The ‘Bless The Telephone’ viral is one of the most unlikely in recent years, but also one of the most deserved. The British singer-songwriter Labi Siffre is one of those music figures unfairly forgotten by the majority public. However, his early compositions, which sing about love and friendship, are so timeless that they deserve more attention than a simple TikTok viral.
This is precisely the reason why ‘Bless The Telephone’ has connected with the hearts of an entire generation more than 50 years after its release. Surprisingly, technological advancement has not caused the song to become obsolete. If anything, it’s emphasized the need for connection we collectively have: “Stranger / How a phone call can change your day,” Siffre sings.
‘Bless The Telephone’ was released in 1971 as part of Siffre’s second album, ‘The Singer and the Song’. After appearing in a Bumble ad and later going viral on TikTok, the 80-year-old singer published a video to thank the public for their attention to his song and, incidentally, tell how he wrote it: “Finding out after all this time that the song still helps pleases me, because love is a wonderful thing.”
We present five other Labi Siffre songs as special as ‘Bless the Telephone’ and that, like this one, deserve much more than a viral on social networks.
5 songs by Labi Siffre that are also worth it
Cannock Chase
One of the signature songs on ‘Crying Laughing Loving Lying’ (1972) is also an instant orchestral folk composition. With a magical guitar arpeggio and a string arrangement that appears and disappears at the mercy of the artist, ‘Cannock Chase’ is an ‘old school’ ode to nature. “Nothing around, just the trees and the ground / A bird in a tree singing a song, just for me,” Siffre sings. You’ll love the “la-da-das” of the chorus if you like Simon and Garfunkel.
It Must Be Love
Turned into a ska pop anthem by Madness in 1981, ‘It Must Be Love’ is one of Labi Siffre’s longest-running songs, although most listeners don’t know that he was the one who originally wrote it: “I told myself: you have to finish it, it’s a hit,” says Siffre. Its simple lyrics are another genius of the British singer-songwriter, and a universal truth: “Nothing more, nothing less / Love is the best.”
My Song
Siffre’s name will be familiar to hip hop fans thanks to the iconic sample of ‘I Got The…’ in Eminem’s ‘My Name Is’. However, Labi Siffre’s most recognized song in rap is undoubtedly ‘My Song’, sampled extensively in ‘I Wonder’, one of the most popular songs of Kanye West’s career. Right now, there is an entire generation of people making this same connection. Beyond the fact, ‘My Song’ is a beautiful love letter to music: “This is my song / And nothing can make it die.”
Crying Laughing Loving Lying
The title song of Labi Siffre’s masterpiece mixes a beautiful melody, and arrangements that only grow, with one of those rewarding lyrics at the end. Siffre reflects on crying, which “has never done anyone any good”; laughter, which “sometimes does good”; love and lies. Siffre assures that love has never done him “any good” and that “that’s why I can’t love you.” However, although lying has never helped him either, he asks himself: “Why am I lying now?”
‘Till Forever
This is the perfect song for those who want another ‘Bless The Telephone’. Like that one, ‘Till Forever’ is a short and endearing acoustic piece in which Siffre sings of the purest love: «Wouldn’t it be sad if I hadn’t met you at all? / I am more than happy that you found me. The guitar melody that closes the song is as sweet as the British singer-songwriter’s words.
