My Boy Lollipop, the 1964 ska ditty by Millie Small, has been named the #1 reggae cover song by veteran broadcaster Clinton Lindsay, whose Top 100 Cover Songs were released recently.
Sixty years ago, My Boy Lollipop, originally done in 1956 by American singer Barbie Gay, went to #1 in the United Kingdom. Distributed by the fledgling Island Records, it peaked at #2 in the United States and introduced ska to mainstream audiences in both countries.
Everything I Own, Ken Boothe’s take on American group Bread’s hit single, is #3. It topped the British chart in October 1974.
A Love I Can Feel, John Holt’s 1970 take on an obscure song done by The Temptations seven years earlier, is #5.
You Don’t Care by The Techniques, done for producer Duke Reid in 1967, is #7. It was originally recorded by The Impressions.
No Man Is An Island, a 1968 Dennis Brown classic first done by The Van Dykes one year earlier, is #8.
Completing the top 10 is Peter Tosh’s 1983 rendition of Chuck Berry’s Johnny G Goode.
A stalwart of New York/South Florida West Indian radio, Lindsay told the Jamaica Observer that he selected the Top 100.
“The main criteria I used is that the cover song must retain at least 80 per cent of its original lyrics and that the title can be adjusted,” he said.
Lindsay added that during his research he made several discoveries.
“Like many reggae lovers, I was surprised to discover that so many of our beloved songs were covers. One of the biggest surprises was OK Fred, which credited John Holt as its writer on the 1970 release. It was again covered by Errol Dunkley and became a big pop hit in England in 1979. [Fellow broadcaster] Marlon Burrell called me and said, ‘Hey, Mr Lindsay, guess what I found?’ It’s from a British obscure group, The Ladybirds, released in 1965!”
Other popular songs making Clinton Lindsay’s Top 100 are Baltimore by The Tamlins (11), Dreamland by Marcia Griffiths (12), Lonely Won’t Leave Me Alone by Sanchez (13), Just Don’t Want to be Lonely from Freddie McGregor (16), Walk Away From Love by Bitty McLean (21), I Don’t Love You (No, No, No) by Dawn Penn (22), To be Young Gifted & Black from Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths (24), It’s so Nice to Be With You by Boris Gardiner (35), God is Standing By from George Nooks (43), Want You Back For Good by Singing Melody (49), and Twist & Shout by Chaka Demus and Pliers and Jack Radics (90).
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