Timi Dakolo - "Iyawo Mi" (A Nigerian Wedding Song)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video of Timi Dakolo's song "Iyawo Mi". The Yoruba translations that I've found online for the word "iwayo" are "my wife and "my bride".

Information about Timi Dakolo is also included in this post along with this song's lyrics and selected comments from that video's discussion thread. One of these comments is written in Yoruba (and translated to English via Google translate). A sub-thread that is included in this comment compilation, and a couple of other comments include Nigerian Pidgin English words and phrases.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Timi Dakolo for writing and performing this song. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, thanks to Clarence Peters and all others who were involved with the production of this video, and the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT TIMI DAKOLO
From http://africax5.tv/artist/timi-dakolo-timidakolo Biography:
"Name: Timi Dakolo @timidakolo
Real name: Donald Timiebi Dakolo

Timi Dakolo is a Ghanaian born Nigerian. He was born to a Nigerian father and a Ghanaian mother but raised by his grandmother in Port Harcourt.* He was a founding member of the Purple Love singing group in 2003 in Port Harcourt Nigeria but the group disbanded in 2005 as its members had gained admission into the University of Port Harcourt. He is the winner of the first season of Idols West Africa. He was declared the winner in May 2007. Before going to Idols West Africa Timi was a student of Communication Studies in the University of Port Harcourt.

Timi Dakolo released his first single comprising three songs in October 2009.In December 2010 he signed up with Now Muzik and in July 2011 his debut album Beautiful Noise was released into the music market.In 2012 he released the hit single Great Nation.His awards include Hip-Hop Awards for the Best Recording of the year 2010."...
-snip-
* "Port Harcourt is the capital and largest city of Rivers State, Nigeria." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Harcourt

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From http://www.olamildent.com/2014/02/nigerias-king-of-soul-timi-dakolo.html by Olamild Ent,
February 11, 2014
"Timi Dakolo; Nigeria’s King of Soul has announced the release of his new single ‘Iyawo Mi’ off his forthcoming album.

Iyawo Mi produced by Cobhams Asuquo is a love letter delivered with soft soulful vocals by Timi Dakolo and a traditional melody surrounded by horns that add an amazing feel to the song...

Timi Dakolo has teamed up with Clarence Peters* for the video of his romantic hit “Iyawo Mi” produced byCobhams Asuquo. The 1970s inspired video was shot in Ogun State, Nigeria with a vintage Mercedes Benz, decade appropriate costumes and other props.

The video shows the journey of a newlywed couple; played by Timi Dakolo and his wife, Busola through good and difficult times. “I’m really proud of this video,” says Timi Dakolo. “I have always wanted to do a vintage video that was fun and features my wife. “Iyawo Mi” was inspired by her so it was just right that she played a part in it. We had an awesome time.”

“Iyawo Mi” is the lead single for Timi’s forthcoming album – Love and Consequences."...
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timi_Dakolo for more information about Timi Dakolo.

*Here's information about Clarence Peters from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Peters
"Clarence Peters (born Clarence Abiodun Peters) is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of CAPital Dream Pictures, a production company that specialises in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video."...

"Johnny" by Yemi Alade is another video that was produced by Clarence Peters which is showcased in a pancocojams post. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/07/yemi-alade-johnny-nigerian-afrobeat.html for that post.

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LYRICS - IYAWO MI
(Timi Dakolo)

Like an angel in the morning
Shooting star across the night
The most beautiful girl I've seen in all my life
Every second spent with you is like a day that starts brand new
Girl I'm so amazed at all the things you do
Yes I wanna build my whole world around you
So I promise you forever and for always
Girl you are my sunshine baby don't you go away

Chorus:
Iyawo mi
Ololufe mi
Ore mi
Alayo mi
I will love you forever
Iyawo mi
Ololufe mi
Ore mi
Alayo mi
I will love you forever

Verse 2:
I hear music in your words
And in the way you call my name
When you're by my side I can't do anything
You're my best friend
You're my lover
Without you no one else will do
Through thick and thin I know we'll make it
through
Yes I wanna build my whole world around you
So I promise you forever and for always
Girl you are my sunshine baby don't you go away

Chorus:
Iyawo mi
Ololufe mi
Ore mi
Alayo mi
Say I will love you forever
Iyawo mi
Ololufe mi
Ore mi
Alayo mi
I will love you forever

Verse 3:
My baby my baby
You are my sunshine
My lover my essence
There's no one like you
My baby my baby
You are my sunshine
My lover my essence
There's no one like you

Chorus:
Iyawo mi
Ololufe mi
Ore mi
Alayo mi
Say I will love you forever
Iyawo mi
Ololufe mi
Ore mi
Alayo mi
Say I will love you forever

Outro

My sugar, my honey, my lover
I will love you forever
My baby, my lover and my best friend
I will love you forever
I place no woman above you
I will love you forever
I promise to always love you baby
I will love you forever
And there's no one that comes close
I will love you forever more
And ever and ever and ever more
I will love you forever
Cause you are my baby, my sunshine, my …..
I will love you forever
And when there's nothing more to say
I will love you forever
Forever and ever and ever and ever

posted in the discussion thread for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzjSFoTYFG8 by Shola Akinyemi, 2015
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Timi Dakolo - Iyawo Mi [Official Video]



timidakolo Go to http://iroking.com/artist/58/timi-dakolo for FREE Nigerian music

New music video by Timi Dakolo, performing 'Iyawo Mi', starring his wife, Busola. (c) 2014 After Dark Entertainment.

timidakolo, Published on Aug 13, 2014

Directed by Clarence Peters.
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Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread. These comments are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube with the oldest dated comment given first, excerpt for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.

2015
1. Ogochukwu Nnaemeka
"love this song. Timi this is classic. Keep it up!"

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2. Moses Seriki
"the simplicity of the percussion and guitar is exceptional.. they make the core of this song. I like the blend traditional jazz horns fills.. The presence of the voice is on point. I give this 101/100..."

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3. Benjamin GNS
"Na cameroon I comot but i dey situated in the UK..1Love to nollywood meen u guys are too much"
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Here's information about the term "Nollywood" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nollywood
..."The origin of the term "Nollywood" remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in The New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema. The term continue to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later believed to be a portmanteau of the words "Nigeria" and "Hollywood", the American major film hub."...

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Reply
4. #official Novemebr kennedy
"+Benjamin GNS na sooo we are one my brotherrr.."

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5. ONI ENIOLA
"+Benjamin GNS same bro"

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6. it'smyG
"What is the meaning of the song please? I love it."

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7. Miss O
"Iyawo mi: my wife
Ololufe mi: my lover
Alayo mi: the person who brings me joy
The rest is in English"

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8. Reply
Miss O
"And ore mi: my friend"

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9. Jummy Emiloju
"So beautiful 😢😢 definitely my one of my wedding songs. Hopefully he can song this song to me on my wedding day 💜💜😍👏"

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10. Lily Wills
"I like this song pls can someone explain the local language bit in the chorus for me:) tnx"

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11. Damie Adegbite
"iyawo mi- my wife
ololufe mi- my love
ore mi- my friend
alayo mi- my happiness"

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12. Nollywood Maria (NollywoodandMaria)
"beautiful song, beautiful lyrics, beautiful voice, beautiful video. 😍"

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13. Kwesi Yawson
"Nigbati mo gbọ lati yi song, ati ki o mo ti a ti fetí sí yi ojoojumọ fun nipa 7weeks bayi , mo ba gbagbe mi iyawo jẹ eda eniyan . Mo ti o kan laifọwọyi gbagbe eyikeyi aiyede nitori orin yi asọye rẹ . Mo ni ife ti o mi Adjoa"
-snip-
Google translate from Yoruba to English:
When I listen to this song, and I was listening to this daily for about 7weeks now, I forget my wife is human. I just automatically forget any misunderstanding because this track commentary. I love you my Adjoa
-snip-
Kwesi (Kwasi, Kosi) is an Akan day name meaning "male born on Sunday" and Adwoa (Ajua or Adjoa) is an Akan day name meaning "female born on Monday" Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/07/akan-days-of-week-akan-day-names-and.html for a pancocojams post on Akan day names and their meanings.

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14. Geeve Temitope
"Best Cinematography(NMVA)
Timi Dakolo — ‘Iyawo Mi’ (Clarance Peters)

Well deserving..... one of the songs for my wedding coming up in December. #TimiDakolo #IyawoMi #Wedding #Love"
-snip-
NMVA = Nigerian Music Video Awards

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15. Carmen IgboGirl
"Omg I love this song I can't wait for this song to be heard and shared by everyone it's so worth it . The song is so beautiful and the video is so adorable and to top it all off I just heard that the woman in the video is actually his wife in real life. So beautiful!
PS: I play this song non stop in my car I never get tired of it"

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16. Obinna Ubah
"I have followed time dakolo from day 1 at the west african idols, Timi Dakolo if you are reading this you are the best singer, songwriter in nail, ur lyrics are perfect, your voice is international. You dey ur own class i swear!!!! just remain there no mix with all these kpokirikpo artists abeg"
-snip-
The word "abeg" is used a number of times in the friendly comment exchange that is found immediately below this note. Here's some information about the Nigerian Pidgin (English) meaning of that word:
From http://neologisms.rice.edu/index.php?a=term&d=1&t=2840
"Abeg:
verb; blending
Please Abeg is derived from the term “I beg” in the English language. As a result of blending the “I” due to dialect and an accent has been replaced by an “a” sound blended with the “beg.” It does not exactly translate to the meaning of “I beg” in English, as “I beg” is formal and signifies an urgent plea. In Nigerian English “abeg” is used very informally and frequently just as “please” is used in English. For example, one can say, “Abeg leave the girl alone so she doesn’t end up crying.” or “Abeg stop it before I slap you!”"

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17. Peace Otebele
"The ending was too cute!!!"

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Reply
18. Missy J
"Peace you don reach here??!!!! Keep showing yaself!"

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19. Peace Otebele
"+Missy J ahahahahahahah this pikin!!! Where ur leg no dey reach? Ur here too. Na me first come o so seat down 4 back."

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20. Missy J
"+Peace Otebele You and this your 'seat down for back' abeg the car and Chris are all yours. Who lie??? when Timi release this video nah me watch am first. Ask him!!"

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21. Peace Otebele
"+Missy J lol.... infact I even saw you in the video sef... lol #happyindependenceday"

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22. Missy J
"+Peace Otebele LOOL sure say nah from your heart you take wish me this thing? what If I tell you I'm not Nigerian??"

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23. Peace Otebele
"hehehehe.... then i will tell you that not only am I not in nigeria, I am Ghanaian!!
mic is yours now ooo.."

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24. Missy J
"+Peace Otebele Kaaaai this pikin too like talk. So you haven't heard of this Idiom "let's agree to disagree"? Loool see you people are claiming better country you are here struggling Ghana, Oh I forgot you married to a Ghanaian. well, actually am from * I'm coming may I blow something"

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25. Peace Otebele
"Lol..!!! u never blow the thing finish?? me dey wait since last year here....or u no remember ur village name again? which one u dey na."

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26. Missy J
"+Peace Otebele Buahahahaha am from Chad republic. As ah talk am now shey they credit your account??!!eyesrolling"

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27. Peace Otebele
"+Missy J what!!!!!!!!! I put 2 hand for head dey shout impossible' but everything is possible... I swear ehn I b think say u be Nigerian ooh. Wow... am shocked. U don win o clap 4 ur sef"

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28. Missy J
"You see!! keep showing yaself! Typical Naija woman, they won't wait for you to die before they bury you. Keep screaming 'impossible' while I chill with my Alomo bitters....abeg someone should pass me the thing joreh! Actually I stay among Nigerians so I was forced to adjust(no bad one ooh) but their lifestyle ain't bad, they are happy people with so much energy. What part of Nigeria are you from?"

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29. Peace Otebele
"+Missy J lol.... pas me the bitter lemon oh. So you have been transformed to a Nigeria.. u don become transformer. Me sha come from everywhere. I am multi cellular lol... diversity na my surname. Yoruba, Urhobo, Edo. I fit dash u one sef"

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30. Missy J
"+Peace Otebele LOOOL this geh you too funny abeg@Multi cellular, diversity na my surname. Eheeeen??!! is that all??!! not my type biko. So no small Igbo??? abegi shift one side but wait oooh how come??? Yoruba "
etc."

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31. Peace Otebele
"+Missy J lol my name is Ufuoma but u can call me ifeoma u c d igbo der...use am take sew shirt since na igbo u like. My dad is Yoruba and urhobo his mom and day... my mom is fully Edo... that should do oh..."

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32. Missy J
"Abeg e do, I no dey use am do anything sef. Hmmmmm Peaaaaacccccccccceeeeeeeeeeee!!! when your name enter Ufuoma and Ifeoma?? that Ifeoma cannot sew a bow tie so don't bother.
Woooow your diversity no get part 2. Nah your children I pity cause they'll now have to add Ghana to their errmmm..(english don hook me, Shey you understand?)"

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Peace Otebele
32. "+Missy J hahahaha u know it!!! Ghanaian husbby... anywha sha where in this universe are u..?? We need to link up"

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Sonia Nwakanma
33. "Beautiful song; amazing video but...Brazillian hair in the 60s? Haba!"

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34. Favour Oluwole
"+Sonia Nwakanma what is your business with the hair? Are they advertising the hair? You should have just left it at Beautiful song; amazing video"

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35. osas e
"Guys, I don't see anything wrong with Sonia's critique. I totally agree with the first part of her comment. Yes, the song is truly beautiful and the video truly amazing, and these sentiments she rightly expressed. However, I also agree with the second part of her comment. By "Brazilian hair in the 60s," she was only pointing out that the video would have been better for it if the ladies' hairstyles had stayed true to the era that was being depicted, just as the director had managed to do with the outfits and car. Make una take am easy o. No be fight."

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36. MsIreneFaith [2016]
"the flop is that Brazilian hair and all these wigs that people think started now have been from way back I know aunties in the 70's that used to buy Brazilian hair but in those days it was not available to the masses and it was EXPENSIVE!"

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37. One3snapshot [2016]
"+Sonia Nwakanma I feel you. But I also see a lot of discordance in the video. I don't know that I would say this was a 60s aesthetic though, the style of the brides dress and the bridesmaids dresses and the loose cut of his suit do not look 60s at all to me. This all looks more 80s to me."

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38. Joseph Lepe [2016]
"+Sonia Nwakanma you made a point. so they can avoid that kind of mistake in the future. dont worry about your critics. u already said its amazing song."

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39. abisola agbaje
"my bruv sang this song to his bride on their wedding, since then i have been lost in love with the song. How come there are just a little over 30,000 views? this song is hawt!"

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40. Obiajulu Ifeanyi
"This is an apt song and should bag awards. Timi, do not be discouraged by the minimal number of viewers as against what it should be. We are in the generation where most people feel that their the number of viewers they have on social media makes them better. Keep doing it this way and you will keep making my likes happy. Any day I come back home and wanna do my wedding, I will appreciate your presence. I love your work. God bless you."

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41. Stephen Oke
"This is a master-piece. Best song by a mile in Nigeria and definetly the best song summarizing what marraige truly means. Proud to be from the same country as you. Forever Naija!!!"

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42. Michael Bass
"Very very dope"
-snip-
"Dope" is African American Vernacular English for "good".

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43. Rensky
"Good Haitan music played by a brother, I like it"

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Reply
44. Benjamin GNS
"+rens marvin Its nigerian. haba"

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45. Rensky
"what i'm trying to say it's the style is from haiti, they call it compa. i know he's from nigeria but the style he's playing now remind me my childhood in haiti ."

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46. Now now
"what we're trying to say is that our Timi does not know your little francophone Haiti. your styles come from us. We're your source, in everything. Appreciate the originality or vamoose from African works."

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47. Rensky
"+Now now haiti mayybe a little country but when its come to music we are one of the great countries in the world, and thats not originality, thats pure copy"

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48. Ketsia Jolie
"Just because he said it sounds like Haitian music shouldn't be a big deal we are the same. Same culture. Damn you can tell him he's Nigerian without putting another country down. We are the same."
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The initial comment in this sub-thread and the "We are all the same” comment resulted in a number of very contentious and profanity laden exchanges which are not included in this compilation.

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2016
49. Dayo Ajibade
"High life flavour. Love it."

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50. wunmi adekunle
"This is officially my best song rt now. fell in love with it after hearing it in a movie and had to look it up. God bless ur voice Timi. keep up d good work."

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51. Emmanuel Goodman
"I actually saw a beautiful proposal on Facebook with this music playing. that's what brought me here."

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52. aideyan Iz bella
"I don't know which one I love best, is it the video storyline or the angelic lyrics."

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53. worlanyo sallah
"Please what is the meaning of the chorus ?"

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54. seun moluga
"+worlanyo sallah the chorus means-my wife, my love, my sweetheart, i will love u forever"

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55. mz Bella
"Wow lovely this song can't wait my husband to sing for me on my wedding day"

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56. Emmanuel Chidiogo
"+mz Bella I will :)"

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