Che Che Kule - Origin, Lyrics, & Videos

Edited by Azizi Powell

Revised 12/16/2016

This pancocojams post includes information, comments, YouTube examples, and text examples of the song which may be most widely known worldwide as "Che Che Kule".

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Ghanaian people for the folk song "Kye Kye Kule". Thanks to all those who are who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these YouTube sound files and videos and thanks to all those Thanks also to all those who published these examples on YouTube.

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ORIGIN & MEANINGS
"Che Che Kule" (Akan language: "Kye Kye Kule") is a traditional children's game song from Ghana, West Africa.

The Afro-Latin band Osibisa's 1972 recording "Che Che Kule" was one of the first records that popularized the Ghanaian folk song "Kye Kye Kule". Read below for more information about Osibisa. Also read below about Willie Colon's 1967 Salsa record whose chorus includes the words "che che kule".

In the United States "Che Che Kule" appears to be mostly sung while performing the imitative movements like the children's song "Head And Shoulders, Knees And Toes". A Ghanaian man who commented on a Mudcat folk music discussion thread that I started indicated that that is how he learned "Kye Kye Kule". However, a Ghanaian woman who commented on that same discussion thread wrote that she remembers it as a ring chasing game similar to "duck duck goose".*

I'm not sure how "Kye Kye Kule" was traditionally played in Ghana or how (and if) that game is played now.

*Read the Mudcat discussion forum comments given below after the showcase videos.

Both "Che Che Kule" and "Kye Kye Kule" are pronounced "Shay Shay KOO-lay".

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Unfortunately, I have not yet found any videos of Ghanaian children singing or playing any "Kye Kye Kule" games.

These examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube, with the oldest example given first.

Example #1: a Salsa version of "Che Che Kule"

Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon- "Che Che Cole" and "Machito"



Posted by jnyc101 / January 23, 2007

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Example #2: Osibisa - Che Che Kule (Heads)



Uploaded by Feralbt on Sep 16, 2008
-snip-
Osibisa is a band, founded in London in the year 1969 by four African and three Caribbean musicians, who peaked in popularity in the 1970s. They were one of the first widely popular African band.

I believe that Osibisa's "Kye Kye Kule" was the record that first popularized "Che Che Kule" in the United States and in other Western nations.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osibisa for information about this Afro-Pop band. Here's a quote from that page:

"Osibisa are a British Afro-pop band, founded in London in 1969 by four expatriate African and three Caribbean musicians.[1] Their music is a fusion of African, Caribbean, jazz, funk, rock, Latin, and R&B. Osibisa were one of the first African-heritage bands to become widely popular and linked with the world music description.

"The name Osibisa was described in lyrics, album notes and interviews as meaning "criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness" but it actually comes from "osibisaba" the Fante word for highlife."
-snip-
"Highlife" is a type of music that originated in Ghana in the 1900s. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana for more information about Ghana. Also, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlife for information about "highlife".
-snip-
Fante (Fanti) is a language that is spoken by a group of the Akan people of Ghana. The Ashanti (Asante) may be the best known Akan people in the United States due to their production of colorful kinte cloth as well as their Sankofa symbol and other adinkra symbols.

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Video #3: Shay Shay Koolay

Shay Shay Koolay



Posted by ElanaMichele, November 03, 2008

South African children performing "Kye Kye Kule".

"Thina, Noroza, and Hope lead Shay Shay Koolay in the field behind Sivuyiseni. Check out www.artworkforyouth.com."

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Example #4: "Kye Kye Kule" performed by American children:

Kye Kye Kule - Robertson



doitmusically, Sep 24, 2009

The SK class singing a children's song from Ghana.
-snip-
Added Jun 10, 2020. This video replaces another 2009 video of American children singing Kye Kye Kule (also given as "Che Che Kule". That video is no longer available.

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Video #5: The Ghana Bigshots - Kyekye Kule - AFH603



Afrikafestival Hertme, Published on Sep 17, 2014

Probably the best “young band” in Ghana at the moment, the Ghana Bigshots present their first album ‘Tu Na Me Nsa’ in April 2014. Originally formed in 2008, the band came to its present line-up 2 years ago, and has since then steadily improved.

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ADDED NOVEMBER 2017

Video #6: Ghanian Song for Kids' Music Class - Kye Kye Kule.AVI



Tema Lee, Published on Oct 29, 2012

Here's a very good Ghanian activity song you can teach your preschool and kindergarten kids. This class was taught by Laura Etemah.
-snip-
The woman's last name suggests that she is from Ghana or the Ivory Coast (i.e. an Akan speaker which I believe is the population from which this song originated.)

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COMMENTS ABOUT THE GHANAIAN FOLK SONG "KYE KYE KULE"
Here's a comment from a guest on a discussion thread that I started on "Che Che Kule":
"Subject: RE: Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Feb 10 - 06:43 PM

Im from ghana and I have to say that Kofi is a ghana name and alot of the words in the song i can understand. I have been singing this song since I was a child. My mother knows it, my grandmother knows it and my great grand mother knows It. I recently caught the spanish verson on the radio and started singing along right away. I was very surprised someone else from another part of the world had made a song with my childhood play song. The song has been around for a least a few centuries Its not surprising that there have been different versions made."
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=108069 [Hereafter given as Mudcat "Che Che Kule"]

Editor: "Kofi" is an Akan (language/ethnic group from Ghana, West Africa and Côte d’Ivoire) personal name that means "male born on Friday". Notice the various versions of "kofi sa" that are found in the examples given below.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_namesfor information on Akan day names.

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[UPDATE May 4, 2015]
Here are two other comments from that Mudcat discussion thread:
Subject: RE: Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Jan 08 - 10:25 AM
Here's an excerpt of the email that Quakoo [a Ghanaian man] sent to cocojams.com * about Kye Kye Kule in response to my questions to him about this song:

"I made some enquiries about this song. It is a Ga game but because of our school system which promotes ethnic fusion it has become a national thing. My dad couldn't really tell me the meaning of the words, but said that the words: "Salanga" is a name used by northerners [members of ethnic groups who live in the Northern part of Ghana] (could be Dagomba, Frafra or Gonja) so Kofi Salanga is a northern boy. And when singing the song,with the pronouncement of every sentence you touch your body in ascending and descending order. When you start "kyekye kule" (you touch your shoulders with both hands and those responding kyekye kule will do likewise, continue to your waist, knees and the toes) and this continues till you reach your toes and then you start all over again.

Kyekye kule on national t.v (called Ghana T.V or GTV) was a children's programme, and it was so popular that I never for once missed an episode. It was hosted by an old teacher. It was filled with several other Ghanaian games"...
-snip-
*Cocojams.com is my cultural website that I voluntarily closed in 2014. Quakoo later changed the spelling of his name to Kwaku on that Mudcat forum. He wrote to share that "kye" is the Akan spelling for that word, but he didn't indicate what, if anything, "kye" meant.

"Ga" is the name of an ethnic group in Ghana, West Africa. The Northern region is one of 10 regions in Ghana. Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana and other websites for more information about Ghana, West Africa.

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Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: Azizi
Date: 15 May 09 - 02:22 PM

Here is an email about "Kye Kye Kule" that I received today from a Ghanaian woman, Abena Gyebi:

"Sorry, cocoyam, You see I have always known the Ghanaian children's song Kye kye kule. The Kum adende or Kum aye dei was always part of it. I do not believe it is a later addition; I mean I'm into my fifties and I've always known it with the Kum. Maybe it's because the people you talked to were male. I guess when we as girls were playing kye kye kule they were busy playing football or so.(Or hunting rats?-:)

'Kum' apart from its Akan meaning - to kill- is also the sound made when something falls heavily on the ground,like a child falling or something dropping.

The other version of the game was,instead of running behind the circle and tapping someone on the shoulder, one bent down and dropped a piece of cloth behind one of those sitting in the circle. It was supposed to be done so artfully that the one with the piece of cloth did not notice it.The singing and clapping then got more exciting as the runner got closer and closer to where she had dropped the piece of cloth. If the sitting person still did not notice the cloth, she got a 'boo' or a smack on the shoulder for being inattentive. On the other hand, if she got alerted, she would then run as fast as possible chasing the first runner until the first runner took her place in the circle. Then she would take over the kye kye kule and look for another person behind whom she would drop the piece of cloth. This version of kye kye kule was an adaptation of another children's game we called 'anto akyire'"
-snip-
Abena Gyebi is correct that the only Ghanaians who have given me information about this song are males. I'm very grateful that she has shared this performance information and information about the meaning of the word "Kum" in that song.

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LYRICS AND PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES IN GHANA FOR THE FOLK SONG "KYE KYE KULE"
Example #1
Kye kule
Kye kye kule.
Kye kye kofi sa x2
kofi salanga x2
Salatilanga x2
kum ayede , kumayede , kumayede
[Source: information given to Azizi Powell by request from Ghanaian man whose name I don't recall; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1980s]

Performance: Hide & Seek game
For more information on the performance information & the meaning of some of the words to this song, visit Mudcat "Che Che Kule"

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Example #2
Kyekule,
Kyekyekule.
Kyekye kofi sa x2
Kofi salanga x2
Salatilanga x2
kum ayede , kumayede , kumayede
[Source: information given to Azizi Powell by request from Nana Kwesi Afriya, from Ghana (Akan) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2004]

Performance: Ring Game (similar to how "Duck Duck Goose" is performed in the USA)
For more information on the words and the performance information that was shared with me, visit Mudcat "Che Che Kule"]

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PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES FOR THE SONG "CHE CHE KULE" IN THE UNITED STATES
Example #1
Che Che Kule
Che Che Kofisa
Kofisa Langa
Langa te Lange
Kum Adende
Kum Adende. Kum.
[Source: Pittsburgh Public School District, elementary music song book, mid 1990s]

Performance instruction: a children's movement game similar to how "Head & Shoulders" is played in the USA

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Example #2
Che Che Koolay
(an echo song from Africa)

Che Che Koolay , (Che Che Koolay)
Che Che Kofinsa, (Che Che Kofinsa)
Kofinsa langa, (Kofinsa langa)
Kata che langa, (Kata che langa)
Koom a dayn-day, (Koom a dayn-day),
Koom a dayn-day, (Koom a dayn-day),
Koom a dayn-day - HEY!

[Performance Activity]
Pat your head,
Wiggle your fingers,
Give your leg a shake
Pat your tummy
Bow down & welcome the day.
[Source: http://www.patana.ac.th/music/Year%201%20Show/Che_Che_Koolay.htm
-snip-
It appears that "Kye Kye Kule" is the only African song, or one of very few African songs that has been included in music books or otherwise taught in various American schools (as per text examples and YouTube videos online, and as per my personal experience. The version given above as Example #2 may be the version that is most often taught to Americans (in the United States).

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OTHER FORMS OF CHE CHE KULE
SALSA
Puerto Rican musician Willie Colón (born in the USA) and Puerto Rican vocalist Hector Lavoe recorded a version of "Che Che Cole" on several of his albums, including their 1967 "El Malo" album and the album "Cosa Nuestra". A video of that version is found below. Here's the chorus of that Salsa version:

Che che colé, (que bueno e'………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e' la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeiyeee, (a ver e' tu lo ve………)

[as posted by Guest, ada in December 2008 on Mudcat: "Che Che Kule"]

Click
http://www.metrolyrics.com/che-che-cole-lyrics-marc-anthony.html for Spanish words to the complete song as performed by Marc Anthony. That version includes the lines:
"Che che colé,
que bueno e
Che che cofiza,
muerto 'e la risa"

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"CHE CHE KULE" FOOT STOMPING CHEERS IN THE USA
I observed one example of children's (African American girls) foot stomping cheer called "Shay Shay Kukalay" (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1987. I have also collected several versions of foot stomping cheers called "J. J. Kool Aid". I believe that these cheers were based on the Ghanaian children's song "Kye Kye Kule" (although that doesn't appear to be known by those children). According to comments posted in that Mudcat thread on "Che Che Kule" that I started in 2008, Americanized versions of "Che Che Kule" were performed in various schools in the USA as early as the 1970s, often by African drumming & dance groups. It therefore isn't all that surprising that children would have created a cheer based on their memory of that song. Here's one example of those foot stomping cheers:

Soloist #1: Jay Jay Kukalay
Group: Jay Jay Kukalay
Soloist: #1 Salesah lahndah
Group: Salesah lahndah
Soloist #1: Step back, Shalanda (or "back, back Shalonda:)
Group: Step back, Shalanda
Soloist: #1 Oosh, my lover boy!
Group Oosh, my lover boy! (or "Oosh Oosh, my lover boy")
Soloist #1: I’m callin on,
I’m callin on
I’m callin on Rhonda!

[Immediately repeat the cheer from the beginning with a new soloist. Substitute the name or nickname of that soloist in the line "I'm callin on ____". Continue until every member of the group has had one turn as the soloist].
-African American girls, ages around 6-12 years (Lillian Taylor Summer Camp, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1987) audio recorded by Tazi Powell, transcribed by Azizi Powell 1999

I collected similar version of that foot stomping cheer from the late 1980s Washington D.C. entitled "J. J. Koolaid".

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