally intended to give the song to another artist to sing, but could find no one suitable and was persuaded to release it himself.^[2]

The song has remained enduringly popular and is an example of the political and sociological thread running through much of Siffre's lyrics and poetry. It won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically,^[4] and has been used in Amnesty International campaigns.^[5]

Charts

[edit]

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	76
Ireland (Irish Singles Chart)^[7]	2
Netherlands (Nederlandse Top 40)	3
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)	4

Kenny Rogers

[edit]

Kenny Rogers performed a version on his 1989 album Something Inside So Strong.^[8]

The Rosa Parks Tribute Singers version

[edit]

In 1995, Verity Records released Verity Records Presents: A Tribute to Mrs. Rosa Parks. A cover version performed by a chorus of gospel singers, including Fred Hammond (who produced the track), Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Daryl Coley and Vanessa Bell Armstrong, was the first track.^{[citation needed]}

Rik Waller version

[edit]

Pop Idol contestant Rik Waller reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart with his cover version in July 2002.^[9]

Shaun Williamson performance

[edit]

In 2014, British actor Shaun Williamson performed the song live at the 2014 World Indoor Bowls Championship.^[10]^[11] After being televised live nationally, it became a meme and was mashed up in video form with two successive U.S. presidential inauguration ceremonies.^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]

References

[edit]

^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 498. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ ^a ^b Mathur, Paul (August 1989). "So Strong". Spin: 32. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
^ "Soul Music, Series 18, Something Inside So Strong". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 21 September 2015. 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, he now reveals that the lyrics were also informed by the oppression he had experienced as a homosexual.
^ "The Ivors 1988". The Ivors. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
^ "The power of our voices: List of Additional Human Rights Songs" (PDF). Amnesty.org.UK. Amnesty International. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 273. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know - Labi Siffre". IRMA. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
^ "Kenny Rogers - Something Inside So Strong Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
^ "Official Charts - Rik Waller: Something Inside (So Strong)". OfficialCharts.com.
^ "Shaun Williamson sings at the World Indoor Bowls". BBC Sport. 27 January 2014.
^ "Shaun Williamson, Barry From Eastenders, Sings At World Indoor Bowls (PICTURES)". Huffington Post UK. 27 January 2014.
^ "Wait, Barry from Eastenders sang at Donald Trump's inauguration?". Cosmopolitan UK. 21 January 2017., 2017
^ "Someone Mashed Up Joe Biden's Inauguration With Footage Of Barry From EastEnders Singing, And Honestly, We're Howling". Huffington Post UK. 21 January 2021.
^ Setchell, Rob (22 January 2021). "Barry from Eastenders stunned as Norfolk bowls ballad becomes inauguration hoax". ITV News.
^ "Someone has edited footage of Joe Biden's inauguration with Barry from EastEnders singing". Virgin Radio UK. 21 January 2021.
^ "Internet convinced Barry from EastEnders performed at Joe Biden's inauguration after viral hoax". Daily Mirror. 21 January 2021.

v t e Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically
1960s	"She's Leaving Home" (1968)
1970s	"Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" (1970) "Something" (1971) "Don't Let It Die" (1972) "Without You" (1973) "Daniel" (1974) "Streets of London"* (1975) "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (1978) "Baker Street" (1979)
1980s	"The Logical Song" (1980) "Woman in Love" (1981) "Memory" (1982) "Have You Ever Been in Love" (1983) "Every Breath You Take" (1984) "Against All Odds" (1985) "Nikita" (1986) "Don't Give Up" (1987) "Something Inside So Strong" (1988) "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)" (1989)
1990s	"The Living Years" (1990) "Sacrifice" (1991) "The Whole of the Moon" (1992) "Why" (1993) "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" (1994) "Think Twice" (1995) "Common People" (1996) "Too Much Love Will Kill You" (1997) "Paranoid Android" (1998) "Believe" (1999)
2000s	"Strong" (2000) "Babylon" (2001) "Walk On" (2002) "The Other Side" (2003) "Leave Right Now" (2004) "Dry Your Eyes" (2005) "Suddenly I See" (2006) "Elusive" (2007) "Love Is a Losing Game" (2008) "One Day Like This" (2009)
2010s	"The Fear" (2010) "Becoming a Jackal" (2011) "The A Team" (2012) "Next to Me" (2013) "Strong" (2014) "Take Me to Church" (2015) "Wasn't Expecting That" (2016) "Black Man in a White World" (2017) "Magnificent (She Says)" (2018) "Nica Libres at Dusk" (2019)
2020s	"Age of Anxiety" (2020) "God's Own Children" (2021) "Seventeen Going Under" (2022) "King" (2023)
*Awarded as The Best Song

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