Rodney was born in Saint Ann's Bay, St. Ann, Jamaica, as were Bob Marley and Marcus Garvey; who both had a great influence on Rodney's life. Garvey in his philosophy, which Burning Spear greatly took to, and Marley in directly helping Burning Spear get started in the music industry. Burning Spear was originally Rodney's group, named after Jomo Kenyatta, the first Prime Minister and President of an independent Kenya. As fame took hold the name of the group gradually became synonymous with Rodney.
Burning Spear is one of the strongest proponents of Marcus Garvey's self-determination and self-reliance for all African descendants, thus leading to several album releases in commemoration of the African activist.
In 2002, Burning Spear and his wife, Sonia Rodney who has produced a number of his albums, founded Burning Spear Records.
Burning Spear advocates messages of honesty, peace, and love, which tie in with his religious and political messages of Rasta and black unity.
About Burning Spear
Burning Music
"I don't know how other people see music," reggae legend Burning Spear reflects. "Some people might see it based upon money, some people might see music based upon opportunity and access. But I see music as life. I see music as inspiration."
For more than 35 years, Burning Spear's music-thus, his life-has inspired people on numerous continents. Since the beginning, his songs have implored listeners to fight oppression in all its forms, to work at improving their own condition and to consider the social impact of their actions.
OUR MUSIC builds upon the Jamaican native's legacy of musical activism. With its inimitable dancing groove, the album percolates and bubbles rhythmically in its call for unity between races, between nations, between individuals and even between business associates.
OUR MUSIC is the second album released on his Burning Spear label, following 2003's Grammy-nominated FREEMAN. In the midst of its expected messages about love, oppression and African history is the title track, a public confirmation that his brand of positivity is tempered with a strong sense of self. "Our Music" is Burning Spear's reclamation of his own artistry-a justification for establishing his record company and a challenge to all artists to commandeer their own future.
"A lot of artists just have no time to really look within the business section of the music business," Burning Spear reasons. "There's no one to really sit them down and give them some of that business understanding before they get into what they get into. So then people walk all over these artists and do things where it's not appropriate and it's not right. It's not in the artist's love."
With his art and his business now firmly in his own control, Burning Spear's OUR MUSIC stands among the most joyful albums of his career. Bolstered by its throbbing basslines, bright horn parts and slinky female background singers, the songs embrace persistence ("Try Again"), self-analysis ("Friends"), love ("Fix Me") and community ("Together") through deceptively simple lyrics that point to deeper issues. It is, in effect, smart music you can dance to.
"It's like art," he says. "You're gonna paint this thing, and people are gonna look at this art and say that it looks like a tree, looks like a car, some people it looks like a flower. People are gonna say different things according to what they see. It's very different, what it looks like to them."
No matter who looks at Burning Spear's career, they have to be impressed. Of his more than 25 albums, nine have earned Grammy nominations, with one of them - 1999's CALLING RASTAFRI - receiving the Academy's Best Reggae Album honor. And he remains one of the few reggae pioneers still working and influencing the people today.
Born Winston Rodney in St. Ann, Jamaica, he was an early fan of Bob Marley. As the legend goes, Rodney bumped into Marley while walking through a field, and the two began talking about music. Marley encouraged him to visit Jamaica's Studio One, where Rodney and a fellow musician recorded "Door Peep." By the time of its release, Rodney had branded the duo Burning Spear, taking the nickname of Jomo Kenyatta, who was jailed by a colonial British government in Africa but rose to become the first president of Kenya.
"I believe in people who are gonna stand up for what they believe in," Burning Spear notes, "not only for themselves, but for themselves and their people, and that was what Jomo was doing."
Even more central to Burning Spears' mission - and it truly is a mission - was the doctrine of Marcus Garvey, a 20th century figure who pushed for a stronger black race through self-reliance. The Jamaican-born Garvey supported freedom and economic strength for all people, but made the African-originated population his focus and published his views in a New York-based newspaper, Negro World. Garvey was jailed in the 1920s and eventually exiled to Jamaica, though he never lashed out at the system that brought him down. His message survived, influencing the likes of Kenyatta, Martin Luther King Jr., Marley and Burning Spear, which titled some of its seminal albums MARCUS GARVEY and MARCUS' CHILDREN.
"Those men wasn't preachin' any violence," Burning Spear says. "They were preachin' about Oneness and the struggles of black people about where they can live and having their voices heard. I don't see anything wrong with his plan and his direction. I think he opened a lot of eyes and opened a lot of mouths so those people could really talk and their voices could be heard. I think the time is right now to clear his name up and set his record free."
Burning Spear's mission remains rather unchanged today, though the act and the music have undergone some alterations. The duo grew into a trio, but has long since morphed into Burning Spear, a solo artist. And while his music has always been a vehicle for social change, his songs are now increasingly melodic, developed with catchy hooks that use short phrases and point more subtly to internal truths for those willing to go through self-exploration.
The music survives in a much different musical era. The reggae genre, once a distinct idiom unto itself, has been co-opted by artists throughout the years and melded with other pop forms. Artists such as Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Stevie Wonder and UB40 combined it with pop and rock during the '70s and '80s, while Shaggy and Sean Paul have blended it with hip-hop textures in more recent years. Even country man Willie Nelson put together a hybrid album involving Toots Hibbert, of The Maytals.
Those efforts have called attention to the genre, and specifically to those who helped bring reggae to the world in the '70s, including Burning Spear, Peter Tosh, Hibbert and Marley. In his time, Marley gave Burning Spear his personal seal of approval, and the Spear continues to maintain a devotion to reggae's roots while continuing his service to Jah.
"I think people have to remember the originals," Burning Spear suggests. "So to be honest, I don't really feel no way about it when people put reggae in a different form. Regardless who's gonna do what with the music, I don't think they interfere with Burning Spear."
OUR MUSIC relies heavily on the roots of the reggae movement.
"What I tried to do with this album, musically and lyrically, is to go back to the '70s, when we were singin' about the history and the culture and the lifestyle of these people," Burning Spear observes. "A lot of Burning Spear songs of that earlier times, people would see as political. To me, it's just a natural thing. As an artist, I just expressed that."
Burning Spear continues his mission of expressing his heart, of entertaining and educating the masses. He cleverly accomplishes that by winning over his listeners' bodies before he impacts their minds. He witnesses that process each time he takes the stage.
"You see the head start to nod, you start to see one movement from one of these legs down here and another one, 'til the whole body just gets involved in the whole thing," he laughs. "You have to think about that when you're creatin' the music-you're not just creatin' the music for people to sit back and listen, 'Oh, that's all good and that's bad.' You need people to shake a leg."
As they listen at home and shake legs to OUR MUSIC, listeners will also be swept up with the headiness of Burning Spear's message. The political statements are still there, most obviously in the continued references to Marcus Garvey ("One Marcus" and "Little Garvey").
But OUR MUSIC also contains deeper ideas that penetrate quietly, subtly into the mind before they reach clarity. The bouncy "Friends" asks rather simplistically, "Are you my friend, my neighbor or my enemy?/Who are you? Who are you?" On further reflection, it's obvious that the question is a complex one about societal roles and provocative self-evaluation. "Together" recalls the image of African slaves, shackled together at the ankles, while suggesting that contemporary blacks can still link together figuratively at the elbow in the continued quest for equality. And "Fix Me" embraces the power and essence of love, which Burning Spear sees as the ultimate goal of humanity.
"Love," he says, "is a harmony thing, it's a communication. Love is a link."
Burning Spear's link is a pure one in 2006. Unfettered by someone else's record company, still linked to the roots of reggae and to the ideals of its forefathers, OUR MUSIC points to a better world for those who are oppressed, and for those who simply believe a better world is possible.
"Music," Burning Spear maintains, "is a very important thing. We have to remember that no force is stronger than the music."
The Invasion
Burning Spear Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the intention to steal our culture
The good father pass by and say
Humble yourself, my little one
Humble yourself, my children
Humble yourself
Oh my brothers it is
Who I-lier than I-ly
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Means love in Africa
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Love I-niversally
My interpretation love universal
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Love in Africa, love in America
Love in Canada
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Who I-lier than I-ly
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Every knee shall bend (shall bend, shall bend)
Every tongue shall tell (shall tell, shall tell)
Down in this valley, down in this valley
Down in this valley of Jehoshaphat
Where is your love Jamaicans?
Where is your love Jamaicans?
Where is your love Jamaicans?
I can't see your love, I can't feel your love
Nor even touch your love, I don't know 'bout your love
Taught them the way to love one another
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Who I-lier than I-ly
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Black guidance be with I
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Even within I-man black race
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
No plague shall come up on I, to eat up I flesh
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Keep them away Wadada
Keep them away Wadada
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Black Wadada
Revive for I and I
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Food, clothes and shelter
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Grant unto I my heart desire
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Each and everyone entitled to their heart's desire
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Bear with I and I and I
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
They take us away from Africa
With the intention to steal our culture.
The lyrics to Burning Spear's song The Invasion describe the experience of African people who were forcefully taken away from their homeland and transported to other countries with the intention to steal their culture. The song describes the pain and longing for their homeland, and the need to humble themselves and remember their heritage. The repeated phrase "Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada" is a call for love, both within Africa and universally. The song also calls out for Jamaicans to show love for one another, asking "where is your love Jamaicans?"
Through this song, Burning Spear expresses his belief that black guidance and love can protect and uplift people of African descent, even in the face of the atrocities committed against them. He ends the song with a call for Wadada, the "Black Wadada," to revive for him and grant him his heart's desire, acknowledging that everyone is entitled to their own desires.
Overall, The Invasion is a powerful and moving song that speaks to the pain and resilience of African people throughout history, while also advocating for love, unity, and empowerment.
Line by Line Meaning
They take us away from Africa
We have been taken away from our homeland in Africa against our will
With the intention to steal our culture
Those who took us away intended to rob us of our way of life and heritage
The good father pass by and say
A wise and kind elder passed by and spoke
Humble yourself, my little one
Be modest and unpretentious, my young friend
Humble yourself, my children
All of us should possess a spirit of humility
Humble yourself
Humbling oneself is an important virtue
Oh my brothers it is
Listen, my fellow humans
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
A chant that expresses an African concept of love
Who I-lier than I-ly
It is a love that is unrivaled
Means love in Africa
The term 'Wadada' signifies love in the context of African culture
Love I-niversally
This love is meant to be shared universally with all humanity
Love in Africa, love in America
This is a love that knows no borders or boundaries, and can be found throughout the world
Love in Canada
Even in Canada, this love can be found
Every knee shall bend (shall bend, shall bend)
Everyone will bow down and show respect
Every tongue shall tell (shall tell, shall tell)
Everyone will speak of the same thing
Down in this valley, down in this valley
In this difficult place
Down in this valley of Jehoshaphat
In a place of judgement and decision-making
Where is your love Jamaicans?
As Jamaicans, where is our love for one another?
I can't see your love, I can't feel your love
I don't see or feel love among Jamaicans
Nor even touch your love, I don't know 'bout your love
I haven't even experienced or heard about any love among Jamaicans
Taught them the way to love one another
We need to teach and learn how to love each other
Black guidance be with I
May guidance and protection be with me as a black person
Even within I-man black race
Even among black people, we need guidance and protection
No plague shall come up on I, to eat up I flesh
May I be protected from harm and illness
Keep them away Wadada
May negative forces be kept away through the power of 'Wadada'
Black Wadada
'Wadada' is associated with blackness
Revive for I and I
May my soul be renewed and restored
Food, clothes and shelter
These basic needs are important for survival
Grant unto I my heart desire
May my heart's desires be fulfilled
Each and everyone entitled to their heart's desire
Everyone should have the right to pursue their own dreams and desires
Bear with I and I and I
Be patient and tolerant with me and others
Writer(s): W. RODNEY, C. PAISLEY, P. FULLWOOD
Contributed by Ian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@alarikaguilar7543
Love in Africa, love in America
Love in Canada
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Oh Haile and I-ly
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Every knee shall bend
Every tongue shall tell
Down in this valley, down in this valley
Down in this valley of Jehoshaphat
Where is your love Jamaicans?
Where is your love Jamaicans?
Where is your love Jamaicans?
I can't see your love, I can't feel your love
Nor even touch your love, I don't know 'bout your love..
Taught them the way to love one another.
@cedricsteele7350
Arguably one of the greatest tracks in the history of Reggae music. Spear manages to capture the essence of the African experience during the invasion some 400+ years ago, as well as the suffering thereafter in Jamaica.
Best music in the world!
@hiprichhiprich
This is the first Reggae song I ever heard and haven’t looked back since. Classic
@oow9386
This music don't die wadada.
@alarikaguilar7543
Love in Africa, love in America
Love in Canada
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Oh Haile and I-ly
Wadada wo-ho-ho wadada
Every knee shall bend
Every tongue shall tell
Down in this valley, down in this valley
Down in this valley of Jehoshaphat
Where is your love Jamaicans?
Where is your love Jamaicans?
Where is your love Jamaicans?
I can't see your love, I can't feel your love
Nor even touch your love, I don't know 'bout your love..
Taught them the way to love one another.
@bruninhothaynaieq
💚🇯🇲🙏 grande astro jamaicano burning spear.....
@SuperReasonabledoubt
Back bone tune from saint anns bay, man , this should be Jamaica's national anthem. Now
@leroy4175
Just some food for thought what would happen to us if Sweet LOVE were to ever pack her bags and leave us, so please take heed to what the man is saying Where Is your love America
@1iriedaughter
WAHDADA....BEAUTIFUL....SWEET.....GLORIOUS....WAHDADA!!!!
@Best_MusicPlaylist23
Brilliant 😀😀😀
@lemuelflemming9677
Each and everyone is entitled to their hearts desire