Angélique-Oh
First release by Jazz Majestic Group (1950)
- Written by
- [Traditional]
- Language
- Creoles and pidgins(Other)
- Comments
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During the first U.S. occupation of Haiti [1915 – 1934], after the U.S. commander Eli K. Cole sent his wife, Angelica, back to the U.S. because of marital problems, a song was born which is still heard today: “Anjeliko, Anjeliko, ale kay manman ou…” (“Angelica, Angelica, go on back to your mother’s house…”).
While its words concern a wife who does not know how to wash and iron and is sent back home, its true meaning was clear to all. Jean Fouchard, author of Meringues et Danses d’Haiti, calls it the first cry of “Yankee go home!” It was repeatedly played by popular and bourgeois bands to express the population’s desire to have their country un-occupied.
This song was so well received that it endured and was quickly adopted in night clubs around the country and played over and over again throughout the remaining years of the American occupation. The song is widely known in Haiti and is now generally regarded as a Haitian traditional song. - Licensing
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