7 Seconds

Youssou N'Dour featuring Neneh Cherry - 7 Seconds (1994)



Yeah, I'm not sure exactly what genre this is. Wikipedia says Trip-Hop and Darkwave. N'Dour sings this song in three different languages, French, English and Wolof which is the Senegalese language. Without lyrics, the song could be background music, very forgettable. The lyrics are apparently about the seven seconds after a child is born, before they are aware of everything. It's a little pretentious, and the tone is very downer. N'Dour sings very passionately, and Cherry has a nice voice, but the real thrill is the unexpected violin solo that starts in at 2:45. Immediately made me think of early Dummy era Portishead. In fact, now that I've listened to a few songs off of Dummy (also 1994) and re read this write up, I realized a few things.
1. That I have described the perfect Trip-Hop song without meaning too.
2. It's been a while since I've heard any Trip-Hop, and
3. I need to go back and listen to some more Portishead.