Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases the 1971 Reggae song "Cherry Oh Baby" by Eric Donaldson.
Selected comments about that song are included in this post along with my notes about some of those comments use of Caribbean Patois.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to Eric Donaldson for his musical legacy. Thanks also to the publishers of this featured video and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC DONALDSON AND THE SONG "CHERRY oH BABY"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Donaldson
Eric Donaldson (born 11 June 1947, St. Catherine, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter....
Donaldson ... submmitted "Cherry Oh Baby" to the 1971 Jamaican Festival Song Competition, going on to win the competition and giving him a big Jamaican hit single.[1] Donaldson has won the competition six times, in 1971, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1993 and 1997.[3] "Cherry Oh Baby" has been covered by both The Rolling Stones (on their 1976 album, Black and Blue) and UB40 (on their 1983 album, Labour of Love).[1] The riddim has remained extremely popular – over thirty cover versions have been recorded, including an update by Donaldson himself. Two of his festival winners ("Sweet Jamaica" (1977) and "Land of My Birth" (1978)) were written by Winston Wallace.[4] In an online poll held in 2103 by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, "Land of My Birth" was voted the most popular winner in the contest's history.[5]...
Donaldson currently lives in Kent Village, Jamaica where he runs the 'Cherry Oh Baby Go-Go' bar.[1]"
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From http://www.allmusic.com/song/cherry-oh-baby-mt0035138483
"Song Review by Jo-Ann Greene"
"For the pop masses, reggae music is defined by a handful of numbers -- songs like Desmond Dekker's "The Israelites," the Wailers' "Jamming" and "One Love," and Tony Tribe's "Red Red Wine," et al. Among these must be numbered Eric Donaldson's "Cherry Oh Baby," which swept away with the top prize at the Jamaican Independence Song Competition in 1971.
The single proved wildly popular, and boasted one of the most unforgettable rhythms in history. Overseen by Bunny Lee and expertly laid down by members of Inner Circle, the backing was built to appeal to the dancehalls, currently flocking around the latest dance craze -- the John Crow skank. Its swooping moves and intricate footwork were best displayed to a slower tempo and a stop-start rhythm. The band gives them precisely that; the hefty bass and guitar lines and the adamant organ riff are all sharply outlined by Lloyd "Tin Leg" Adams' staccato beats, and only Michael "Ibo" Cooper's piano adds some frills to the stomping power of the riddim. Overhead, Donaldson woos Cherry for all he's worth, and Lee's production and the arrangement showcase the former West Indian at his best. Emotive, warm and tender, soulful and impassioned, the singer makes his play, and one can't imagine that in response the girl didn't fall straight into his arms.
Certainly groups worldwide fell head over heels for this number, which -- beyond the usual spate of Jamaican versions -- was covered by an amazingly diverse range of bands, including the Rolling Stones, who covered it on their Black and Blue album; UB40, who put their's into the U.K. Top 15; and reggae-core heroes Sublime. Donaldson, who inspired them all, never saw his original chart outside Jamaica, but can take comfort in knowing he delivered up an international favorite."
-snip-
That review is reformatted for this post.
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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE - Eric Donaldson - Cherry, Oh Baby
GioSkaRocksteady, Published on Mar 27, 2012
(1971)
[LYRICS - CHERRY OH BABY
(written by Eric Donaldson)
Oh Cherry oh, Cherry oh, baby,
Don`t you know I`m in need of thee?
If you don`t believe it`s true,
What have you left me to do?
Look how long I,ve been waiting,
For you to come right in.
And now that we are together,
Please make my joys come over*
Whoa -oh-oh-oh oh oh oh oy
Whoa -oh-oh-oh oh oh oh oy
Yea-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
Yea-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
Oh Cherry, oh, Cherry, oh, baby,
Don`t you see I`m in love with you?
If you don`t believe I do,
Then why don`t you try me?
I will never let you down,
I will never make you wear no frown.
If you say you love me madly,
Well babe I will accept you gladly.
Whoa -oh-oh-oh oh oh oh oy
Whoa -oh-oh-oh oh oh oh oy
Yea-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
Yea-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
Oh Cherry, oh, Cherry, oh, baby,
Don`t you see I`m in love with you?
If you don`t believe I do,
Then why don`t you try me?
I will never let you down,
I will never make you wear no frown.
If you say you love me madly,
Well babe I will accept you gladly.
Whoa -oh-oh-oh oh oh oh oy
Whoa -oh-oh-oh oh oh oh oy
Yea-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
Yea-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
-snip-
*"joy come over" = to feel joyful
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SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT "CHERRY OH BABY"
From another uploaded example of this sound file https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTRLKqGDHao published on YouTube in 2008 by S4INT MYTHZz "Cherry Oh Baby original With Lyrics By Eric Donaldson"
[along with some notes that I've added]
blazey2, May 25, 2011
"boooooom! BIG TUNE!!!
i'm lookink for the version made by Charlie Chaplin! anyone?"
-snip0
"Boom" is an interjection that indicates enthusiasm for or about (excitement about) something.
In the Caribbean, the word "tune" means the entire song and not just the music.
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Kushprincess66, Mar 8, 2012
..."this tune still sounds fresh after all these years, a lot of years.
-snip-
Notice the tag name for this commenter. "The Kingdom of Kush or Kush was an ancient African kingdom situated on the confluences of the Blue Nile, White Nile and River Atbara in what is now the Republic of Sudan...After king Kashta ("the Kushite") invaded Egypt in the 8th century BC, the Kushite kings ruled as Pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt for a century, until they were expelled by Psamtik I in 656 BC". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Kush
**
15heartz, Aug 7, 2012
"i swear theres another reggae version?"
**
Cam Yallits, Jan 31, 2013 in reply to 15heartz
"He has another version, with the upsetters, the tempos a bit faster, and is extended, its about 5:40 long."
*&
LionEntity, 2012
"My GOD what a heavenly voice this bredren have"
-snip-
"Bredren" = brother (man)
**
ijah mano, May 9, 2012
j'adore!!!!! big up
-snip-
"j'adore" - "I love it"
"Big Up" means to "Give praises/compliments to or for something". Written alone it probably means that "I am complimenting this song (and/or singer).
I wonder if "Big up" meaning came from the statement "Give a big round of applause (a big hand clap to or for something.)
**
ben gitonga, Jun 23, 2012
"a bigggggggg tchuuuuuuuune......."
-snip-
In Standard American English I think this comment would be "[This is] a very big [very popular/hit] tune (song).
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Avery Forrest Braun, Dec 3, 2013
"Boombastic"
-snip-
"Boombastic" probably come from the much older word "bombastic". However, while "bombastic" (high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious) is a negative descriptor, "boombastic" is an adjective that means "amazing" ,"awesome". "Boombastic's" meaning is the same as or very similar to the [no longer used] African American Vernacular English phrases "out of sight" and [something is] "the bomb".
**
dontbothermewithchannelsAug 5, 2014
[title of this video] "With Lyrics By Eric Donaldson" There are different versions of the song with different lyrics
-snip-
The "Cherry Oh Baby" lyrics that are sung by UB40 and by the Rolling Stones are slightly different than the original lyrics written by Eric Donaldson.
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