- I've been having fun imagining how South Africans are responding to the news that DJ Call Me's "Marry Me" has been rereleased on vinyl by a European dance label, a decade after it became a smash hit there. Its YouTube video currently has 1.2 million views, and the comments seem to reflect its utter ubiquity. "When a taxi would pass playing this song to the max volume, while we are in class.... errbody would sing stand up and dance," said a user called Basetsana Lingwati. "One of the most hated yet most played song in South Africa," said another called P. J. Dlamini. The Scottish label Highlife, who first heard it in 2016 through the New York radio DJ SADAF, obviously felt what Basetsana Lingwati was feeling. "Marry Me" wasn't available to buy anywhere, so they began an "elaborate quest" to track down DJ Call Me, eventually making contact on WhatsApp and proposing a rerelease.
You'll be able to tell within 20 seconds why "Marry Me" split opinion. "I can't wait to marry you... my love," sings an uncredited female vocalist as the track blossoms into an achingly sweet slice of kwaito, as simple as it is sincere. The low-budget, high-vibes video moves between celebratory scenes in a township, a couple supping red wine as they prepare for the big day. I can see why people came to dislike "Marry Me," its relentless positivity will be way too much for some. But that doesn't stop me from adoring it. The release comes backed with "Dictionary (Remix)," a brash Euro dance track with kwaito snares. It's honestly quite bad, although, for me at least, it'd need to be shockingly bad to detract from the A-side. Annie Mac played "Marry Me" on Radio 1 recently, and DJs like Hunee and Palms Trax have been dropping it in clubs. Is it about to become an opinion-dividing smash all over again? I hope so.
TracklistA Marry Me
B Dictionary (Remix)