"Nelson Mandela" (known in some versions as "Free Nelson Mandela") is a song written by British musician Jerry Dammers, and performed by band The Special A.K.A. – with lead vocal by Stan Campbell – released on the single "Nelson Mandela"/"Break Down The Door" in 1984. It was a protest against the imprisonment of

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

by the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South African government The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa. Executive auth ...

, and is considered a notable anti-apartheid song. The backing vocals were performed by Molly and Polly Jackson, two girls the band's drummer John Bradbury had "met in a bar in Camden", while the chorus was performed by session singers including

Claudia Fontaine Claudia Fontaine (26 August 1960 – 13 March 2018) was an backing vocalist from Peckham, London. Career During the 1980s, Fontaine and fellow backing vocalist Caron Wheeler (and later, third member Naomi Thompson) were known as Afrodiziak. She ...

and

Caron Wheeler Caron Melina Wheeler (born 19 January 1963) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and musician. Born and raised in London, she performed in various singing competitions as a teenager and began her recording career as one of the found ...

, who later went on to appear with Soul II Soul. Unlike most protest songs, the track is upbeat and celebratory, drawing on musical influences from South Africa. The song peaked at number nine on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and was immensely popular in Africa. In December 2013, following the news of Nelson Mandela's death, the single re-entered at number 96 on the

Reception

Dammers told '' Radio Times'': "I knew very little about Mandela until I went to an anti-apartheid concert in London in 1983, which gave me the idea for 'Nelson Mandela'. I never knew how much impact the song would have: it was a hit around the world, and it got back into South Africa and was played at sporting events and ANC rallies. It became an anthem." Stan Campbell left the band right after the recording of the song and the release of the video for the song, and had to be persuaded to rejoin briefly for two live appearances on the BBC television show ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' in 1984. Following those appearances, Campbell left for good. In 1984, the students' union at Wadham College, Oxford, passed a motion to end every college "bop" (dance) with the song. The tradition continues to this day. A Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute remake, released in 1988, featured

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...

Dave Wakeling David Wakeling (born 19 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and General Public. Career Wakeling began his professional caree ...

, Ranking Roger and Lynval Golding on backing vocals. At the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute in London's Hyde Park in June 2008, the song was performed as the show's finale, with Amy Winehouse on lead vocals. However, careful listening to the soundtrack revealed that, instead of "Free Nelson Mandela", she at times sang "Free Blakey, My Fella" (a reference to her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, a former drug dealer imprisoned for assault). The song was featured on

Peter Kay Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books. Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...

's spoof television programme ''

Britain's Got the Pop Factor ''Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice'' is a British television comedy special co-created, co-written, directed, produced by and starring comedian Peter Kay. It premiered o ...

''. In March 2010, the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' listed it as one of the "Top 20 Political Songs".

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

and the E Street band opened with the song in January 2014, at the Bellville Velodrome in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa, in the band's first ever concert in South Africa, which took place just six weeks after Mandela's death. Springsteen later dedicated "We Are Alive" to Mandela.

Track listing

Recording of 1984

*CHS TT26 7"2Tone Discography Nelson Mandela release details.
/ref> # "Nelson Mandela" (Dammers) – 4:12 # "Break Down The Door!" (Dammers, Campbell, Bradbury) – 3:48 *CHS TT1226 12"2Tone Discography Nelson Mandela release details 12".
/ref> # "Nelson Mandela (Extended Version)" (Dammers) – 4:34 # "Break Down The Door! (Extended Version)" (Dammers, Campbell, Bradbury) – 5:01 *Chrysalis 12" 4V9 42793 – American Version # "Free Nelson Mandela (Club Mix)" (Dammers) – 6:28 # "Free Nelson Mandela (Instrumental Mix)" (Dammers) – 4:30 # "Free Nelson Mandela (LP Version)" (Dammers) – 4:07

Recording of 1988

*Tone FNM1 7" (70th Birthday Remake) # "Free Nelson Mandela (70th Birthday Remake)" (Dammers) # "Nelson Mandela (Original Version)" (Dammers) *Tone FNMX1 12" (70th Birthday Remake)2Tone Discography Nelson Mandela 1988 release details.
/ref> # "Free Nelson Mandela (The Whole World is Watching Dance Mix)" (Dammers) # "Nelson Mandela (Original Version)" (Dammers)

Personnel

Recording of 1984

– producer * Stan Campbell – lead vocals * Jerry Dammers – organ * John Shipley – guitar * Gary McManus – bass * John Bradbury – drums *

Rhoda Dakar Rhoda Dakar (born 1959) is a British singer and musician, best known as the lead singer of The Bodysnatchers, who were signed to the 2 Tone record label. She also worked with The Specials and Special AKA, also 2-Tone artists. Career Dakar, bo ...

– vocals * Molly Jackson – vocals * Polly Jackson – vocals * Dick Cuthell – trumpet * Andy Aderinto – saxophone * David Heath – flute * Paul Speare – penny whistle *

Afrodiziak Afrodiziak was a British singing group composed of Caron Wheeler, Claudia Fontaine, and later Naomi Thompson, that was active in the 1980s. As a duo, Wheeler and Fontaine were best known for performing backing vocals on the Jam's final single " ...

(Caron Wheeler, Naomi Thompson, Claudia Fontaine), Molly Jackson, Polly Jackson, Lynval Golding,

, Ranking Roger,

– backing vocals

Recording of 1988

* Jerry Dammers, Tom Fredrickes – producer * Ndonda Khuze – lead vocals * Jerry Dammers – bass program, drum program, keyboards * Rhythm Doctor – scratches * Jonas Gwangwa – trombone * Betty Boo Hlelea, Julia Mathunjwa, Pinise Saul – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control Songs about Nelson Mandela 1984 singles 1988 singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Jerry Dammers The Specials songs 2 Tone Records singles 1984 songs Songs about South Africa Songs about prison Songs about freedom Anti-apartheid songs Song recordings produced by Elvis Costello