In 1990 vocalist Lindy Laytons came up with the idea to do a cover of SOS's band's 1984 hit "Just Be Good To Me." She knew it would go well with other beats because she'd tried it as a DJ. She used the bassline from The Clash song "Guns Of Brixton," which was her tipping off her hat to The Clash as she was such a big fan. She also wanted to do something slower than house music, yet something funky you could get into to.
The spoken rap, "Tank fly boss walk jam nitty gritty, you're listening to the boy from the big bad city, this is jam hot" is sampled from Double Trouble's "Stoop Rap," which was used on the 1982 Wild Style soundtrack, the first ever Hip-Hop movie.
The harmonica part is sampled from Ennio Morricone's Once Upon a Time In West Harmonica theme.
The man behind the music is none other than Fat Boy Slim, Norman Cook
Dub Be Good To Me
Beats International Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crowd up in de center, they watch (be dibidim),
Watch de way we drop it in a mixed timin',
Rise and amplifying when we come in wit de swing.
Just follow in de back and naturally harmonizing,
Climb into position wit synchronized things,
Live from out de ghetto we maximizing,
Sometimes, can you feel the pressure does unwind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, in tru the day and tru the night,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, you can make the pressure does unwind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, it's for your spirit and your mind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
That's how we drop it on de up on de line,
One time lyrics that must stick on your mind.
Propa guys line that go "Propeye propeye",
My Mc's super I'll go double on de right.
Go double on de right.
Sometimes, can you feel the pressure does unwind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, in tru the day and tru the night,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, you can make the pressure does unwind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, it's for your spirit and your mind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Home operater make de music play in time,
Baby just recline
Worldwide
Enta in de dance, plug it in and we begin,
Crowd up in de center, they watch (be dibidim),
Watch de way we drop it in a mixed timin',
Rise and amplifying when we come in wit de swing.
Just follow in de back and naturally harmonizing,
Climb into position wit synchronized things,
Live from out de ghetto we maximizing,
Sound-O-De-Groove-Armada we Superstylin'
Sometimes, can you feel the pressure does unwind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, in true the day and true the night,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, you can make the pressure does unwind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, it's for your spirit and your mind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
The opening lyrics to βDub Be Good to Meβ by Beats International describe the enthusiastic start of a dance party. The crowd has gathered, the music is pumping, and everyone is watching as the DJ drops the beat. The lyrics encourage everyone in the room to let go and get lost in the music. The chorus expands on this idea of releasing pressure - sometimes the stress of life can feel overwhelming, but in these moments of communal celebration, we can let go of everything and just be.
Throughout the rest of the song, the lyrics continue to emphasize the power of music and its ability to bring people together. As the music plays, everyone harmonizes and synchronizes together. The song also celebrates the art of MCing, praising the βpropa guysβ and βsuper Iβllβ MCs who can hype up the crowd and get everyone dancing. The song ends with a call to action for the βhome operatorβ to make the music play, and for listeners to just relax and enjoy.
Overall, βDub Be Good to Meβ is a joyful celebration of the power of music to bring people together and alleviate stress. The lyrics encourage listeners to let go of the pressures and stresses of life, and just enjoy the moment together.
Line by Line Meaning
Enta in de dance, plug it in and we begin,
We enter the dance floor, connect the music and start the party
Crowd up in de center, they watch (be dibidim),
The crowd gathers in the center and watches us perform with excitement
Watch de way we drop it in a mixed timin',
Observe how we mix different rhythms seamlessly
Rise and amplifying when we come in wit de swing.
Our energy and intensity increase as we play with a swing rhythm
Just follow in de back and naturally harmonizing,
Just follow our lead and sing along naturally in harmony
Climb into position wit synchronized things,
Get into position and perform synchronized dance moves
Live from out de ghetto we maximizing,
We come from the ghetto and maximize our potential
Sound-O-De-Groove-Armada we Superstylin'
We are the sound of the groove armada and are super stylish
Sometimes, can you feel the pressure does unwind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, in tru the day and tru the night,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, you can make the pressure does unwind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes, it's for your spirit and your mind,
sometimes (here we go, here we go)
Sometimes the pressure is released, sometimes during the day and night, sometimes you can release it, sometimes it's good for your mind and spirit
That's how we drop it on de up on de line,
This is how we drop our beats on the upstroke
One time lyrics that must stick on your mind.
Our lyrics are so good that they will stay in your mind for a long time
Propa guys line that go "Propeye propeye",
Our proper guys sing a line that goes "Propeye propeye"
My Mc's super Ill go double on de right.
Go double on de right.
My MCs are super talented and I will double their vocals on the right side
Home operater make de music play in time,
Baby just recline
Worldwide
The music operator makes the music sound great, so just relax and enjoy the music, which is loved all over the world
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TERRY LEWIS, JAMES HARRIS III
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@soulrunna
Word!Β It's a amazing tune. I love so much.
But this song is all sampled:
- Baseline and Beats is from "The Guns of Brixton" by The Clash
- Lyrics is from "Just Be Good Me) By The SOS Band
- Harmonica is from "L'uomo Dell'armonica" by Ennio Morricone, soundtrack of "Once Upon a Time in the West" movie.
And produced by Fat Boy Slim.
In other words, everything British.
@rickyyoung3914
50 years of age and still love this tune. Happiest times of my life. Great memories
@psuedoephidrine
it's a timeless bassline, paul simonon at his best
@jamesmaybrick2001
You an me both, although i am a year or two younger (hey, it counts at our age). Doing my A-levels and listening to this on a recording off the radio on my walkman, hoping the tape wouldnt implode. Kids these days, never having to untangle a c90 hoping to not have lost some treasured tunes that might not be recoverable.
Dont know they are born!
/shakes fist at clouds.
@hsmuz
same here man π
@FFM0594
60 and this groove keeps me bopping
@terryf6696
Yeah, best dance tune of the 80s
@georgehayward7668
I donβt care about todayβs groups. Those of us that lived through the 80s and 90s will always know WE had the best generation of music. No contest.
@memescentral6568
I didn't even live that era but I can't agree more
@poonamshah6507
100%
@douglaspearch3813
I think the 60's and 70's might have something to say about that.