Jimmy Cliff | Take It Easy

The title for my offering for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday was provided many years ago by my dear departed Mum. This week, Jim’s post Ya Mon invites us to play a reggae song, and when Mum first heard me playing this one she commented “I didn’t know you liked that Reggie music,” and I had to explain it to her, once I’d stopped laughing. To be fair to Mum, it wasn’t common for me, as I didn’t have many “Reggie” records, though there were plenty of songs I enjoyed and I grew to like it more with the passing of time. Jim tells us that it came over from Jamaica back in the Sixties, which is how I remember it too: it has been a staple in the UK charts ever since, with some great songs and acts involved. My chosen song for today was only ever issued as a single in Jamaica, as far as I can tell, so I’m having to make do with an audio-only clip of an album version. The song is still brilliant, though, however you hear it:

And the lyrics:

I was born and raised in the ghetto
Talk with me and you’ll know
I wasn’t satisfied with living on the side
I started looking around for a possibility
But listen to my story, of what became of me

I met a businessman
Who said he got some friends back East
Said, “Why don’t you come along?
Well we could help you atleast”
“Make you into a big star
By playing your guitar”
But the joke was on me
They left me flat you see

Going back West
(Going back West)
Yes I know, I’ll make out alright
Going back West
(Going back West)
Where my music’s playing all night
Going back West
(Going back West)
Think I’ll do alright

Struggling for recognition, identity and respect
I got a lot of promises, they told me not to fret
Said, “We will stand by you
If the going gets rough”
But when I started sinking
They didn’t even bluff

Going back West
(Going back West)
Yes I know, I’ll make out alright
Going back West
(Going back West)
Where my music’s playing all night
Going back West
(Going back West)
I think, I’ll do alright

‘Bout a year has come and gone
And left me standing here
Thinking how it could have been
‘Cause still I ain’t nowhere

They surely took me for a ride
Trampled on my pride
But I’ll hold my head up high
Got no more tears to cry

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Jimmy Cliff

You may have heard Going Back West before, as it was covered by Boney M, the German dance-pop outfit that had a string of hits here in the Seventies. Their cover version? Nope, don’t go there! I was horrified to see the song attributed to them when I sought out the lyrics: Musixmatch really should know better, and their version omits the first line, so I’ve edited it back in! The song has appeared on several versions of albums by Jimmy Cliff, as his record companies seem to have played around a lot depending on which country they were in. I had this song on the album whose cover you can see at the top of the page: Bumpers was a double compilation album released in 1970 by Island Records here in the UK, which was offered at a budget price to encourage us to buy records by the artists featured on it. This was a practice which had been started by CBS with their Rock Machine series. I had several of those, as well as Island’s samplers: they were a great way of adding fabulous music to my collection for next to nothing. The sleeve notes for Bumpers misattribute their album releases, though: despite their saying this track was on the 1969 album Jimmy Cliff it wasn’t, and didn’t appear on an album in the UK until Struggling Man, in 1973. This one took some tracking down! I have always loved this song, and think it is probably still my favourite of Jimmy Cliff’s records. To be fair to Mum, after that conversation I mentioned earlier she asked me to play the song again, as she liked it too: one of those rare moments when our tastes coincided. And another piece of trivia for you: the song was used as the background to a lovely scene near the end of season 8, episode 8 of the tv series Death In Paradise – I’ve always liked the show, and that endeared it to me even more.

I’ve taken to giving you a bonus second song in these posts and I thought I’d do that again today, as Jimmy Cliff has a wonderful voice that deserves to be heard. In September 1970 Cat Stevens’ version of this fabulous song was released as a single in many countries, and made #11 in the US. His version was never a single in the UK, though, as it was covered by Jimmy, who took it to #8 in the UK charts. This is simply gorgeous:

That still sounds great to me today, and I hope you like it too. I should perhaps point out, for those who don’t know, that I am a huge fan of Cat Stevens, and I love his version of this song too. Jimmy just adds a little something extra to it with that touch of reggae, and I think it is amazing.

That’s all for today, so I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes. Until then, enjoy the rest of your weekend and all the music which will be coming at you in laidback fashion today 😊