He was born Desmond Adolphus Dacres in St. Andrew, Jamaica and grew up in Kingston, where he attended the Alpha Boys' School. After his mother took ill and died, his father moved him to St. Mary's, and then to St. Thomas, where he apprenticed as a tailor before returning to Kingston and taking a job as a welder, singing around his workplace while his co-workers encouraged him. In 1961 he auditioned for Coxsone Dodd (Studio One) and Duke Reid (Treasure Isle). Neither were impressed by his talents, and the young man moved on to Leslie Kong's Beverley record label, where he auditioned before Derrick Morgan, then the label's biggest star.
With Morgan's support, Dekker was signed but did not record until 1963 because Leslie Kong wanted to wait for the perfect song, which "Honour Your Father and Mother" was felt to be.
“Honour Your Father and Mother” was a hit and was followed by “Sinners Come Home” and “Labour for Learning,” as well as a name change (from Desmond Dacres to Desmond Dekker). His fourth hit, however, made him into one of the island's biggest stars. It was “King of Ska,” a rowdy and jubilant song on which Dekker was backed by The Cherrypies (also known as The Maytals). The song remains well known among ska fans. Dekker then recruited four brothers, Carl, Patrick, Clive and Barry Howard, who became his backing band, The Four Aces.
Dekker and the Howards recorded a number of hits including “Parents,” “Get Up Edina,” “This Woman,” and “Mount Zion.” Until 1967 Dekker's songs were polite and conveyed respectable, mainstream messages. In that year, however, he appeared on Derrick Morgan's “Tougher Than Tough,” which helped begin a trend of popular songs glamourizing the violent rude boy culture. Dekker's own songs did not go to the extremes of many other popular tunes though he did introduce lyrics which resonated with the rude boys starting with one of his best-known songs, “007 (Shanty Town)”. The song established Dekker as a rude boy icon and also became an established hero in the United Kingdom's mod scene. “007 (Shanty Town)” was a Top 15 hit in the UK, and he toured that country with a posse of mods following him.
Dekker continued with songs in the same vein such as “Rude Boy Train” and “Rudie Got Soul”, as well as continuing with his previous themes of religion and morality in songs like “It's a Shame”, “Wise Man”, “Hey Grandma”, “Unity”, “It Pays”, “Mother's Young Girl” and “Sabotage.” His “Pretty Africa” is a long-standing favourite among his fans and may be the earliest popular song promoting repatriation. Many of the hits from this era came from his debut album, 007 (Shanty Town).
In 1968 Dekker's “Israelites” was released, appearing on both the U.S. and UK singles chart, and eventually topping the latter and peaking in the Top Ten of the former. He was the first Jamaican performer to enter U.S. markets with pure Jamaican music, though he never repeated the feat. Equally, the track became the first reggae song to top the UK chart. That same year saw the release of “Beautiful and Dangerous,” “Writing on the Wall,” “Music Like Dirt”, “Bongo Girl,” and “Shing a Ling.” In the same year, Dekker was mentioned as "Desmond" by his friend Paul McCartney in The Beatles' song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", when it was released on 'The White Album'.
1969 saw the release of “It Mek,” which first saw only lukewarm success but was re-recorded and became a hit both in Jamaica and the UK. He also released “Problems” and “Pickney Gal,” both of which were popular in Jamaica but saw only limited success elsewhere.
Mid career (the 1970s)
In the 1970s Dekker spent most of his time touring and moved to the UK, where he continued to record. Among his best known releases of this period was “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” written by Jimmy Cliff, which Dekker had not wanted to record but was convinced to do so by Leslie Kong. Dekker's recording of the song uses the same instrumental backing track as Cliff's original.
Kong, whose production had been an instrumental part of both Dekker's and Cliff's careers, died in 1971 and both his protegés lost direction for a period before returning to music.
Dekker continued recording, but with only limited success until he began working with the production duo Bruce Anthony in 1974. His first hit with the pair was 1975's “Sing a Little Song” which climbed in to the British Top Ten. Dekker was unable to follow its success, however, and did not chart in the UK for some time (except for the Top Ten re-charting of “Israelites” in 1975). Dekker also found only a limited audience in Jamaica.
At the end of the 1970s Dekker signed with Stiff Records, a punk label linked with the Two-Tone movement, a fusion of punk and ska. He recorded an album called Black & Dekker which featured his previous hits backed by The Rumour, Graham Parker's backing band. His first single was “Israelites,” a Top Ten Belgian hit, and was followed by “Please Don't Bend,” Jimmy Cliff's “Many Rivers to Cross” and “Book of Rules.” His next album was Compass Point, produced by Robert Palmer. Though Compass Point did not sell well, Dekker was still a popular live performer and he toured with The Rumour.
Later life
In the early 1980s, as the Two Tone movement died out, he saw his fortunes dwindle and he was declared bankrupt in 1984. Only a single live album was released in the late 80s, but a new version of “Israelites” reawakened public interest in 1990, following its use in a Maxell advertisement. He re-recorded some old singles, and worked with The Specials for 1992's King of Kings', which used hits from Dekker's musical heroes, including Derrick Morgan.
He also collaborated on a remix version of his classic “Israelites” with reggae artist Apache Indian.
Death
Desmond Dekker died of a heart attack on 25 May 2006, at his home in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon , England, aged 64. He was preparing to headline a world music festival in Prague. Mr. Dekker was divorced and is survived by a son and daughter.
Fu Man Chu
Desmond Dekker Lyrics
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You know when heaven and hell collide
There are no in-betweens
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my headstone
Collecting the bones of my friend tonight
Sowing the seeds in a fruitless land
You know when prayers all hit the ground
There is no higher hand
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my headstone
I'm the yo-yo man, always up and down
So take me to the end of your tether
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through our headstones
The opening lines of the song "Fu Man Chu" by Desmond Dekker, describes the anxious feeling of waiting for something to happen. It says, "Counting the days 'til the ice turns green" which could be interpreted as waiting for winter to end so that spring can begin. The next line, "You know when heaven and hell collide, there are no in-betweens" suggests that extremes have come together and that change is coming, but there is no middle ground. The use of the phrase "heaven and hell" represents opposing forces, and their intersection gets the singer's attention.
The chorus of the song has the singer declaring "I'm the yo-yo man, always up and down," which could suggest that he is always changing his mood. He says that "flames on your skin of snow turn cold" which means that something that used to be passionate or heated has become cold and faded away. The singer's words seem to suggest that he is always in a state of flux or change. The last verse of the song describes the singer collecting the bones of his friends and sowing seeds in a "fruitless" land, which signifies loss and the futility of trying to grow anything where nothing can thrive. The song may be about the inevitability of change and the heartache that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Counting the days 'til the ice turns green
Anticipating the arrival of spring after the cold winter season.
You know when heaven and hell collide
Refers to a situation where opposing forces or extremes come into conflict.
There are no in-betweens
There is no middle ground or compromise.
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my headstone
The constant fluctuations in life and the feeling of being stuck in a cycle of highs and lows, with thoughts of mortality.
Collecting the bones of my friend tonight
A somber reference to the inevitable fate of death, where the living have to deal with the remains of the deceased loved ones.
Sowing the seeds in a fruitless land
Trying to make progress or find success in a place where it seems impossible or unlikely.
You know when prayers all hit the ground
There is no higher hand
A sense of hopelessness or despair, where it feels like prayers go unheard and there is no divine intervention in difficult times.
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my headstone
The repeated refrain continues to emphasize the theme of life's ups and downs and the inevitability of death.
So take me to the end of your tether
A plea to be taken to one's limit or breaking point, possibly as a release or escape from the difficulties of life.
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through our headstones
The final repetition of the refrain drives home the bleak tone and subject matter of the song, as well as the idea of cyclical patterns in life and death.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind