Edwards was born in Chapelton, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica and attended Chapelton All-Age and Clarendon College. He was exposed to music from an early age via his father Vasco Edwards' sound system. After studying at the West Indies Commercial Institute, he took a job as an accounts clerk with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation while also singing in his spare time. His recordings came to the attention of Mikey Dread, a radio presenter at the station, and with Dread's assistance he released his first single, "Miss Molly Colly", which was a top ten hit in Jamaica in 1978. Further hits followed and Fitzroy toured the United Kingdom with Dread in 1978, supporting The Clash. In the early 1980s, Fitzroy worked with producers such as Lloyd Norris, and Trevor Elliot (who produced the singer's debut album Youthman Penitentiary (1982)). Check For You Once (1982) topped the Jamaican albums chart for four weeks. He performed at Reggae Sunsplash in 1984, returning in 1986, 1988, 1991, and 1993, and also performed at Sunsplash USA in 1988.
Fitzroy's lyrics led to him becoming renowned as one of Jamaica's most socially conscious singers, with themes including equality for women, and he won a Rockers Award in 1984 for Most Conscious Performer for his "Princess Black" single (which he wrote for his mother). He enjoyed a major Jamaican hit with "The Gun", and he contributed to the "Land of Africa" charity single in aid of the Ethiopia famine appear, along with Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor and others, and Fitzroy became a director (along with Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, Michael "Ibo" Cooper, and Orville Tyson) of the Music Is Life organization, with the aim of making a more lasting contribution toward's Africa's plight.
After the release of his 1993 album Deep in Mi Culture, Fitzroy toured the United States with backing band Massawa. In the mid-1990s he started his own Confidence label to release his own material. He has been a regular performer at annual Peter Tosh memorial concerts in Jamaica. Only in the mid-1990s did he give up his day-job to pursue music as a full-time career.
Although much of Fitzroy's work had been in an era when slack lyrics and digital rhythms have predominated, in the 1998 book Reggae Island he spelled out his preference for real musicians and 'reality' lyrics:
"I personally like the acoustic sound, which is go in the studio and lay the tracks with your drummer and your bass player and, you know, support, percussionists. I personally as an artist still...just paint it right within the people's minds, you know, to really tell them things, what is really happening, the realistic sense of life, seen?"
Edi Fitzroy was a Rastafarian, stating that he has been "from birth".
He died on 4 March 2017 in May Pen Hospital, aged 62.
Discography
Youthman Penitentiary (1982), Alligator
Check For You Once (1982), Musical Ambassador
Coming Up Strong (1984), Musical Ambassador
Eclipse (1987), RAS
Pollution (1990), VP
Deep in Mi Culture (1993), Henry K
We a Lion (2000)
Hold the Vibes (2006), King Step
Compilations
First Class Citizen (2001), Musical Ambassador
The Best Of Edi Fitzroy Featuring Sly and Robbie and The Roots Radics (2010), Musical Ambassador
Sites: Discogs and Wikipedia
Hotel California
Edi Fitzroy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy, and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
This could be Heaven or this could be Hell
Then she lit up a candle
And she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
I thought I heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely place (background)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year
Any time of year (background)
You can find it here
You can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany twisted
She's got the Mercedes bends
She's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys
That she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard
Sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember
Some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain
Please bring me my wine
He said
We haven't had that spirit here since 1969
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely Place
Such a lovely Place (background)
Such a lovely face
They're livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise
What a nice surprise (background)
Bring your alibies
Mirrors on the ceiling
Pink champagne on ice
And she said
We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device
And in the master's chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
Relax said the nightman
We are programed to recieve
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave
Edi Fitzroy's song "Hotel California" tells the story of the singer's experience staying at the titular hotel. The song begins with the singer driving on a dark desert highway and stumbling upon the strange and mysterious Hotel California. Through his interactions with the guests and staff, the singer begins to realize that the hotel is not what it seems. There are cryptic messages from far away, prisoners being held, and a beast that they can't seem to kill. Despite his growing unease, the singer is still lured in by the hotel's luxurious amenities, like the pink champagne on ice and Tiffany twisted minds.
Line by Line Meaning
On a dark desert highway
The singer is driving on a road through the desert at nighttime.
Cool wind in my hair
The wind is blowing and the singer's hair is blowing with the wind.
Warm smell of colitas
The singer can smell a sweet scent called colitas.
Rising up through the air
The scent of colitas is strong enough to rise up into the air.
Up ahead in the distance
The singer can see something shiny in the distance.
I saw a shimmering light
The shiny object appears to be a light.
My head grew heavy, and my sight grew dim
The singer's fatigue is making it difficult for him to see and think clearly.
I had to stop for the night
The singer decides to take a break and rest for the night.
There she stood in the doorway
The singer sees a person standing in the doorway of the hotel where he has decided to stay.
I heard the mission bell
The singer hears a bell from a nearby mission.
And I was thinking to myself
The singer starts to have some thoughts about the situation he is in.
This could be Heaven or this could be Hell
The singer cannot tell if the hotel is a good or bad place to be.
Then she lit up a candle
The woman in the doorway lights a candle.
And she showed me the way
The woman in the doorway helps the singer find his way into the hotel.
There were voices down the corridor
The singer hears voices coming from somewhere in the hotel.
I thought I heard them say
The singer is not sure what the voices are saying.
Welcome to the Hotel California
The hotel is called the Hotel California.
Such a lovely place
The singer thinks that the hotel is a lovely place.
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
There is plenty of space for guests at the Hotel California.
Any time of year
The hotel is open all year round.
You can find it here
The hotel is located here.
Her mind is Tiffany twisted
The woman in the hotel has a complicated mind.
She's got the Mercedes bends
The woman in the hotel drives a Mercedes car.
She's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys
The woman in the hotel is friends with many attractive men.
That she calls friends
The woman in the hotel calls these attractive men her friends.
How they dance in the courtyard
There are people dancing in the courtyard of the hotel.
Sweet summer sweat
The people dancing are sweating due to the summer heat.
Some dance to remember
Some people are dancing to remember the good times in the past.
Some dance to forget
Some people are dancing to forget their problems in the present.
So I called up the Captain
The singer calls for the Captain of the hotel.
Please bring me my wine
The singer asks the Captain to bring him some wine.
He said
We haven't had that spirit here since 1969
The Captain tells the singer that the hotel does not have that type of wine.
And still those voices are calling from far away
The voices that the singer heard earlier are still calling out to him from somewhere.
Wake you up in the middle of the night
The voices could wake the singer up in the middle of the night.
Just to hear them say
The singer wants to hear what the voices are saying.
They're livin' it up at the Hotel California
The people in the hotel are enjoying themselves.
What a nice surprise
The singer is pleasantly surprised.
Bring your alibies
The singer should be prepared with explanations for his actions.
Mirrors on the ceiling
There are mirrors on the ceiling of the hotel.
Pink champagne on ice
There is pink champagne chilling on ice.
And she said
We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device
The woman in the hotel tells the singer that they are all trapped by their own decisions.
And in the master's chambers
The singer enters a room where the master of the hotel is.
They gathered for the feast
People have gathered to feast on food.
They stab it with their steely knives
The people stab the food with knives made of steel.
But they just can't kill the beast
Even though they try, they cannot completely get rid of the food.
Last thing I remember
The last thing the singer can remember is running for the door.
I was running for the door
The singer wanted to leave the hotel.
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
The singer wants to find the way back to where he was before he came to the hotel.
Relax said the nightman
The night staff tells the singer to relax.
We are programed to recieve
The staff is employed to help the guests.
You can check out any time you like
The singer can leave the hotel whenever he wants.
But you can never leave
Once the singer has stayed at the Hotel California, he cannot escape its influence.
Contributed by Natalie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
COUTANT BAPTISTE
Supa Cova