Brown's first recording was "Lips of Wine" recorded for Derrick Harriott (The Musical Chariot), but this was not released initially. He then recorded for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, and Dodd released Brown's first single, "No Man is an Island". Brown recorded two albums for Dodd, No Man is an Island and If I Follow my Heart (the title track penned by Alton Ellis). Around this time, Brown recorded material for Lloyd Daley ("Baby Don't Do It" and "Things in Life") and material for Derrick Hariott, which was eventually released as the Super Reggae and Soul Hits album. He also worked for Earl Hayles and the Charmaine label early in his career. He had a Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom in 1977. This led to his contract with A&M Records, and to the formation of his own label, DEB records, which produced several hits, including many by Junior Delgado.
His first big hit was "Money In My Pocket" on the Joe Gibbs label, and by the late 1970s, Brown had recorded and performed chart-toppers such as "Sitting & Watching", "Wolves and Leopards", "Here I Come" and "Revolution"; many featuring Sly and Robbie as the rhythm section. As the dancehall era of the 1980s arrived, Brown frequently recorded with King Jammy and Gussie Clark. His song "Revolution" is featured on the reggae radio station K-JAH Radio West in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. According to some sources, Brown became addicted to crack cocaine, which affected his career and may have lead to his premature death. Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson and opposition leader Edward Seaga of the Jamaica Labour Party both spoke at Brown's funeral, which was held on July 17, 1999 in Kingston, Jamaica. The service, which lasted for three hours, also featured live performances by Maxi Priest, Shaggy, and five of Brown's sons. Brown was then buried at Kingston's National Heroes Park.
Hooligan
Dennis Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Change your hooligan style
Don't fight your brothers
You must use your head
Give a helping hand instead
Ooh what a great sensation
When love is in your soul
Hooliganism is cold
Let only love fill your soul
Fill up your soul
What a man gain by doing wrong
Only letting down mankind
Check on yourself if you're doing alright
Forget about your pride
Ooh what a great sensation
When love is in your soul
Spread it across the nation
Hooliganism is cold
Let only love fill your soul
Fill up your soul
Hooligan, hooligan, ism is cold
Yeah
Hooligan, hooligan stop for a while
Change your hooligan style
Don't fight your brothers
You must use your head
Give a helping hand instead
Oh what a dread sensation
When love is in your soul
Spread it across the nation
Hooliganism is cold
Let only love fill your soul
Fill up your soul
What a man gain by doing wrong
Only letting down mankind, yeah
Check on yourself if you're doing alright
Forget about your pride, yeah
Oh what a great sensation
When love is in your soul
Spread it across the nation
Hooliganism is cold
Let only love fill your soul
Fill up your soul
The song Hooligan by Dennis Brown is a call for peace and love amidst violence and unruliness. The lyrics call to hooligans to stop, change their ways and stop the violence towards their own brothers. Brown sings that love is the answer, and this love should fill the soul of the hooligans. The lyrics suggest that hooliganism is not the way, and it is only by spreading love that peace can happen.
The lyrics are a message to hooligans who disrupt peace and harmony to turn their lives around and become better members of society. By referring to love, Brown is advocating for the principle of brotherhood, urging people to look after one another and live in peace. The song encourages people to question themselves about their actions, check if they are doing the right things and if not, change their ways.
Overall, the song carries a universal message that love conquers all and that we need to work towards creating a better world. The song's use of a reggae beat makes the message even more powerful, as the beat and the vocals work together to convey the message of love, hope, and harmony.
Line by Line Meaning
Hooligans, hooligans stop for a while
Dennis Brown is asking the hooligans to pause and listen.
Change your hooligan style
He urges them to alter their behavior.
Don't fight your brothers
He advises them to avoid violence, especially against their own people.
You must use your head
He reminds them to think before they act.
Give a helping hand instead
He encourages them to be kind and offer assistance.
Ooh what a great sensation
He describes the positive feeling that comes with love.
When love is in your soul
He encourages listeners to let love fill their hearts.
Spread it across the nation
He implores them to share and spread love everywhere.
Hooliganism is cold
He calls out the harmful nature of hooliganism.
Let only love fill your soul
He again advocates for love to take over people's hearts.
Fill up your soul
He reiterates his call for love to take over people's hearts.
What a man gain by doing wrong
He questions the benefits of engaging in wrong activities.
Only letting down mankind
He highlights how wrong actions have negative consequences for everyone.
Check on yourself if you're doing alright
He reminds listeners to do regular self-reflection.
Forget about your pride
He encourages his listeners to be humble, which requires putting aside pride.
Hooligan, hooligan, ism is cold
He repeats that hooliganism has negative impacts and must be abandoned.
Oh what a dread sensation
He describes the terrible feeling that comes with negative actions.
Writer(s): John Holt, Dennis Emanuel Brown, Jay Holt
Contributed by Blake H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@JahOriaj
Hooligans, hooligans stop for a while
Change your hooligan style
Don't fight your brothers
You must use your head
Give a helping hand instead
Ooh what a great sensation
When love is in your soul
Spread it across the nation
Hooliganism is cold
Let only love fill your soul
Fill up your soul
What a man gain by doing wrong
Only letting down mankind
Check on yourself if you're doing alright
Forget about your pride
Ooh what a great sensation
When love is in your soul
Spread it across the nation
Hooliganism is cold
Let only love fill your soul
Fill up your soul
Hooligan, hooligan, ism is cold
Yeah
Hooligan, hooligan stop for a while
Change your hooligan style
Don't fight your brothers
You must use your head
Give a helping hand instead
Oh what a dread sensation
When love is in your soul
Spread it across the nation
Hooliganism is cold
Let only love fill your soul
Fill up your soul
What a man gain by doing wrong
Only letting down mankind, yeah
Check on yourself if you're doing alright
Forget about your pride, yeah
Oh what a great sensation
When love is in your soul
Spread it across the nation
Hooliganism is cold
Let only love fill your soul
Fill up your soul
@jacobmuriuki8518
I love this song.. one love❤💛💚
@sobanimal
🔥🔥🔥🔥☝🏽
@danrleythc
🔥🔥🔥🔥
@user-lj1nt1hx5r
Jah bless
@chrispearce2220
Brilliant
@miRasJamal
the legendary dennis brown ladies n gentleman!
@krazeerrol
Doing justice to a John Holt classic. Well done DBrown.
@danrleythc
Big up
@franckremy1716
HOOLIGAN STOP THE WAR ah big big tings
@davidstewart1439
Big up from jamaica