Born in Trench Town, Kingston, Jamaica, Wilson released his first single "Emy Lou" in 1961 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen. His early years with Coxsone yielded a number of ska hits, the biggest of which, the Lee Perry-written "Joe Liges" was an attack on rival producer and former Dodd employee Prince Buster. This was followed by another Perry-written attack on Buster, "Spit in the Sky". Further singles followed, including "One Two Three", "I Shall Not Remove", "Look Who Is Back Again" (a duet with Slim Smith), and another anti-Buster song, "Prince Pharaoh", notably the only record featuring the voice of Dodd himself.
His voice matured as he left his teens, around the time of ska's transition to rocksteady and this period in the late 1960s produced many hits including one of the first rocksteady records, "Dancing Mood", "Jerk in Time" (with the Wailers), "Feel Good All Over", "I'm Not a King", "True Believer in Love", "Rain From the Skies", "Conquer Me" and "Riding For A Fall". "Won't You Come Home", a duet with Ken Boothe on a rhythm originally cut by The Conquerors for Sonia Pottinger has become one of the most-versioned Jamaican tracks ever.[citation needed] After leaving Studio One he recorded for numerous other producers, with varying degrees of success, and set up his own short-lived W&C label along with Wilburn Cole, and the similarly-fated Links label with Ken Boothe, The Gaylads and The Melodians. He enjoyed success with Bunny Lee in the late 1960s and early 1970s with tracks such as "This Old Heart of Mine", "Footsteps of Another Man", and "Better Must Come". His double A-side "It Hurts"/"Put Yourself in My Place" was a skinhead favourite and narrowly missed UK chart success. He recorded a version of "Run Run", a song he had originally recorded for Dodd, for maverick producer Keith Hudson.
1970 saw Wilson's first tour of the UK, where he also recorded a number of songs for the Trojan record label.
In 1972, Michael Manley's People's National Party chose Wilson's "Better Must Come" as their election campaign song. The same year saw the release of one of his most popular songs, "Cool Operator", which became his nickname. He worked with a string of producers in the years that followed, including Joe Gibbs ("Mash Up Illiteracy", "Pretty Girl"), Gussie Clarke ("Love"), Winston "Niney" Holness ("Rascal Man"), Harry J ("Ask The Lonely"), and Joseph Hoo Kim ("It's a Shame").
In 1976, he recorded a cover of The Wailers' "I'm Still Waiting" for Lloyd Charmers, which was hugely popular, and enjoyed some cross-over success, and was followed by the album Sarge, which is considered one of his strongest. Also a Bob Andy produced song, "The Last Thing On My Mind" rose to number one in Jamaica. Wilson continued the run of success until the end of the decade, but his career floundered during the early 1980s, with releases less common. His fortunes revived in the digital age with releases for King Jammy ("Don't Put The Blame On Me") and Bunny Lee ("Ease Up"), with new albums following, but he again drifted out of the limelight, with his health declining, and is best remembered for his earlier work.
In 1994, Wilson's enduring legacy to Jamaican music was recognized by a special plaque awarded him by the Jamaican government, and presented by the then Prime Minister, Patterson.
Delroy Wilson died on 6 March 1995 at Kingston's UWI hospital, of complications from cirrhosis of the liver. He was 46 years old.
Delroy is referenced by The Clash, in "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais".
In 2013 Wilson was posthumously awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government.
In the 1960s he sang duo with Paulette Williams as Delroy & Paulette.
He was not a part of the duo Higgs and Wilson with Joe Higgs and Roy Wilson(no relation)
He released his first solo single "If I Had a Beautiful Baby" in 1962 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen. His follow-up single "Joe Liges" was written by Lee Perry, then working as a talent spotter/songwriter/singer for Dodd, and was a lyrical attack on former Coxsone employee and now rival, Prince Buster. The record was so popular that his follow-up, "Spit In The Sky", another Perry penned barb aimed at the Prince, was actually credited to Joe Liges when it was released in th UK on the Bluebeat and Black Swan labels.
Delroy's transition to rocksteady in the late 1960s produced many hits including "Conquer Me" and "Riding For A Fall". His classic song "Dancing Mood" remains one of the most popular Jamaican songs from that time. In 1972, Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley and his People's National Party chose Wilson's "Better Must Come" as their election campaign song to increase their vote amongst the 'sufferers' in Jamaica. Also a Bob Andy produced song, "The Last Thing On My Mind" rose to number one in Jamaica. Delroy was mainly produced by Bunny Lee throughout the 1970s and continued recording into the early 90s under various producers spanning a career of 30+ years.
I'm In Love
Delroy Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought I never knew the score
But now you've treated me so wrong, baby
I just can't take anymore
And it looks like
I'm never gonna fall in love again
Fall in love, I'm never gonna fall in love
I gave my heart so easily
I cast aside my pride
But when you fell for someone else, baby
I broke up all inside
And it looks like
I'm never gonna fall in love again
Fall in love, I'm never gonna fall in love
Fall in love again
(.)
I've been in love so many times
Thought I never knew the score
But now you've treated me so wrong, baby
I just can't take anymore
And it looks like
I'm never gonna fall in love again
That's why I'm singing
Fall a-fall, a-fall in love, I'm never gonna fall in love.
Fall in love again.
The lyrics to Delroy Wilson's song "I'm In Love" describe the heartbreak of someone who has been in love many times before but has never felt like they truly understood how to navigate their emotions. They have given their heart away too easily in the past and cast aside their own pride, only to be left feeling broken and betrayed when their love interest fell for someone else. The pain of this experience has left them feeling like they will never be able to fall in love again. The repetition of the phrase "fall in love" in the chorus emphasizes the singer's sense of hopelessness and inability to move forward from their past hurts.
The song captures the universal experience of heartbreak and the difficulty in trusting again after being hurt. The emotion in Wilson's voice adds to the poignancy of the lyrics and sends a powerful message that love can be both beautiful and painful. Despite the sadness of the song, it still manages to be soulful and deeply moving.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been in love so many times
I've been in love many times before
Thought I never knew the score
Even though I've experienced love before, I don't really understand it
But now you've treated me so wrong, baby
You, my ex-love interest, have really hurt me
I just can't take anymore
I can no longer handle the pain and heartbreak you have caused me
And it looks like
Seems like
I'm never gonna fall in love again
I don't think I'll ever be able to love someone like I did you
Fall in love, I'm never gonna fall in love
I won't let myself love someone again
I gave my heart so easily
I put my heart on the line too easily
I cast aside my pride
I gave up my dignity and self-respect for love
But when you fell for someone else, baby
But when you started loving someone else
I broke up all inside
I was devastated and heartbroken
And it looks like
Seems like
I'm never gonna fall in love again
I don't think I'll ever be able to love someone like I did you
That's why I'm singing
That's why I'm expressing my feelings through this song
Fall a-fall, a-fall in love, I'm never gonna fall in love.
I'm never going to let myself fall in love again
Fall in love again.
Repeat of the earlier refrain
Writer(s): delroy wilson
Contributed by Liam A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.