Best Reggae Songs Ever
Yvone Samiento
Kingston Town originated as a 1970 song by Lord Creator. In 1989, English reggae group UB40 recorded a version of the track for their album Labour Of Love II. After releasing it as the second single from the album, it reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and number one in both France and the Netherlands. A couple of re-issues over the next few years even helped land this one a top-three place on the Australian charts.
I Can See Clearly Now is another song that most people are going to be familiar with on our list. It was written and recorded by Johnny Nash for his 1972 album of the same name and turned out to be a big hit. It topped the Hot 100 and Cash Box charts in the US while also reaching the pinnacle of the South African and Canadian charts. The reggae influences in the track came from his collaboration with Bob Marley in earlier years and were meant to mimic the reggae style of the Jamaican songwriter.
Red Red Wine is probably the more famous UB40 song of the two within our top 10. It was originally written and recorded by Neil Diamond in 1967 and appeared on his album Just For You. They recorded their cover version in 1983 and scored a big hit single.
Rather than a somber ballad about needing wine to forget their woes, their version was a lighter, reggae-style song that added verses. It rose to number one on the UK Singles Chart, and a rerelease of the track in 1988 made it to number one on the US Hot 100.
Peter Frampton originally wrote and recorded Baby, I Love Your Way as an arena rock song in 1975. It appeared on several of his albums and was the quintessential easy rocker of the 1970s that most people are familiar with from films and other media.
In 1994, American reggae and pop band Big Mountain released a cover of the track that appeared in the film Reality Bites. That version rose to number six on the Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. It was later used in the film Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle and its sequel.
John Holt first wrote The Tide Is High in 1967 as a rocksteady song, a precursor to the reggae genre. It was performed by the Jamaican group The Paragons with Holt as the lead singer. It was popular in Jamaica and the UK, but it was in 1980 that it received international recognition. Blondie recorded their more popular version of the track in 1980 as a reggae hit that served as the lead single for their Autoamerican album. It was their third number-one single on the Hot 100 and also topped the UK Singles Chart.
Israelites was a massive hit in 1969 for Desmond Dekker and The Aces. It topped numerous international charts that year and was at least partly responsible for the introduction of reggae music in mainstream markets in the US and the UK. A masterpiece of a track, it ended up being the first reggae song to top the UK Singles Chart and one of the first to break into the top 10 of the Hot 100.
British-Jamaican band Musical Youth produced Pass The Dutchie in 1982. At the time, all the members of the band were still school students. In reality, it was a rewording of a song titled Pass The Kouchie by Mighty Diamonds. The Musical Youth track ended up reaching the top of the charts in five countries, including the top of the UK Singles Chart.
Wild World was originally written by Cat Stevens for his 1970 album Tea For Tillerman. That version rose as high as number 11 on the Hot 100. In 1988, Maxi Priest recorded a cover of the song for his self-titled album. That one rose to number 25 on the Hot 100 and was a top-10 hit single across most of Europe.
Jimmy Cliff wrote Many Rivers To Cross in the 1960s, and it was inspired by the difficulties he faced trying to break into the UK music scene. That frustration found an outlet with this song and produced one of the most iconic reggae hits in history. Artists like John Lennon and Cher eventually covered the track, and it has found a place on several prestigious lists of the greatest songs of all time.
Ghost Town turned into a huge hit song for The Specials in 1981. It spent three weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart that year. Today, it is mainly remembered for its popularity during riots occurring in British cities, and it discusses themes like urban decay, deindustrialization, unemployment, and violence in inner cities.
Uptown Top Ranking was originally recorded as a joke. Althea Forrest was 17 and Donna Reid was 18 when the song was first put together in a studio, with them ad-libbing over a track titled Three-Piece Suit by Trinity. It was accidentally played on the radio in the UK, but many listeners ended up sending in requests for it after that initial mistake.
The surprise hit single rose to the top of the UK Singles Chart and spent 11 weeks in total on those rankings. It made Althea & Donna the youngest female duo to ever reach the top of the charts in the UK as well.
I Want to Wake Up With You began life as a country single written by Ben Peters and recorded by Mac Davis. In 1986, reggae artist Boris Gardiner covered the song and found massive success. His reggae-infused version of the track spent three weeks on top of the UK Singles Chart and was the third-best-selling single of the year.
Police & Thieves was the first song recorded by Junior Marvin in 1976. Originally written by him, the track discussed themes of police brutality and gang wars. Eventually, other artists covered the song, including The Clash, who featured it on their self-titled debut album in 1977. While that version supposedly ruined the track, it was the song that inspired Bob Marley to write Punky Reggae Party.
The Slickers were a popular rocksteady and reggae group during the 1960s and 1970s. While often assumed to be an alias of The Pioneers, this assumption is incorrect. Johnny Too Bad is the tale of a Jamaican rude boy whose criminal activity is considered too extreme to the moral compass of a stranger.
Shine was released by British reggae group Aswad in 1994 as the first single to come from their Rise And Shine album. It was their second-biggest hit of all time in the UK, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart and becoming a top-40 hit across several other European countries. It was a fun and upbeat reggae song, perfect for pop audiences of the day.
Rivers Of Babylon was released by The Melodians in 1970. Much of the lyrics are adapted from the Biblical texts of Psalms 19 and 137, serving as one of the most iconic Rastafari songs out there. It later appeared in the 1972 film The Harder They Come, earning the band international recognition. A 1978 version by Boney M remains one of the top-10, all-time best-selling singles in UK history.
How Could I Leave tells a story of heartbreak and regret. The hypnotic instrumentals of the song will put you in a daze and add a haunting feeling to the track that leaves you feeling the same longing and pain the singer expresses. It was one of the last songs Dennis Brown recorded before his death and has become a classic of the genre.
Culture was a vocal group that found fame with their 1977 album Two Sevens Clash, and they became known for uplifting songs about huge societal issues. Innocent Blood serves as a lesson on slavery, imperialism, and Black history but touches on the topics in a positive and approachable way.
Word Of The Farmer is a snapshot of slavery in Jamaica and tells the tale of a man who works hard but has everything taken from him by a master. This 1978 song was an accurate and galling portrait of what slavery was really like. While it may make some listeners uncomfortable, they will walk away with a better understanding of slavery for listening to it.
Get Up, Stand Up was one of the earliest releases from Bob Marley and The Wailers, coming while he was a teenager just trying to get his music career off the ground. It deals with the spirituality and militaristic qualities of the Rastafarian style of reggae, serving as an unapologetic call for justice.
One In Ten is a more serious song than UB40 might be known for outside of Jamaica. It takes on suffering as a theme, revealing that everyone suffers, and much of that suffering is ignored by others. The track was a call for humanity to recognize suffering and for political action to do something about it, making it one of the best reggae songs of all time.
Champion Lover was a surprise smash hit that helped Deborahe Glasgow break into the music scene when it was released in 1989. A symbol of female empowerment and strength, the song became a hit a second time when it was remade only a few years later.
Delory Wilson is one of the most influential figures in reggae music, thanks in large part to his career that spanned over four decades and countless successful singles. Better Must Come is the pinnacle of those songs, released in 1972 and serving as an anthem of hope and victory. While much of his work centers on love and romance, it took a detour and focused on political messaging instead.
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Reggae, a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s, has captivated audiences worldwide with its infectious rhythms, socially conscious lyrics, and messages of love, peace, and unity. From the early days of ska and rocksteady to the global popularity of Bob Marley and beyond, reggae has left an indelible mark on the music world. In this article, we will explore the top 15 most popular reggae songs of all time, delving into the stories behind these iconic tracks and the impact they have had on the genre and the culture surrounding it.
Cheerleader is the most streamed Jamaican song of all time. It was propelled internationally in 2014 after German producer/DJ Felix Jaehn released the remixed version. The song went to the top charts in North America, Mexico, the UK, Australia, and a few European countries.