Mr. Brown (song)
Encyclopedia
"Mr. Brown" is a song by Jamaican group The Wailers. Recorded in 1970 at Randy's recording studio in Kingston, it was produced by Lee Perry and written by regular Upsetter musician Glen Adams
. It was originally released as a single in Jamaica and was included on the 1971 album Soul Revolution
.
Because it's based on a ghost rumor, the song has lyrics and instrumentals based on a spooky style. It is sometimes also called "Dracula". The song has been featured on a few Halloween albums, and has a remix with DJ Spooky
.
The song's music sampled Jackie Mittoo's "Peenie Wallie."
, or ghost, had been spotted in numerous locations speeding through the land on a three wheeled coffin, perched upon which were three John Crows, or buzzards, one of which could talk and was asking for a Mr. Brown. Glen Adams wrote the lyrics after hearing the story, and after Lee Perry's suggestion, was sung by The Wailers.
Glen Adams
Glen Adams was a Jamaican musician, composer, arranger, engineer, producer, based since the mid-1970s in Brooklyn, New York.-Career:...
. It was originally released as a single in Jamaica and was included on the 1971 album Soul Revolution
Soul Revolution
Soul Revolution is an album by The Wailers. It was produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry and Bob Marley. The album was followed up with a "dub" companion set, Soul Revolution Part II, which was the original Soul Revolution album with the vocals stripped off.-Side one:#"Keep On Moving"#"Don't Rock My...
.
Because it's based on a ghost rumor, the song has lyrics and instrumentals based on a spooky style. It is sometimes also called "Dracula". The song has been featured on a few Halloween albums, and has a remix with DJ Spooky
DJ Spooky
Paul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author...
.
The song's music sampled Jackie Mittoo's "Peenie Wallie."
Background
The theme of the song relates to a rumour that was spreading through Jamaica that a duppyDuppy
Duppy is a Jamaican Patois word of Northwest African origin meaning ghost or spirit. Much of Caribbean folklore revolves around duppies. Duppies are generally regarded as malevolent spirits. They are said to come out and haunt people at night mostly, and people from the islands claim to have seen...
, or ghost, had been spotted in numerous locations speeding through the land on a three wheeled coffin, perched upon which were three John Crows, or buzzards, one of which could talk and was asking for a Mr. Brown. Glen Adams wrote the lyrics after hearing the story, and after Lee Perry's suggestion, was sung by The Wailers.