Cliff moved to Kingston in 1962. After he released two singles that failed to make much of an impression, his career took off when his "Hurricane Hattie" became a hit, while he was aged just 14; it was produced by Leslie Kong, with whom Cliff would remain until Kong's death. Later local hit singles included "King of Kings", "Dearest Beverley" and "Pride and Passion". In 1964, Cliff was chosen as one of the Jamaican representatives at the World's Fair, and Cliff soon signed to Island Records and moved to Britain. Island initially (and unsuccessfully) tried to sell Cliff to the rock audience, but his career took off in the late 1960s. His international debut album was Hard Road to Travel, which received excellent reviews and included "Waterfall", a Brazilian hit that won the International Song Festival.
"Waterfall" was followed in 1969 by "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" and "Vietnam" in 1970, both popular throughout most of the world. Folk rock singer-songwriter Bob Dylan even called "Vietnam" the best protest song he'd ever heard. Wonderful World included a cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World", which was a success in 1970.
Leslie Kong died of a heart attack in 1971. The soundtrack to the reggae film The Harder They Come was a huge success that sold well across the world, but did not break Cliff into the mainstream. After a series of albums, Cliff took a break and traveled to Africa, exploring his newfound Muslim spirituality. He quickly returned to music, touring for several years before he recorded with Kool & the Gang for Power & the Glory (1983). (During the 1981 River Tour, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band added Cliff's little-known "Trapped" to their live set; it achieved great prominence when included on 1985's We Are the World benefit album.) The follow-up, Cliff Hanger (1985) won a Grammy Award, though it was his last major success in the U.S. until 1993. He continued to sell well in Jamaica and, to a lesser extent, the UK, returning to the mainstream pop charts in the U.S. and elsewhere with a version of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" on the Cool Runnings film soundtrack in 1993 .
In 2002, Cliff released his new album, Fantastic Plastic People in Europe, after first providing free downloads using Delacove's People Music Media p2p software. This album featured collaborations with Joe Strummer, Annie Lennox, and Sting as well as new songs that were very reminiscent of Cliff's original hits. In 2004 Cliff completely reworked the songs, dropping the traditional reggae in favor of an electronica sound, for inclusion in Black Magic.
Cliff has also covered the famous African song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
His recording of 'You Can Get It If You Really Want' was used as a campaign anthem by the Sandinista National Liberation Front in the 1990 election in Nicaragua (they lost). It was also adopted by the British Conservative Party during their annual conference in October, 2007. It is unclear whether Mr Cliff endorsed either party. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 15,2010.
Bandwagon
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Bandwagon train is passing through
Buy your tickets two by two
Just be sure that when you do
Everything is for a time
You got yours and I got mine, got mine
Don't jump on the bandwagon, woah oh now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Bandwagon train is passing through
Come get your tickets two by two
Something you miss ain't nothing new
Just the selected chosen few
So let me tell you what you do
All you need is to be you, just you
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long, too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon now, now, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon, now, now, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
The lyrics of "Bandwagon" by Jimmy Cliff warn against following the crowd blindly without maintaining your individuality. The first verse advises you not to get swept up in the excitement of the moment and join the popular trend since it's not going to last forever. The second verse references the metaphor of a bandwagon train passing through, where everyone is getting onboard by buying tickets, but they are not realizing that they are losing their self-identity in the process. The chorus reiterates the song's message not to jump on the bandwagon, as it's not going to last too long.
Through the song, Jimmy Cliff is reminding people the importance of building their own identity based on their values and beliefs. He wants people to think and act independently instead of blindly following the masses.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't jump on the bandwagon
Don't follow the crowd just because it's popular or trendy
It ain't gonna last too long
The trend or fad that everyone is following won't be around for very long
Bandwagon train is passing through
The trend or fad is temporary and will eventually lose its popularity
Buy your tickets two by two
People are joining the trend in pairs or groups
Just be sure that when you do
If you do decide to join the trend, make sure you do it for the right reasons and not just because everyone else is doing it
You don't forget that you are you
Don't forget your own identity and don't let the trend change who you are
Everything is for a time
All trends and fads are temporary and will eventually come to an end
You got yours and I got mine, got mine
Everyone has their own preferences and tastes, and it's important to not just follow others blindly
Bandwagon train is passing through
The trend or fad is passing by quickly
Come get your tickets two by two
People are joining the trend in pairs or groups
Something you miss ain't nothing new
If you miss out on the trend or don't participate, it's not a big deal and not the end of the world
Just the selected chosen few
Only a small group of people are actually benefiting from the trend or fad
All you need is to be you, just you
It's important to stay true to yourself and not change who you are just to fit in with the crowd
Don't jump on the bandwagon now, now, now, now, now
This warning against blindly following the crowd applies at all times and not just during the initial hype of a trend
Contributed by Callie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Eddy Manijean
Bandwagon
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Bandwagon train is passing through
Buy your tickets two by two
Just be sure that when you do
You don't forget that you are you
Everything is for a time
You got yours and I got mine, got mine
Don't jump on the bandwagon, woah oh now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Bandwagon train is passing through
Come get your tickets two by two
Something you miss ain't nothing new
Just the selected chosen few
So let me tell you what you do
All you need is to be you, just you
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long, too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon now, now, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon, now, now, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
Credits
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
N BOATENG
Good old times! Bravo jimmy
Eddy Manijean
Bandwagon
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Bandwagon train is passing through
Buy your tickets two by two
Just be sure that when you do
You don't forget that you are you
Everything is for a time
You got yours and I got mine, got mine
Don't jump on the bandwagon, woah oh now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Bandwagon train is passing through
Come get your tickets two by two
Something you miss ain't nothing new
Just the selected chosen few
So let me tell you what you do
All you need is to be you, just you
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long, too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
It ain't gonna last too long, too long, too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon now, now, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon, now, now, now, now, now
It ain't gonna last too long
Don't jump on the bandwagon
Credits
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Ivonete Lima
Love Love ❤Jimmy Cliff❤
Sir Alfred Benjamin
The Wailers (Peter Tosh & The I Threes) worked on 4 tracks on this album
edmar martendal
I did not know that Jimmy and the i-threes had played together
edmar martendal
Amazing
FernandO. Ras
Reggae search
Tabla Rasa
Wicked !...Super bad Jimmy !
Eddy Manijean
.."Don't forget that you are you"...
Eddy Manijean
..."Don't forget you are you"...