Boys Choir
Photo Credit: Drakensberg Boys Choir

The Drakensburg Boys Choir is raising a glass to memories!

 

Champagne Valley, South Africa (11 March 2022) – The world-renowned Drakensberg Boys Choir drop their newest single and music video; a poignant rendition of the Maroon 5 smash hit Memories; across all digital platforms on Friday, March 11th, that’s sure to tug at your heartstrings.

This release is hot on the heels of the notable success of their music video of Imagine Dragons’ Follow You featuring The Sharks Rugby Team, which has already garnered over 500K views in less than two weeks.

The timing couldn’t have been more relevant for the release of this heartfelt cover song by the choir.
As we start to reflect on this chaotic season we’ve tried to navigate, we take a breath and think back on all those we’ve lost along the way.

Over the past few years, there has been an active drive to welcome the old boys back to the Drakensberg Boys Choir (DBC). They have a saying, “Once a Drakie, always a Drakie”. The choir stays in their blood for life, even after they take off their uniform for the last time.

Artistic Director, Vaughan Van Zyl, explains; “We felt that this was a perfect song to dedicate to the legacy that the DBC has grown over the last 55 years and becoming a South African national treasure, while looking forward to the future of what the choir still has to give.”

The song has a sad yet timely double meaning as well. While it serves as a dedication to the old boys and staff of the school, it also serves as a dedication to anyone who has lost someone dear to them in this devastating time the world is going through.

From the pandemic to the unrest last year, to what is going on in Europe at the moment, there are very few people in the world who has remained completely unaffected by what is going on.

Producer and arranger of this single, Tristan Tent elaborates on the musicality of their cover version of Memories; “While the original Maroon 5 song has very little productive elements and sticks to a simplistic production with a standard Rhodes piano and vocal, we decided that we wanted to give it a slight more African flavour and put it into a more “House” space. Therefore, percussive elements not found in the original song come in from the choruses.”

He continues; “If you’re a keen listener of classical music, you will notice that you may have heard the chords to the song before in a very famous classical work called Canon in D by Johan Pachelbel. This arrangement of the song doesn’t shy away from the original chord idea and uses the melodies in the canon over the pop melodies of Memories if you listen carefully to the choir.”

You can also watch the Sharks video:


Sources: Drakensberg Boys Choir
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google
Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here
Click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes that there’s good news all around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

About the Author

Brent Lindeque is the founder and editor in charge at Good Things Guy.

Recognised as one of the Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South African’s as well as a Primedia LeadSA Hero, Brent is a change maker, thought leader, radio host, foodie, vlogger, writer and all round good guy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *