Israelites is a song written by Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong that became a hit for Dekkers group, Desmond Dekker & The Aces,[1] peaking in 1969. Although few could understand all the lyrics, the single was the first UK ska number one and among the first to reach the US top ten.[2] It combined the Rastafarian religion with rude boy concerns,[3] to make what has been described as a timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries.[4] Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir, So that every mouth can be fed. Poor me Israelites ” So begins the best known Jamaican reggae hit to reach the Hot 100s top 10.[3] The vocal melody is syncopated and is centred on the tone of B flat. The chords of the guitar accompaniment are played on the offbeat and move through the tonic chord [B flat], the subdominant [E flat], the dominant [F], and the occasional [D flat],[3] viz, [B flat] - [E flat] - [F] - [B flat] - [D flat]. It was one of the first ska songs to become an international hit, despite Dekkers strong Jamaican accent which made his lyrics difficult to understand for audiences outside Jamaica. The opening line, Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir was often misheard, one example being Wake up in the morning, baked beans for breakfast.[5] Despite Israelites being recorded and released in 1968, the Uni 45 discography shows its cataloguing as unmistakably in 1969.[6] In June 1969 it reached the Top Ten in the United States, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It hit number one in the United Kingdom,[7] Netherlands, Jamaica, South Africa, Canada, Sweden and West Germany. The song came almost two years after Dekker first made his mark with the rude boy song, 007 (Shanty Town).[1] Israelites brought a Jamaican beat to the British top 40 for the first time since Millies number two hit My Boy Lollipop.[1] The disc was released in the UK in March 1969 and was number one for one week, selling over 250,000 copies.[8] A global million sales was reported in June 1969.[8] Dekker had two more UK Top Ten hits over the next year, It Mek and his cover of Jimmy Cliffs song, You Can Get It If You Really Want.[1][7] Dekker recorded on the Pyramid record label, and when its catalogue was acquired by Cactus Records in 1975, Israelites was re-issued in a first-time stereo mix.[1] The song again reached a Top Ten position in the United Kingdom just over six years after the original release.[1]
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 07:39:37 +0000
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