Bunny Wailer (born as Neville Livingston on 10 April 1947 in Kingston, Jama… Read Full Bio ↴Bunny Wailer (born as Neville Livingston on 10 April 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica-2 March 2021) was a three-time Grammy Award winner, singer, percussionist and devoted Rastafarian, known for the reggae classic Dreamland. He is founding member of reggae group The Wailers with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Bunny, Marley's step brother, toured with the band in England and USA after the success with the 1973 albums Catch A Fire and Burnin', but meant it was against Rastafari to perform for almost only white people and left Wailers 1973. He then made a number of solo reggae albums. Blackheart Man (1976) is a good example of his religious roots reggae, and Rock 'n' Groove (1981) of solid uptempo Sly & Robbie based reggae. He started to tour internationally again and is regarded as one of the most important reggae artists ever. Bunny Wailer has won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1991, 1995 and 1997.
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Bunny Wailer was a singer, songwriter and percussionist, born Neville O'Riley Livingston on April 10, 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica. He was founder and an original member of ska, rocksteady and reggae group The Wailers (formed 1963) along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. The young Livingston spent his earliest years in the village of Nine Mile in St. Ann Parish. It was there that he first met Bob Marley, and the two toddlers became fast friends. The boys both came from one parent families; Livingston was being brought up by his father, Marley by his mother. Later, Bunny's father Thaddeus "Toddy" Livingston lived with Bob Marley's mother Cedella Booker and had a daughter with her named Pearl Livingston. Peter Tosh had a son, Andrew Tosh, with another of Bunny's sisters, Shirley, making Andrew his nephew

Livingston was underused as a writer and lead vocalist in The Wailers compared with Marley and Tosh. When Wailers regularly changed producers during the early reggae years in the late 1960s, Livingston continued to be a key part of the group's distinctive harmonies. He sang however lead on "Dreamland" (a cover of El Tempos' My Dream Island, which soon became Bunny's signature song), "Riding High", "Brainwashing" and on one verse of the Wailers' Impressions-like "Keep On Moving", both produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. In 1971, he recorded the original version of Pass It On

Bunny Wailer toured with the Wailers in England and the United States, but soon became reluctant to leave Jamaica. He and Tosh became more marginalized in the group as the Wailers became an international success, and attention was increasingly focused on Marley. Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh subsequently left the Wailers to pursue solo careers. They were replaced by the I Threes, a move to broaden the base of success for the Wailers in the non-Jamaican market.

After leaving the Wailers, Bunny became more focused on his spiritual faith. He identified with the Rastafari movement, as did the other Wailers. He self-produced a number of his recordings after striking out on his own. He has also written much of his own material as well as re-recording a number of cuts from the Wailers catalogue. Bunny Wailer has recorded primarily in the roots style, in keeping with his often political and spiritual messages. The album "Blackheart Man" is a good example of his roots reggae style and the dub version,Dub d*sco vol 1 equally magnificent if hard to find. "Sings the Wailers" successfully reworks many of The Wailers songs with the backing of top Jamaican musicians, Sly and Robbie. He has also had success recording in the typically apolitical, more pop dancehall style. He has outlived his contemporaries in a culture where death by violence is commonplace.

Bunny Wailer has won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1990, 1994 and 1996.

Bunny Wailer died on 2 March 2021.

ALBUMS WITH ORIGINAL MATERIAL

* ''Blackheart Man'' (1976) [[Island Records|Island]]/Solomonic
* ''Protest'' (1977) Island/Solomonic
* ''Struggle'' (1978) Solomonic
* ''Dubd'sco vol.1'' (1978) Solomonic
* ''In I Father's House'' (1979) Solomonic
* ''Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers'' (1980) Island/Solomonic
* ''Dubd'sco vol.2'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Rock 'n' Groove'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Tribute'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Hook Line & Sinker'' (1982) Solomonic
* ''Roots Radics Rockers Reggae'' (1983) [[Shanachie Records|Shanachie]]
* ''Live!'' (1983) Solomonic
* ''Marketplace'' (1985) Solomonic
* ''Rootsman Skanking'' (1987) Shanachie (international re-release of ''Rock And Groove'' edited version plus 3 extra tracks)
* ''Rule Dance Hall'' (1987) Shanachie
* ''Liberation'' (1989) Shanachie
* ''Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley'' (1990) Shanachie (international re-release of ''Tribute'' + 2 extra tracks)
* ''Gumption'' (1990) Shanachie
* ''The Never Ending Wailers'' (1991)
* ''Dance Massive'' (1992)
* ''Just Be Nice'' (1993) [[RAS Records|RAS]]
* ''Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary'' (1996) RAS
* ''Communication'' (2000) Solomonic/Tuff Gong
* ''World Peace'' (2003) Solomonic
* ''Rub A Dub'' (2007) Solomonic
* ''Cross Culture'' (2009) Solomonic
* ''Combinations Vol.1'' (2009) Solomonic
* ''Blackheart Man (Remastered & Extended)'' (2009) Solomonic
* ''Reincarnated Souls'' (2013), VP - 3CD + 2DVD set

That Is Me
Bunny Wailer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Finjo ser invisível
Pra não ter que te encarar
Afogo na piscina
Pra você me salvar

Tropeço na escada pra você me pegar
Crio mil feitiços pra tentar te conquistar

Eu só quero brincar com você
Eu só quero brincar com você

Tenho todos que quero
Mas perco o ar quando te vejo
Saio com seus vizinhos
Só pra você me notar

Tropeço na escada pra você me pegar
Crio mil feitiços pra tentar te conquistar

Eu só quero brincar com você
Eu só quero brincar com você
Eu só quero, quero brincar com você
Eu só quero brincar com você

Eu só quero brincar com você
Eu só quero brincar com você
Eu só quero, quero brincar com você
Eu só quero brincar com você

Não me despreze
Eu sou pior que você

Não tenha medo
Eu só quero brincar

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bunny Wailer's song "That Is Me" speak to the strong emotions that come with adolescent infatuation, highlighting the anxiety and insecurity it can provoke. The lyrics suggest that the singer is so smitten with a person that they are willing to go to great lengths - even to the point of faking an accident or drowning - just to gain their attention. The singer's longing is further amplified by feelings of inadequacy and desperation, as they acknowledge a sense of inferiority in comparison to the object of their affection. Despite this, the singer still holds onto the hope that the other person will recognize their feelings and reciprocate, as they assert that they only want to "play" with them.

The lyrics also convey the confusion and vulnerability that often come with adolescence, as the singer admits to experiencing conflicting feelings of attraction and insecurity. The lyrics suggest that while the singer is aware that they have other romantic options, they still feel drawn to this particular person, even though they may not feel the same way in return. The repeated line "I just want to play with you" suggests a desire to escape these emotional uncertainties altogether and just enjoy the present moment with the person they desire.

Overall, Bunny Wailer's "That Is Me" is a poignant reflection on the intense emotions of adolescent love, highlighting the turmoil and longing that often accompany such experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

Finjo ser invisível
I pretend to be invisible, so I don't have to face you.

Pra não ter que te encarar
To avoid having to look at you.

Afogo na piscina
I drown in the pool.

Pra você me salvar
So you can save me.

Tropeço na escada pra você me pegar
I stumble on the stairs, so you can catch me.

Crio mil feitiços pra tentar te conquistar
I create a thousand spells to try to win you over.

Eu só quero brincar com você
I just want to play with you.

Tenho todos que quero
I have everyone I want.

Mas perco o ar quando te vejo
But I lose my breath when I see you.

Saio com seus vizinhos
I go out with your neighbors.

Só pra você me notar
Just so you can notice me.