‘Ameno’ has become known as ‘Dorime’ to the Nigerian mainstream in line with the opening lines of the song.
It’s 2:30 am on June 11, 2021 at a club in Government Housing Estate, Ado-Ekiti. A groom was due to get married the next morning, but he was still in the mood to party after he’d already gotten decked at the hotel where he lodged. Alongside a few friends, they were the main attraction of the club when they ordered the infamous ‘casket.’
As the gothically-clad masked undertakers dramatically brought in the four-foot casket while walking slowly, the DJ suddenly began to play ‘Ameno’ by E.R.A. As if everyone at the club knew what would ensue, they whipped out their phones to record for Snapchat and Instagram stories. Alongside the casket and the soundtrack came fireworks.
Speaking over the phone, the DJ on the night tells Pulse Nigeria that, “The song is easily suited to this occasion. It’s dramatic and slightly dark. It’s a no-brainer that we use it for the ‘casket procession.’ I only recently jumped on it myself, but the practice became popular on social media around the turn of 2021.”
What is ‘Ameno’ by ‘Era’?
In June 1996, ‘Ameno’ was released by French new-age project, E.R.A as a single off their eponymous debut album which dropped the same year and was re-released in 1998. The track was written by Eric Levi, who put the project together and conceived the idea.
The song is a unique brand of chamber music, with classical orchestra and ethereal choir themes.
The band and their songs like ‘Ameno’ are similar to acts like Enya, Gregoria, Enigma, Vangelis, Alphaville and more. Their vocals feel suited to grand orchestral stages and borrow from acts like Lisa Gerrard, Faun, Sacred Spirit and even the music of Hans Zimmer - for their suitability to movie soundtracks.
Euronet describes the music as, “a weird mix of Gregorian chant (performed by the English Chamber Choir), rock and disco.”
Musicians on the album and the song are Lee Sklar, Chester Thompson, Philippe Manca, Neal Wilkinson, Patrice Tison and Eric Levi.
While many have argued that ‘Ameno’ is gibberish and doesn’t identify with any language, several sources have claimed that E.R.A’s songs are heavily delivered in English and Latin. E.R.A is also influenced by 13th century doctrines of the French heretics, The Cathars, a conceptual dystopian metaphor for the band’s existence.
But in fact, ‘Ameno’ was delivered in pseudo-latin with lyrics that don’t exactly have any meaning. Nonetheless, ‘Ameno’ means ‘pleasant’ or ‘pleasantly.’
Wikipedia reports that, “The vocals [on ‘Ameno’] are performed by Guy Protheroe and Harriet Jay. Eric Lévi played keyboards and programmed it, whereas Philippe Manca played lead guitar, bass and drums. The choir rendition is by The English Chamber Choir.”
Source:
Pulse.ng
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