By Kevin Jackson—
Julian Marley—
JULIAN Marley has put his spin on the classic The Tide is High, written by John Holt and recorded by the Holt-led The Paragons.
Released last Friday, Marley’s The Tide is High is produced by Alex Anteaus for Monom Records.
“John Holt was one of my teachers in music and a legend. I did meet him personally and he guided me as a yute growing up in Miami. My decision to cover the song is more like paying my respects and it’s an idea that came from the producer of the song,” Marley said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.
“Me love dem tune deh. It was a natural thing in the studio working on the song. It’s a great song and a great production,” he continued.
A video for The Tide is High, released on May 12, has so far garnered more than 295,000 views on YouTube. It was directed by Damanic Green and shot on location at the historic Devon House on Waterloo Road in St Andrew.
“We chose Devon House for the video because we are bringing back the ancients to the new. Bringing back the old-school vibe. Is a whole combination of elements to give that free happy feeling. A nice little video to uplift the people,” Marley disclosed.
Marley is upbeat about the feedback he has been receiving.
“People are liking the sound and liking the song. We are getting good feedback, pretty much we’re bringing joy to the art,” he said.
The Tide is High was a number one hit in Jamaica for The Paragons when it was released in 1967. It was produced by Duke Reid. Thirteen years later, it became a global hit for British act Blondie, who took their version to number one in the United States and the United Kingdom, while making multiple charts across Europe.
In 2002, British girl group Atomic Kitten scored a British chart-topper with their version of The Tide is High, while six years later in 2008, Canadian/Jamaican rapper Kardinal Offishall teamed with American singer Keri Hilson for a version titled Numba 1 (The Tide is High) which made charts in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Turkey.
British-born Marley is the son of the late reggae legend Bob Marley and Barbadian Lucy Pounder. His 2019 album —As I Am – which features collaborations with Shaggy, Beenie Man, Spragga Benz, and Addis Pablo was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Reggae Album.
Marley is currently touring in the United States until June 18, before heading to Europe for the summer festival season.
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