{{Short description|1966 song written by Daudi Kabaka}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Use British English|date=September 2022}} {{Infobox song | name = Helule Helule | cover = Tremeloes Helule Helule.jpg | alt = | caption = Cover of the single released in Germany | type = single | artist = the Tremeloes | album = | released = {{Start date|1968|05|03|df=yes}} | B-side = Girl from Nowhere | recorded = | studio = | genre = Pop | length = {{duration|m=2|s=50}} | label = *CBS *Epic | writer = *Daudi Kabaka *Len "Chip" Hawkes *Alan Blakley | producer = Mike Smith | prev_title = Suddenly You Love Me | prev_year = 1968 | next_title = My Little Lady | next_year = 1968 }}
"'''Helule Helule'''" is a Swahili song written by Kenyan musician Daudi Kabaka. It was first released as a single by Kabaka and fellow Kenyan musician George Agade in 1966 through Equator Records.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equator Records |url=https://www.kentanzavinyl.com/Kentanzavinyl/EQUATOR_RECORDS.html |access-date=2022-09-30 |website=www.kentanzavinyl.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Eagleson |first=Ian |date=2014 |title=Between Uptown and River Road: The Making and Undoing of Kenya's 1960s 'Zilizopendwa |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24318231 |journal=The World of Music |volume=3 |issue=1 |page=43 |jstor=24318231 }}</ref> However, the song is better known for the version by British group the Tremeloes, who kept the original chorus and added English verses, with it becoming a top-twenty hit in the UK in May 1968.<ref name="ukrr" />
==The Tremeloes version== ===Background=== The Tremeloes' manager Peter Walsh met Irving Wilson, owner of Rare Records and Disc Imports in Manchester, at a reception for the group and told him that he had an interest in African records. Wilson said that he had some and so Walsh and two of the Tremeloes, Len "Chip" Hawkes and Alan Blakley, went to Wilson's warehouse to listen to some of these records. They bought several of them, with Wilson saying that "they took out world options on three of them [from Equator Records], including "Helule Helule"".<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine |date=16 June 1968 |title=How the Trems came to record 'Helule Helule' |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/1968/NME-1968-06-16-S-OCR.pdf |magazine=New Musical Express |page=13 |access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> Rick Westwood was very disdainful of these records, but said that Hawkes and Blakley "wrote two songs, then scrapped them and took bits of them and joined them together", which led to the final song.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=25 May 1968 |title=Screamers don't worry Trems |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/1968/New-Musical-Express-1968-05-25.pdf |magazine=New Musical Express |page=12 |access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> After recording "Helule Helule", much to the appal of Wilson, the group attempted to reduce the royalties to be paid, claiming they had significantly altered the original version.<ref name=":0" />
Despite being credited on the Tremeloes version, Kabaka claimed he never received mechanical copyright money for having written the song. According to a contract, the rights to "Helule Helule" were bought by Peter Walsh Music on 25 April 1968 for a sum of one shilling.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wallis |first1=Roger |title=Big Sounds from Small Peoples: The Music Industry in Small Countries |last2=Malm |first2=Krister |publisher=Constable & Company |year=1984 |isbn=0094653003 |location=London |pages=186 |language=en |author-link=Roger Wallis |author-link2=Krister Malm}}</ref> However, elsewhere, it has been claimed that Kabaka received a "substantial licensing fee", which he shared with his producer and Equator owner Charles Worrod.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daudi Kabaka: King of the Kenyan Twist |url=http://eastafricanmusic.com/daudi.htm |access-date=2022-09-29 |website=eastafricanmusic.com}}</ref>
===Reception=== Reviewing for ''Record Mirror'', Peter Jones wrote that "there is an automatic drumming kit featured on this – and certainly the basic jungle-type rhythms make it a stand-out production even for this stand-out group. African material, given English lyrics, and a tremendous sense of vitality".<ref>{{cite magazine |date=4 May 1968 |title=New Singles |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/60s/68/Record-Mirror-1968-05-04.pdf |magazine=Record Mirror |page=9 |access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> For ''Disc and Music Echo'', Penny Valentine described it as "an absolutely astounding bit of lyrical brilliance" and that "it moves like nobody's business but somehow sounds a bit dated".<ref>{{cite magazine |date=4 May 1968 |title=Tremeloes join the Dave Dee paddock |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Disc/1968/Disc-&-Music-Echo-1968-05-04.pdf |magazine=Disc and Music Echo |page=19 |access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> ''Cash Box'' wrote "a steadily churning island rhythm, a Calypso-like lyric and delivery and a sprinkling of good hard rock are the prime ingredients of this latest Tremeloes concoction".<ref>{{cite magazine |date=18 May 1968 |title=Record Reviews |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1968/CB-1968-05-18.pdf |magazine=Cash Box |page=34 |access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref>
===Charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1968) !Peak<br />position |- !scope="row"|Argentina (Escalera a la Fama)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1968/Billboard%201968-08-17.pdf|title=Hits of the World|magazine=Billboard|page=62|date=17 August 1968|access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> |7 |- !scope="row"|Australia (''Go-Set'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gosetcharts.com/1968/19680703.html|title=Go-Set Australian charts – 3 July 1968|website=Gosetcharts|access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> |23 |- !scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1940–1969|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. |year=2005|isbn=0-646-44439-5|title-link=Kent Music Report}}</ref> |29 |- {{single chart|Flanders|19|artist=The Tremeloes|song=Helule Helule|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Wallonia|46|artist=The Tremeloes|song=Helule Helule|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|77|chartid=100195|rowheader=true}} |- !scope="row"|Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 August 2015|title=Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit Tom – TUN|url=http://suomenlistalevyt.blogspot.com/2015/08/tom-tun.html|access-date=2022-09-30|website=Sisältää hitin}}</ref> |36 |- {{single chart|Germany|20|artist=The Tremeloes|song=Helule Helule|songid=61101|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Ireland2|16|song=Helule Helule|rowheader=true}} |- !scope="row"|Malaysia (Radio Malaysia)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1968/Billboard%201968-08-10.pdf|title=Hits of the World|magazine=Billboard|page=51|date=10 August 1968|access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> |4 |- {{single chart|Dutch40|26|artist=The Tremeloes|song=Helule Helule|rowheader=true}} |- !scope="row"|New Zealand (''Listener'')<ref>{{Cite web |title=flavour of new zealand – search listener |url=https://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=625#n_view_location |access-date=2022-09-29 |website=www.flavourofnz.co.nz}}</ref> |13 |- !scope="row"|Rhodesia (Lyons Maid)<ref>Kimberley, C. ''Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book''. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000</ref> |13 |- !scope="row"|Spain (Promusicae)<ref>{{cite book|last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos 1959–2012|date=2015|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|isbn=978-84-8048-866-2|edition=1st|location=Spain}}</ref> |9 |- !scope="row"|Sweden (Kvällstoppen)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Helule Helule av Tremeloes|url=https://www.nostalgilistan.se/tremeloes-14192/helule-helule-39648|access-date=2022-09-30|website=NostalgiListan|language=sv}}</ref> |17 |- ! scope="row" |Sweden (''Tio i Topp'')<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hallberg |first=Eric |title=Tio i Topp – med de utslagna 'på försök' 1961–74 |last2=Henningsson |first2=Ulf |publisher=Premium |page=286 |year=2012 |isbn=978-91-89136-89-2 |edition=2nd |language=sv}}</ref> |8 |- !scope="row" |UK ''Melody Maker'' Top 30<ref>{{cite magazine|date=25 May 1968|title=Pop 30|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Melody-Maker/60s/68/Melody-Maker-1968-0525.pdf|magazine=Melody Maker|page=2|access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> |13 |- !scope="row" |UK ''New Musical Express'' Top 30<ref>{{cite magazine|date=1 June 1968|title=NME Top 30|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/1968/NME-1968-06-01-S-OCR.pdf|magazine=New Musical Express|page=7|access-date=30 September 2022}}</ref> |10 |- !scope="row" |UK ''Record Retailer'' Top 50<ref name=ukrr>{{Cite web |title=TREMELOES {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12852/tremeloes/ |access-date=2022-09-30 |website=www.officialcharts.com}}</ref> |14 |- !scope="row"|US Bubbling Under the Hot 100 (''Billboard'')<ref name=Billboard>{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2008 |publisher=Record Research |year=2009 |isbn=9780898201802 |page=996 |author-link=Joel Whitburn}}</ref> |122 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
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Category:Songs in Swahili Category:Kenyan songs Category:1966 singles Category:1968 singles Category:1966 songs Category:The Tremeloes songs Category:CBS Records singles Category:Epic Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by Mike Smith (British record producer)