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.
Let It Go
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
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When the music flow got nothing to lose
When we're dancing to the music
It's a vibration a sensation
A natural mystic
Let it go let your body go
When weâre dancing to the music
Let it go, you've got to let it go
Let it go, you've got to let it flow
Sometimes we just got to let go
Of everything we think we know
Sometimes we just got to be free
No one telling us how we should be
Let it go let your body go
When the music flow i got nothing to lose
When I'm dancing to the music
Just call me music
And don't call me nothing else
All your might
Say we dancing through the night
With all your might
Say we grooving through the night
Sometimes you just got to let go
Of everything you think we know
Sometimes we just got to be free
No one telling us how we should be
Let it go let your body go
Let it go a sensation, a natural mystic
Let your body go let it go now
Free your soul now let it go
The lyrics to Jimmy Cliff's song "Let It Go" reflect the feeling of nostalgia and longing for simpler times. The song starts off by describing a song that used to give hope and the strength to stand up when life gets tough. The singer's pain is palpable, and he laments that the song is no longer present to help ease the pain. He then goes on to ask where the song went, and why it's no longer here to help him through the challenging times.
The song then shifts to a reflection on the past, where the singer reminisces about the great things they could do and how sure they were of themselves. The lines "we were young, we were so sure, we couldn't feel this insecure" reveals the confidence and strength in their youth, which has faded away over the years.
As the song progresses, the disappointment and confusion grow as the singer desperately tries to locate the song that provided them with so much hope and strength. The questions "Where did it go?" and "Where did it go, the song we used to sing?" are repeated multiple times throughout the song, almost as if he's trying to incite an answer from the universe. The song's tone changes at the end, where the singer seems resigned to the fact that the song is gone and that the pain will continue to persist.
Overall, the lyrics to "Let It Go" are an emotional expression of the difficulties of life and the need for hope, and the disappointment of losing something that was so instrumental in getting through tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a song we used to sing
There was a time when we used to sing a song
Whenever this life get us down
When our lives get difficult and depressing
Then it would give us hope again
That song would help us regain hope and optimism
Help pull ourselves up from the ground
It would help us improve our situation and stand up again
My body is achin'
I am physically hurting
My finger is shakin'
I am trembling with fear, frustration or anxiety
My will is breakin'
I am losing my motivation and determination
Nothing to ease the pain, no, ha
There is no relief from my suffering
Where did it go, oh yeah?
What happened to the good old times, memories or attitudes?
(Where did it go?)
Reiteration of the previous line
The song we used to sing, yeah?
The song that was once important to us, where is it now?
Listen to me
Pay attention to what I am about to say
What happened to the days we knew
What caused us to lose touch with our past experiences and values?
And all the great things we could do?
Why did we stop aspiring to achieve great things?
Though we were young, we were so sure
Despite being young, we were confident and determined
We couldn't feel this insecure
We didn't experience doubt or self-consciousness
'Cause we were strong
We had strength, resilience and courage
Couldn't go wrong
We believed that we couldn't make mistakes or fail
Wouldn't be long
We thought that our struggle wouldn't last long
To feel that happy song, no, ha
To regain the joy, hope and optimism that the song used to inspire us
The song we used to sing?
The song that was once meaningful and inspiring to us, what happened to it?
Tell me now
Please answer my question immediately
Ha ha, listen to me
I am trying to get your attention with my humor
(Used to sing)
Reiteration of a previous line
(Get us down)
Reiteration of a previous line
(Hope again)
Reiteration of a previous line
Pain, pain, no
I am still in pain and suffering
Where did it go?
What happened to the song that used to mean so much to us?
Tell me, people
Please answer my question, everyone
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: JIMMY CLIFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cheikh Tidiane NDAO
awesome and full of meaning
Mohammed Awal Abdallah
LEGEND