Perry began his career in the late 1950s working with Clement Coxsone Dodd's sound system. He eventually performed a variety of important tasks at Studio One as well as recording about thirty songs, but the pair eventually stopped working together due to personality and financial conflicts.
Working with Joe Gibbs, Perry continued his recording career, but once again, financial problems caused conflict. Perry broke ranks with Gibbs and formed his own label, Upsetter, in 1968. His first single "People Funny Boy", which was an insult directed at Gibbs, sold very well. It is notable for its innovative use of a sample (a crying baby) as well as a fast, chugging beat that would soon become identifiable as "reggae" (the new sound did not really have a name at this time). During the 1970s, Perry released numerous recordings on a variety of record labels that he controlled, and many of his songs were popular in both Jamaica and the U.K. He soon became known for his innovative production techniques as well as his eccentric character.
In the early 1970s, Perry was one of the producers whose mixing board experiments resulted in the creation of dub. In 1973, Perry built a studio in his back yard, The Black Ark, to have more control over his productions and continued to produce notable musicians such as Bob Marley & the Wailers, Junior Byles, The Heptones, and Max Romeo. With his own studio at his disposal, Perry's productions became more lavish, as the energetic producer was able to spend as much time as he wanted on the music he produced. It is important to note that virtually everything Perry recorded in The Black Ark was done using rather basic recording equipment; through sonic sleight-of-hand, Perry made it sound completely unique. Perry remained behind the mixing desk for many years, producing songs and albums that stand out as a high point in reggae history. By 1978, stress and unwanted outside influences began to take their toll: both Perry and The Black Ark quickly fell into a state of disrepair. Eventually, the studio burned to the ground. Perry has constantly insisted that he burned the Black Ark himself in a fit of rage, but it was most likely an accident caused by faulty wiring. After the demise of the Black Ark in the early 1980s, Perry spent time in England and the United States, performing live and making erratic records with a variety of collaborators. It was not until the late 1980s that Perry's career began to get back on solid ground again, after working with British producers Adrian Sherwood and Neil Fraser, better known as Mad Professor.
Perry lived in Switzerland for a while with his wife Mireille Campbell-Rüegg and two children. He continued to record and perform to enthusiastic audiences in Europe and North America late into his life. His later music is a far cry from his reggae days in Jamaica; many saw this part of Perry's career as more of a performance artist in several respects. In 2003, Perry won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album with the album Jamaican ET. He teamed up with a group of Swiss musicians and perform under the name Lee Perry and the White Belly Rats. in 2015, Perry’s recording studio in Switzerland was damaged by a fire that destroyed various unreleased recordings and some of his stage gear. In 2020 Perry moved with his wife to Jamaica, where he died on 29 August 2021.
Set Me Free
Lee "Scratch" Perry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stop tearing up my heart
Tearing me apart
Set me free (x3)
Can't break your heart
Set me free
I see when you're driving along the highway
Is love life that is shining in your eyes
Come on..
Leave me all alone
why don't you go home
So you don't know how happy I will be
I don't need your love
I don't want your love
[Chorus]
So come on and set me free
Set me free (x3)
Stop tearing up my heart
Tearing me apart
Set me free (x3)
Can't break your heart
Set me free (x3)
Stop messing with my mind
You're wasting time
Set me free (x3)
Can't break your heart
Set me free
If you've never wanted to feel my lovin'
Then let me just keep walking on my way
Do you ever think you can change your love life
Your life
Now is the best time to leave it all behind
You really want to make me feel so blue
I don't need your love
I don't want your love
So come on and set me free
[Chorus]
Now I did it all go wrong
I thought love would go on and on and on and on
Want you change, want you change your life
Set me free
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Lee "Scratch" Perry's song Set Me Free is about a person who is pleading with their lover to set them free because they are tired of being torn apart and their heart being broken. The song is an expression of frustration from someone who has had enough of endless pain and heartaches in their relationship. The repeated plea, "Set me free," shows how desperate the singer is for freedom from this painful situation. The singer also asks their lover to stop messing with their mind and wasting their time, indicating that the relationship has become toxic and draining.
The song is a testament to the enduring human struggle to find balance in relationships. On one hand, there is the desire to love and be loved, while on the other hand, there is a need for freedom and autonomy. The singer of the song is undoubtedly experiencing this internal conflict, and they are finally urging their lover to set them free. Overall, the song is a poignant plea for change, growth, and transformation in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Set me free
Requesting to be freed from a situation
Stop tearing up my heart
Asking the other person to stop causing emotional pain
Tearing me apart
Refers to the emotional stress that is being caused
Can't break your heart
Acknowledging that the other person is not in love with them anymore
I see when you're driving along the highway
Noticing when the other person seems happy and content without them
Is love life that is shining in your eyes
Assuming that the other person is in love with someone else
I remember everything you have told me
Reflecting on conversations they had with the other person
Leave me all alone, why don't you go home
Asking the other person to leave them alone and go back to their own life
So you don't know how happy I will be
Believing that they will be happy without the other person in their life
I don't need your love, I don't want your love
Declaring that they do not want or need the other person's love
Stop messing with my mind, You're wasting time
Asking the other person to stop playing games and move on with their own life
If you've never wanted to feel my lovin'
Questioning if the other person ever truly loved them
Then let me just keep walking on my way
Expressing a desire to move on and walk away from the situation
Do you ever think you can change your love life, Your life
Asking the other person if they have considered changing their own life and finding happiness
Now is the best time to leave it all behind
Suggesting that it is time to move on and start anew
You really want to make me feel so blue
Accusing the other person of intentionally causing emotional pain
Now I did it all go wrong
Reflecting on how their relationship fell apart
I thought love would go on and on and on and on
Expressing a desire for their love to last forever
Want you change, want you change your life
Asking the other person to change their own life to find happiness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, DEAN REYNOLDS PUBLISHING
Written by: GAVIN CHRISTOPHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind