Mariazelle

Ebullient, exuberant, and unforgettable

Musician friends of singer and musician Mariazelle Goonatilleke who passed away at age 68 on July 10 performed an acoustic version of her iconic 1977 hit ‘Kandy Lamissi’ at her funeral. Her fans identified themselves with it so much that Mariazelle became synonymous with ‘Kandy Lamissi’ over the years. But there is much more to her than that.

Mariazelle Goonathilake

The song was originally improvised and sung more as a naughty limerick by Kitto Chandrasena, drummer of the band Blue Sapphires. Mariazelle was part of that band, and she heard Kitto sing it, tapping on a desk, during breaks

Mariazelle was born in Nugegoda, just past Colombo city limits, home to so much of this country’s musical talent. She started singing at age seven, won an islandwide talent competition when she was just ten years old, and was already an established and sought after singer and musician before she achieved national stardom in 1977 with ‘Kandy Lamissi.’

Despite a serious accident, she  kept performing until the final few months of her life, bringing out a song about her childhood memories in 2025.

It’s unfair to classify her as a pop and baila singer. An admirer of Nanda Malini, she could excel in any musical genre, but  felt more at home in the pop milieu as that’s where her closest friends and colleagues such as Clarence Wijewardene reigned. But her song ‘Sihina Nelum Mal’ is a tribute to her versatility as a singer,  and proof she was capable of more ‘serious’ stuff if she chose that path. But that didn’t interest the ebullient Mariazelle.

Listening to her voice, in song or as she talks in numerous radio, TV and You Tube interviews, one can describe her as irrepressible as well. This quality bursts to the surface together with a shining generosity whether she speaks of family, musician friends and colleagues. 

Mariazelle, the middle child in a family of three children,  hails from a distinguished, pioneer artistic and musical background. Her father was a grandson of John de Silva, the driving force behind  the great Tower Hall nadagam theatre tradition a century ago. Her mother Sylvia Maureen Therese was Burgher. Mariazelle said her mother was the ever helpful, patient one who stitched her performing dresses from age ten onwards, bought matching shoes, and waited patiently for hours till concerts concluded. 

According to Mariazelle, her father recognised her talent very early and encouraged it, buying her a baby guitar. Growing up, Mariazelle played Hawaiian guitar. But her instincts led her to start playing rhythm with acoustic guitar. 

Her skills were enhanced when her father gifted her with  a  Spanish classical guitar. Mariazelle followed with singing lessons, learnt keyboards as well, and was already a sought-after singer of Western pop before she achieved star status with the iconic ‘Kandy Lamissi’ at the tender age of 19.

That song stands out in our crowded Baila repertoire, not just because it’s bilingual, but  mainly due to the hypnotic quality of its lyrics. But, before we delve into that, we should look at Mariazelle’s school background. She was educated at St. John’s Nugegoda, then a convent. 

Because of her surname ‘Goonatileke,’ the school wanted to enroll her in the Sinhala medium. But Mariazelle’s father argued and convinced the school’s authorities that, since her mother’s ‘maw bhashawa’ (mother tongue)  was English, she should be taught in the English medium.

That gave her not only an excellent command of English, but also a superb grasp of the metaphors and similes of English literature. People with that background have superior linguistic skills. Mariazelle re-wrote the first three verses of ‘Kandy Lamissi’ and wrote the fourth verse. She wrote a fifth verse which was not recorded because of harsh economics. Singles came out in the 1970s as 45rpm vinyl records, and any length exceeding the standard three and a half minutes cost more money.

The song was originally improvised and sung more as a naughty limerick by Kitto Chandrasena, drummer of  Blue Sapphires. Mariazelle was part of that band, and she heard Kitto sing it, tapping on a desk, during breaks.

“It was naughty and you couldn’t sing it in public as it was. But it was funny, and I asked Kitto if I could re-write and sing it,” Mariazelle said later in an interview. “He agreed.”

I consider ‘Kandy Lamissi’ to be one of the most original and mind-provoking Sinhala songs, whether we call it baila or pop. The imagery is often startling, and that shows Mariazelle’s linguistic skills. It’s not high-flown (there’s no need for that) but it’s appeal lies in the startling juxtaposition of imagery,   almost surrealistic  (Ethakota what maiyokka/I am your sudu Bonikka/I am your one and only Kandy lamissi)  of a very playful kind, with a childish, cartoon-like appeal (you’re my atasakilla/I am your lassana kella/you’re my one and only Kandy lamissi).

The only other baila which even comes close (as far as the lyrics are concerned) is ‘Irene Josephine Rosalin Angelene) by Wally Bastian,  an equally exuberant song. M. S. Fernando has  very interesting lyrics in some songs, but these were written by Karunaratne Abeysekara, a lyricist of genius (for e.g. Ranwan watha babalanne/Mal mal madahasa denne/Naari latha leele papa paade nagaala/Chandrasikaa kanda kapa enna ebeelaa).

In fact, Mariazelle doesn’t claim credit for any songwriting. In a radio interview, she gave full credit for Kandy Lamissi to her friend, without even mentioning that she re-worked the first three verses and wrote the fourth verse. But it’s high time her talent for song writing too, was recognised – “I Am your Helen Kumari/and you’re my Elvis Presley/Oh I’m your one and only kandy lamissi” – it’s not easy to write that, and then put that alongside lyrics in Sinhala, and make it work (for those who don’t know, Helen Kumari was a famous dancer/actress in 1970s Sinhala cinema).

There are other versions as to who sang Kandy Lamissi first (as a song, not just a funny limerick tapping on tables). This writer does not wish get drawn into any controversy over that. The information on these pages is drawn from two interviews given by Mariazelle – a video interview done by Kelum Wijesuriya, followed by a Ran FM Ransara Rathriya radio interview.

She speaks very generously of Clarence Wijewardene and Sunil Perera of Gypsies. She knew Clarence from very early on as he used to walk past her home to Nelu’s recording studio. She played guitar and keyboards for a band formed by him, and went on to sing several duets with Clarence later. Her second hit ‘Yowun Sihina Loke’ dates from this time, and she recalls happily that it inspires the young to sing and dance even now.

Her first song with ‘Gypsies’ Sunil was a cover of an old hit (Mama Manamali Obe). This was followed by the hit ‘Ai Aiyo Mokatada Man Benda Gatte’, a wickedly funny,  pure Sunil Perera  song which is a favourite at wedding receptions to this date.

Lastly, Mariazelle with her flawless voice was an accomplished musician, too. She recalls learning to tune her guitar with a tuning pipe, followed by a keyboard, and finally by ear long before electronic tuners came along, and she could visualise a song’s chord structure according to the chord chart if the root was known. Those days, transposing the key signature had to be done manually. 

Her generation had many excellent female vocalists, great performers onstage, but Mariazelle stands out because of her originals. Even if we leave out Kandy Lamissi, that’s a formidable career.