"Shakin' the Tree" is a 1989 song by

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

and Peter Gabriel from the Youssou N'Dour album '' The Lion''. Released as a single, it reached number 61 on the UK official singles chart on 3 June 1989. The following year, Gabriel released a new version on his greatest hits album ''

Shaking the Tree Shake may refer to: * Handshake * Milkshake * Tremor * Shakes (wood), cracks in timber * Shake (shingle), a wooden shingle made from split logs Shake, The Shakes, Shaking, or Shakin' may refer to: Geography * Shake, Zimbabwe * Shake, anothe ...

'', altering the title slightly and recording a new vocal take. This version was released as a double A-side single with "

Solsbury Hill Little Solsbury Hill (more commonly known as Solsbury Hill) is a small flat-topped hill and the site of an Iron Age hill fort, above the village of Batheaston in Somerset, England. The hill rises to above the River Avon, which is just over ...

", which reached number 57 on the UK official singles chart on 29 December 1990.

Composition and versions

The song follows a verse-chorus structure and its lyrics relate to the desire for female liberation in Senagal. Some of the vocals were sung in N'Dour's native

Wolof language Wolof (; Wolofal: ) is a language of Senegal, Mauritania, and the Gambia, and the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer language, Serer and Fula language, Fula, it belongs to the Senegambian languages, Senegam ...

. To promote the song, an accompanying music video was filmed in Africa. During the 1993–1994 Secret World Tour, an eight-foot tree designed by Gabriel and

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair l ...

emerged from the middle of a circular stage. A live recording from this tour was included on Gabriel's ''

Secret World Live ''Secret World Live'' is the second live album and tenth album overall by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 30 August 1994 in the UK. The album documents the concert experience of the Secret World Tour. A concert film of t ...

'' album in 1994.

David Bottrill David Bottrill is a Canadian record producer. He has won three Grammys. Formerly, he owned Rattlebox Studios in Toronto, Ontario with producer Brian Moncarz. Moneen, Basia Lyjak, and The Getaway Plan are among the artists to have recorded at th ...

was commissioned to remix the song as a b-side for Gabriel's 1993 "Kiss that Frog" single. Versions with additional vocals by

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer * Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse * Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspor ...

appeared on the soundtracks to ''

Jungle 2 Jungle ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' is a 1997 comedy film directed by John Pasquin, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and TF1 Films Productions, and starring Tim Allen, Martin Short, Lolita Davidovich, David Ogden Stiers, JoBeth Williams, and introducing Sam Hun ...

'' (1997) and ''

The Wild Thornberrys Movie ''The Wild Thornberrys Movie'' is a 2002 American animated adventure film based on the television series of the same name. Directed by Cathy Malkasian and Jeff McGrath, the film follows Eliza Thornberry, on her quest to save a cheetah cub named ...

'' (2002). The Bottril and ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' remixes were included on Gabriel's 2019 ''

Flotsam and Jetsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the r ...

'' compilation album.

Legacy

Ghanaian writer

Meri Nana-Ama Danquah Meri Nana-Ama Danquah (born 13 September 1967) is a Ghanaian-American writer, editor, journalist and public speaker, whose name at birth was Mildred Mary Nana-Ama Boakyewaa Brobby. She is best known for her 1998 memoir ''Willow Weep for Me: A Bl ...

highlighted the song in her book, ''Shaking the Tree'', saying that she drew "a lot of inspiration from the lyrics, which encourage women to challenge the status quo, to be the architects of our future."

Track listing

; 7-inch single (1989) # Youssou N'Dour & Peter Gabriel: "Shakin' the Tree" – 5:38 # Youssou N'Dour: "Old Tucson" – 4:20 ; CD/12-inch single (1989) # Youssou N'Dour & Peter Gabriel: "Shakin' the Tree" – 7:13 # Youssou N'Dour: "Old Tucson" – 4:20 # Youssou N'Dour: "Sweeping the Leaves" – 4:53

Personnel

Youssou N’Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

– lead and backing vocals * Peter Gabriel – lead and backing vocals, Yamaha CP80, Prophet D50 * George Acogny – CMI percussion sequencing, guitars, backing vocals *

Guy Barker Guy Jeffrey Barker, (born 26 December 1957) is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. Early life Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a yea ...

– trumpet * John Barclay – trumpet * Pete Beachill – trumpet * Roger Bolton – drum programming * Simon Clark – organ, piano, keyboard bass *

Habib Faye Habib Faye (November 22, 1965 – April 25, 2018) was a bassist, keyboardist, guitar soloist, arranger, composer and Grammy-nominated producer from Senegal. He was mostly known as the musical director for Youssou N'dour's Super Étoile de Dakar. He ...

– guitar, bass *

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

– drums * David Rhodes – electric and acoustic guitars * Phil Todd – saxophones

References

{{authority control Peter Gabriel songs 1989 songs 1989 singles 1990 singles Songs written by Peter Gabriel