Israelites (song)
Encyclopedia
"Israelites" is a song
written
by Desmond Dekker
and Leslie Kong
that became a hit
for Dekker's group, Desmond Dekker & The Aces. Although few could understand all the lyrics, the single was the first UK
reggae
number one and the first to reach the US
top ten. It combined the Rastafarian religion with rudeboy concerns, to make what has been described as a "timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries".
Pitchfork Media
placed it at number 10 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".
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
. They are the standard chords of B flat major
with a surprise chord of G flat in the final bar.
It was one of the first ska
songs to become an international hit, despite Dekker's 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". In 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
, 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)".
"Israelites" brought a Jamaican beat to the British fans for the first time since Millie
's number two hit "My Boy Lollipop
".
The disc was released in the UK in March 1969 and was number one for one week, selling over 250,000 copies.
A global million sales was reported in June 1969.
Dekker had two more UK Top Ten hits over the next year, "It Miek
" and his cover of Jimmy Cliff
's song, "You Can Get It If You Really Want".
Dekker recorded on the Pyramid record label, and when its catalogue was acquired by Cactus Records in 1975, "Israelites" was re-issued. The song again reached a Top Ten position in the United Kingdom just over six years after the original release.
by the Swedish punk rock
band, Millencolin
. It was also covered by Madness
for their cover album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1
(2005) and by Apache Indian for his single "The Israelites" (2005).
In 1987 the Catalan
ska band Skatalà recorded a cover version with changed lyrics named embolingats (meaning "drunk" in Catalan
).
In 2008 the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
covered the song, both in live concerts, and on their EP
, A Little Bit Wonderful. This version was used in a television advertisement
for Whitcoulls
booksellers in New Zealand
.
In 2010 Israeli garage band Electra
recorded a cover version on "The Israelites" as a B-side for their debut single, "Coming to Get You!"
) was used in a 1990 television advertisement
for Maxell
audio cassettes, and was parodied in the British TV advert for Vitalite
from 1987 to 1995. The song is infrequently used in the UK soap opera
EastEnders
mainly played by shopkeeper Patrick Trueman
who has been shown to favour the song.
Xaphoon Jones of the hip-hop group Chiddy Bang
used a sample of Israelites for the song "Get Up In The Morning," which would become the first track on their mixtape The Swelly Express. Maxi Priest
and UB40
mimicked the song's melody and chord progression in their 2008 collaboration "Dance Until the Morning Light", from the UB40 album TwentyFourSeven
.
"Israelites" was featured on the soundtrack
of the Gus Van Sant
film, Drugstore Cowboy
and
is the opening song on the soundtrack to Nigel Cole
's 2010 film, Made in Dagenham
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces , he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 " and "It Miek"...
and Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong was a Chinese Jamaican record producer.-Career:Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston...
that became a hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
for Dekker's group, Desmond Dekker & The Aces. Although few could understand all the lyrics, the single was the first UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
number one and the first to reach the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
top ten. It combined the Rastafarian religion with rudeboy concerns, to make what has been described as a "timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries".
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
placed it at number 10 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".
Song
The song starts: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
Offbeat
Offbeat may refer to:*Off Beat, a 2005 manga-influenced comic series by Jennifer Lee Quick*Off Beat, a 1986 comedy film*Offbeat, a 1961 film*Off Beat , a large German label for electronic underground music...
. They are the standard chords of B flat major
B flat major
B major or B-flat major is a major scale based on B-flat, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats, B/E .Its relative minor is G minor, and its parallel minor is B minor....
with a surprise chord of G flat in the final bar.
It was one of the first ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
songs to become an international hit, despite Dekker's strong Jamaican accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
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". In 1969 it reached the Top Ten in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. It hit number one in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Jamaica, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The song came almost two years after Dekker first made his mark with the rude boy
Rude boy
Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi or rudy are common terms used in Jamaica. In the 1960s it was also used for juvenile delinquents and criminals in Jamaica, and has since been used in other contexts...
song, "007 (Shanty Town)".
"Israelites" brought a Jamaican beat to the British fans for the first time since Millie
Millie (singer)
Millie is a Jamaican singer-songwriter, often known as "Little Millie Small", and in the United States as "Millie Small", and is best known as the singer of the 1964 hit, "My Boy Lollipop".-Career:...
's number two hit "My Boy Lollipop
My Boy Lollipop
"My Boy Lollipop" is a song written in the mid-1950s by Robert Spencer of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs, and usually credited to Spencer, Morris Levy, and Johnny Roberts. It was first recorded in New York in 1956 by Barbie Gaye...
".
The disc was released in the UK in March 1969 and was number one for one week, selling over 250,000 copies.
A global million sales was reported in June 1969.
Dekker had two more UK Top Ten hits over the next year, "It Miek
It Miek
It Miek was a 1969 hit song by the Jamaican musicians, Desmond Dekker & The Aces. After being re-released in June 1969, the single reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart...
" and his cover of Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
's song, "You Can Get It If You Really Want".
Dekker recorded on the Pyramid record label, and when its catalogue was acquired by Cactus Records in 1975, "Israelites" was re-issued. The song again reached a Top Ten position in the United Kingdom just over six years after the original release.
Cover versions
The song has been coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by the Swedish punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band, Millencolin
Millencolin
Millencolin is a punk rock band that was formed in October 1992 by Nikola Šarčević, Mathias Färm, and Erik Ohlsson in Örebro, Sweden. In early 1993, drummer Fredrik Larzon joined the band...
. It was also covered by Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
for their cover album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1
The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1
The Dangermen Sessions, Vol. 1 is a cover album by the British ska band Madness. It was released in 2005 . The album was successful and reached #11 in the UK which at the time was their highest chart position in the UK since 1984's Keep Moving.-The Dangermen:Prior to recording the album, Madness...
(2005) and by Apache Indian for his single "The Israelites" (2005).
In 1987 the Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
ska band Skatalà recorded a cover version with changed lyrics named embolingats (meaning "drunk" in Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
).
In 2008 the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra is an ensemble of ukulele players based in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from a double bass the band is composed entirely of ukuleles. Their repertoire consists mainly of covers of modern popular music and some ukulele and New Zealand standards...
covered the song, both in live concerts, and on their EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, A Little Bit Wonderful. This version was used in a television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
for Whitcoulls
Whitcoulls
Whitcoulls is a major national bookstore chain in New Zealand, formerly known as Whitcombe & Tombs. It has 62 stores nationally. Whitcombe & Tombs was founded in 1888, and Coulls Somerville Wilkie in 1871. The companies merged in 1971 to form Whitcoulls...
booksellers in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
In 2010 Israeli garage band Electra
Electra
In Greek mythology, Electra was an Argive princess and daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. She and her brother Orestes plotted revenge against their mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus for the murder of their father Agamemnon...
recorded a cover version on "The Israelites" as a B-side for their debut single, "Coming to Get You!"
Contemporary usage
"Israelites" (and a corresponding mondegreenMondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
) was used in a 1990 television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
for Maxell
Maxell
, commonly known as Maxell, is a Japanese company which manufactures consumer electronics. The company's notable products are batteries -- the company's name is a contraction of "maximum capacity dry cell" -- and recording media, including audio cassettes and blank VHS tapes, and recordable optical...
audio cassettes, and was parodied in the British TV advert for Vitalite
Vitalite
Vitalite is a sunflower oil-based margarine, produced by Dairy Crest in Kirkby in Merseyside.It began in 1983, being made by Kraft General Foods. In 1996, it was bought by St Ivel, who were then bought by Dairy Crest in November 2002...
from 1987 to 1995. The song is infrequently used in the UK soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
mainly played by shopkeeper Patrick Trueman
Patrick Trueman
Patrick Neville Loftus Alfonso Trueman is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Rudolph Walker. He made his first appearance on 13 September 2001.-Backstory:...
who has been shown to favour the song.
Xaphoon Jones of the hip-hop group Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang is an American alternative hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group consists of Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin. The duo was introduced through former band member Zachary Sewall in late 2008 during their freshman year at Drexel University, in...
used a sample of Israelites for the song "Get Up In The Morning," which would become the first track on their mixtape The Swelly Express. Maxi Priest
Maxi Priest
Max Alfred "Maxi" Priest is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with a R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre as well as being one of the most...
and UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
mimicked the song's melody and chord progression in their 2008 collaboration "Dance Until the Morning Light", from the UB40 album TwentyFourSeven
TwentyFourSeven (UB40 Album)
TwentyFourSeven is a studio album by reggae band UB40, their last to feature original members Ali Campbell and keyboardist Michael Virtue."Twentyfourseven" was released as a free insert in The Mail on Sunday's 4 May 2008 issue.[12] which sold nearly three million copies...
.
"Israelites" was featured on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
film, Drugstore Cowboy
Drugstore Cowboy
Drugstore Cowboy is a 1989 crime drama directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Van Sant and Daniel Yost, based on a novel by James Fogle. Matt Dillon stars in the title role, and Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham, and William S. Burroughs are also featured. Drugstore Cowboy was filmed mainly around...
and
is the opening song on the soundtrack to Nigel Cole
Nigel Cole
Nigel Cole is a British film and television director.Cole began his career in the 1980s, directing current affairs shows and documentaries for Central Independent Television. Into the 1990s, Cole co-wrote the play Sod with Arthur Smith, which he also directed and presented at the Pleasance during...
's 2010 film, Made in Dagenham
Made in Dagenham
Made in Dagenham is a 2010 British film directed by Nigel Cole. The film stars Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson, Rosamund Pike and Jaime Winstone. It dramatises the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 that aimed for equal pay for women...
.
See also
- UK No.1 Hits of 1969
- List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)
- Number-one hits of 1969 (Germany)Number-one hits of 1969 (Germany)This is a list of the German Media Control Top100 Singles Chart number-ones of 1969.-References:* Ehnert, Günter . HIT BILANZ Deutsche Chart Singles 1956-1980. ISBN 3-922542-24-7* * ----...
- List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States
- Dutch Top 40 number-one hits of 1969Dutch Top 40 number-one hits of 1969These hits topped the Dutch Top 40 in 1969....