Imprisoned in 1962, anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela became an internationally recognisable political prisoner. Many Western leaders including the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher considered Mandela a terrorist, but a global campaign to free him made him a figure-head for the anti-apartheid movement as a whole. The lyrics describe Mandela’s captivity and torture, before repeating the title’s demand for his liberation. Notably, the song is upbeat, danceable, and a joyful celebration rather than being dour or aggressively demanding.