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Junior Byles (Kerrie Byles Junior, aka King Chubby) was born in Kingston, Jamaica 1948.
He first formed The Versatiles with friends Ben Davis and Dudley Earl, and they were soon recording. Their first songs were cut for Joe Gibbs, with Lynn Tait's Band under Lee Perry's direction. From these sessions came "The Time Has Come", which was entered for the 1967 festival.
Another festival entry was 1971's "Rub Up" in 1971, but Byles' debut solo single (1970) was "What The World Is Coming To" c/w "Live As One", and released in the UK with strings and vocal chorus.
In 1971 Byles also recorded "Beat Down Babylon" (co-written by friend Harold Meikle) for Lee "Scratch" Perry, backed by The Now Generation Band (including Val Douglas Bass, Mikey Chung Guitar, and Wire Lindo Organ).
Following the critical acclaim "Babylon" received, Byles then worked with Perry for the whole of 1972. These sessions produced 12 tracks, 10 of which formed the album "Beat Down Babylon".
In what must have been some incredible moments of musical genius, Perry recorded Junior Byles' monumental hit "A Place Called Africa" at the same session that produced Bunny Wailer's phenomenal hit "Dreamland". The musicians at these sessions included the Barrett brothers, Tony Chin (lead guitar), Glen Adams (organ), and the rhythm guitar of Reggie Lewis.
During the mid to late 1970's he was reduced to homelessness, hunger and mental turmoil, and spent much of his life living at the street level. Indeed, his mental condition was so frail at this time, that upon hearing of Haile Selassies' death on August 27 1975, he tried suicide. This resulted in a long stay at Kingstons Bellevue mental hospital.
Byles still managed to record during these troubled times, with releases on Thing, Micron, Lovepower, Well Charge, Clocktower, Hot Shot, Impact, Treasure Isle, Observer, Advance, Soul Beat, Upsetter, Justice League, Wizzdom and Orchid.
Aside from the tracks already mentioned, "The Long Way", "Chant Down Babylon", "Bury O Boy", "Fade Away" and the incredible "Curley Locks" all rank as some of the greatest music Jamaica has ever produced.
Apart from the retrospective looks at his career, Byles still occasionally releases new material, as well as composing for other artist's. He recently performed his first show in the U.S. at the Sierra Nevada Festival in Marysville and the Ocean Rooms in Hackney, though he appeared less than 100% mentally well at the latter.
Fever
Junior Byles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get this feeling that's so hard to bear
You give me fever
When you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
I never know how much I love you
I never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get this feeling that's so hard to bear
You give me fever
When you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Now listen to me, baby
Hear what I've got to say
No one can love you the way I do
'Cause they don't know how to do it my way
Fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever
Oh baby, you got me feeling
Can you feel it?
I never know how much I love you
I never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get this feeling that's hard to bear
You give me fever
When you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Fever
Keep giving me the fever
Oh baby!
The lyrics to Junior Byles's song Fever are essentially a love song. The singer expresses that they never realized just how much they loved and cared for the person they're singing to until that person touches them. When they kiss, hold, or embrace the singer, they get a feeling that's almost unbearable - a feverish passion that consumes them. The descriptive language used ("Fever in the morning, fever all through the night") really emphasizes just how intense this feeling is. The singer also speaks to their devotion to the person: they claim that no one can love them quite like they can because nobody does it the way they do. It's a tender song that's full of love and devotion.
One interesting fact about this song is that it was written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, and made famous by Peggy Lee in 1958. Byles recorded his version in 1970, featuring a reggae beat and slightly altered lyrics. Another interesting fact is that the song has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including Madonna, Beyoncé, and Elvis Presley. Additionally, Byles was part of the Rastafari movement, and some interpret this song's lyrics to be rooted in the idea of Jah (or God) as the source of the feverish passion that the singer feels. Finally, the song appeared on the soundtrack for the popular video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
Overall, the lyrics to Fever are simple yet powerful, emphasizing the passion that can be sparked by a single touch, embrace, or kiss. The song has been popular for decades, and speaks to the universality of the feelings of love and desire.
Chords (key of G):
Verse: G - C - G - C - G - C - D - G
Chorus: G - C - G - C - G - C - D - G
Line by Line Meaning
I never know how much I love you
I am unsure of the intensity of my feelings towards you
I never know how much I care
I am unsure of the extent to which I am concerned about you
When you put your arms around me
When you embrace me
I get this feeling that's so hard to bear
I experience an intense emotion that is almost too much to handle
You give me fever
Your love for me generates passionate and intense emotions
When you kiss me
When you touch your lips to mine
Fever when you hold me tight
A sense of passion that overwhelms me when you embrace me closely
Fever in the morning
These emotions persist throughout the day
Fever all through the night
These emotions persist throughout the night
Now listen to me, baby
Please pay attention to my words
Hear what I've got to say
Listen to my message
No one can love you the way I do
None will love you with the same level of intensity and passion that I do
'Cause they don't know how to do it my way
Because they lack the ability to love you as passionately as I do
Oh baby, you got me feeling
You have evoked intense emotions in me
Can you feel it?
Are you able to sense it too?
Fever
An intense and passionate emotion
Keep giving me the fever
Continue igniting this emotional intensity within me
Oh baby!
An expression of affection towards the subject of the song
Writer(s): FITZGERALD GREGORY JOHN, NICHOLS THOMAS MARK HARMER
Contributed by David F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gabriel Da Silva
Pedrada!! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Elizabeth Hann
[11 October 2022] Amen to that. Stone tough, absolutely.
Vanice Deise
Está na playlist sempre!
Take Me Back: Pirate Radio Archives
R I D D I M ! ! !
Bruno Santamaria
Oldschool reggae art pice. THANK YOU.
Elizabeth Hann
[11 September 2022] Black Art from the Black Ark...So sensual, and so sinister at once...One of the great Perry's greatest productions.
Lawrence Njawe
Nice cover of Peggy Lee's original with a dubby riddim from the Great Lee Scratch Perry.
Anta Gueye
🎼🎵🎶🔥👍💙🙏🌈♾️🤩🙏
mel B
Flames
sigraviovio
On va faire dodo un peu chéri... ❤️❤️😘😘😘😘