In a meeting of animals, some sit comfortably while others are pushed aside. “Some are sitting well, some are not,” the song says. In 1967, Ghanaians decided the song was not about animals.
“Ebi Te Yie”, which means “some are sitting well”, was released by Nana Kwame Ampadu and his African Brothers Band in 1967, the year after Kwame Nkrumah’s overthrow, under the military National Liberation Council. The lyrics told a story of animals in which the strong enjoyed comfort and the weak suffered. Listeners took it as a comment on inequality and power, and the song became a hit.
The African Brothers
Ampadu, born in 1945, formed the African Brothers Band in the early 1960s. They played guitar band highlife, the style rooted in palm wine music and the concert party tradition, with guitars, vocals and percussion. Ampadu was the band’s leader, guitarist, singer and main songwriter.
Guitar band highlife was the music of lorry stations, drinking bars and village funerals. It stayed closer to rural and small-town audiences than the big dance bands that played in the hotels of Accra, and it was sung mostly in Twi rather than English.
The band became one of the most successful in Ghana, recording hundreds of songs over several decades and touring Ghana, West Africa and beyond.
Storyteller
Ampadu was known for storytelling in song. Many of his songs were parables, proverbs and moral tales, sung mostly in Twi. This allowed him to comment on society and politics indirectly, a useful skill in times of military rule.
Honours
Ampadu received many honours over his long career, including lifetime achievement awards, and he was widely respected as an elder of Ghanaian music.
Death
Nana Kwame Ampadu died in September 2021. Tributes came from musicians, politicians and fans across Ghana, and his songs filled radio stations.
Legacy
Ampadu’s recordings are a record of Ghanaian life over more than fifty years: love, marriage, money, death, politics and faith. His guitar band highlife influenced later generations, and his songs are still played at funerals, weddings and parties.
Listening
For listeners new to Ghanaian highlife, Ampadu’s catalogue is a good place to start. “Ebi Te Yie” remains the essential track, but his many other songs reward exploration.
More than half a century later, Ghanaians still quote the title whenever someone points out who is sitting comfortably and who is not.
