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.
βHonour Your Father and Motherβ was a hit and was followed by βSinners Come Homeβ and βLabour for Learning,β 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 βKing of Ska,β 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 βParents,β βGet Up Edina,β βThis Woman,β and βMount Zion.β Until 1967 Dekker's songs were polite and conveyed respectable, mainstream messages. In that year, however, he appeared on Derrick Morgan's βTougher Than Tough,β 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, β007 (Shanty Town)β. The song established Dekker as a rude boy icon and also became an established hero in the United Kingdom's mod scene. β007 (Shanty Town)β 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 βRude Boy Trainβ and βRudie Got Soulβ, as well as continuing with his previous themes of religion and morality in songs like βIt's a Shameβ, βWise Manβ, βHey Grandmaβ, βUnityβ, βIt Paysβ, βMother's Young Girlβ and βSabotage.β His βPretty Africaβ 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 βIsraelitesβ 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 βBeautiful and Dangerous,β βWriting on the Wall,β βMusic Like Dirtβ, βBongo Girl,β and βShing a Ling.β 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 βIt Mek,β which first saw only lukewarm success but was re-recorded and became a hit both in Jamaica and the UK. He also released βProblemsβ and βPickney Gal,β 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 βYou Can Get It If You Really Want,β 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 protegΓ©s 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 βSing a Little Songβ 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 βIsraelitesβ 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 βIsraelites,β a Top Ten Belgian hit, and was followed by βPlease Don't Bend,β Jimmy Cliff's βMany Rivers to Crossβ and βBook of Rules.β 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 βIsraelitesβ 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 βIsraelitesβ 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.
Life
Desmond Dekker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone Iβve needed so long
For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know Iβll be strong
For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
Someone warm like you
Who have my dreams come true
For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it's hurt me before
For once I have someone I know won't desert me
Iβm not alone anymore
For once I can say
This is mine you canβt take it
As long as I know I have love I can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me
For once I can say
This is mine you canβt take it
As long as I know I have love we can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me
The lyrics of Desmond Dekker's "For Once in My Life" express a feeling of newfound hope and security in the presence of a loved one. The singer revels in the fact that they have someone who needs them, someone they have needed for a long time. They describe feeling unafraid to go where life leads them because they know they'll be strong, now that they have someone warm like their lover.
The lyrics continue to express relief from past sorrow and the fear of being alone. With their newfound love, the singer feels like they can finally say "This is mine you can't take it," as long as they have love, they know they can make it. The repeated line "For once in my life I have someone who needs me" reinforces the idea that their relationship is a source of comfort and strength and they feel grateful to finally have it.
Line by Line Meaning
For once in my life I have someone who needs me
I have found someone who truly needs and depends on me, which is a new experience for me.
Someone Iβve needed so long
I have been searching for someone like this for a very long time.
For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know Iβll be strong
With this person by my side, I no longer feel afraid of what the future holds, and I am confident that I can handle whatever comes my way.
For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
My deepest desires and dreams are finally within reach, now that I have found this person.
Long before I knew someone warm like you who have my dreams come true
Before I met this person, I never could have imagined finding someone so loving and supportive who has helped me achieve my biggest dreams.
For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
With this person by my side, I am able to face any hurt or pain without letting it consume me like it has in the past.
Not like it's hurt me before
I have experienced heartbreak and pain before, but now I am able to move forward and not let it hold me back.
For once I have someone I know won't desert me
I finally have someone I can trust and rely on, who I know will always be there for me even in the toughest times.
Iβm not alone anymore
With this person in my life, I no longer feel alone or like I have to face everything by myself.
For once I can say this is mine you canβt take it
I finally have something in my life that I am certain is mine, and that can't be taken away from me.
As long as I know I have love I can make it
The love and support of this person gives me the strength I need to overcome any challenge or obstacle.
For once in my life I have someone who needs me
Once again, I am reminded of how significant and meaningful it is to have someone in my life who needs and depends on me.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ronald N. Miller, Orlando Murden
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Great history and Lifestyle of this Icon. π΅ Great share. Big like. ππΌ. ππ
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Omar Smith
Rip desmondπgood review elchapo keep it up in this I love it when u do reggae review gπ
Joel Mccootie
The great Desmond dekker
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Sacha Bogle
Rip legend great review
Tony Scott
Been waiting on reggae review thanks elchapo rip desmondπ
Typical Tyrell TV
Up fam π―