He left home at the age of 14 and worked on a sugar plantation outside Clarendon, cleaning out irrigation ditches, before winning a local talent competition when he was 18; prompting a move to the capital, Kingston, in order to achieve a successful musical career.
In 1965 he joined up with Kenneth Knight and Lloyd Shakespeare in The Emotions, whilst also working as a record plugger for Ken Lack's Caltone label. The group were unsuccessful in auditions for other producers, but Lack offered them an audition after overhearing Smith singing to himself as he worked one day. In 1966, the group had their first hit, with the Lack-produced, "Buy You a Rainbow". The Emotions went on to have several hit singles and by 1968, the singer, by this point known as Max Romeo, felt confident enough to launch a solo career. Working with producer Bunny Lee, the young star recorded a number of pop songs, mainly love ballads, but they failed to be popular and so he returned to The Emotions, now recording for Phil Pratt. During this time he began work as a sales representative for Bunny Lee and did some recording with The Hippy Boys, which would later became The Upsetters.
Later on in 1968, Romeo wrote new lyrics for the rhythm track of Derrick Morgan's "Hold You Jack" and handed them over to Lee. Morgan, who was due to add his vocals to the track, ultimately gave it a miss, as did several other vocalists (including John Holt and Slim Smith), leading the producer to turn to Romeo to sing the lyrics he had written. The result, "Wet Dream", was an instant hit in Jamaica, although in the UK it was met with a BBC Radio ban, despite Romeo's somewhat-disingenuous claim that the song was actually about a roof that has a leak. Still, the ban only made it more popular and the single charted in the Top Ten, in the UK Singles Chart, spending almost six months therein, before featuring on his LP, A Dream, which included several follow-up singles in a similar vein, such as "Mini Skirt Version", "Fish in the Pot", "Belly Woman", and "Wine Her Goosie". A UK tour also met with Romeo being banned from performing at several venues, although many allowed him to play, the singer staying in the UK for eighteen months.
In 1970, Romeo returned to Jamaica and set-up Romax, an unsuccessful record label and sound system. Following which, he recorded several singles, mainly with old producer Bunny Lee, before going on to work a host of other producers including Niney Holness. This was followed by a period of which saw the release of a series of politically charged singles, most advocating the democratic socialist People's National Party (PNP), which chose his song, "Let The Power Fall On I", as their campaign theme for the 1972 Jamaican general election. Romeo joined the PNP Musical Bandwagon, travelling around Jamaica, playing on the back of a truck. After this, Romeo recorded a number of religious songs, until he worked with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, producing the classic singles "Three Blind Mice" (an adaptation of the nursery rhyme with lyrics about a police raid on a party), "Sipple Out Deh", and "Chase the Devil". A remixed version of "Sipple Out Deh", entitled "War Ina Babylon", was another popular track in the UK, the first fruits of his deal with Island Records, and was followed by an album of the same name, and a follow-up single "One Step Forward". Shortly after this the pair fell out, leaving Romeo to self-produce his follow-up album, Reconstruction, which could not match the success of its predecessor. Perry's animosity towards Romeo was demonstrated by his single "White Belly Rat", with Perry also writing the word 'Judas' over a photograph of Romeo on the wall of his Black Ark studio.
He moved to New York City in 1978, where he co-wrote (with Hair producer Michael Butler) the musical, Reggae, which he also starred in. In 1980 he appeared as a backing vocalist on "Dance" on The Rolling Stones album Emotional Rescue. In 1981, the favour was returned when Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones) co-produced and played on Romeo's album, Holding Out My Love to You. The rest of his output during the decade went practically unnoticed, with Romeo finding work at a New York electronics store. He returned to Jamaica in 1990, and began touring and recording more regularly.
He visited the UK again in 1992, recording the albums Far I Captain of My Ship and Our Rights with Jah Shaka. In 1995 he recorded Cross of the Gun with Tappa Zukie, and he joined up with UK rhythm section/production team Mafia & Fluxy in 1999 for the album Selassie I Forever.
His music has been sampled by other artists; The Prodigy sampled his track "Chase the Devil" for their 1992 UK Top Ten hit "Out of Space". Kanye West has also used samples from it to produce Jay-Z's hit song "Lucifer", which appeared on Jay-Z's 2003 release - The Black Album.
"Chase the Devil" is featured on the reggae radio station K-JAH Radio West in a popular videogame Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, released in October 2004. Romeo's single "Sipple Out Deh" appeared in John Peel's Record Box.
- Albums:
A Dream (1970) Trojan
Let The Power Fall (1972) Dynamic
Revelation Time (1975) Black World
War Ina Babylon (1976) Island
Reconstruction (1979) Island
I Love My Music (1979) Wackies
Rondos (1980) King Kong
Holding Out My Love to You (1981) Shanachie
Transition (1989) Rohit
Fari - Captain of My Ship (1992) Jah Shaka
Our Rights (1992) Jah Shaka
Cross or the Gun (1995) Tappa Zukie
Selassie I Forever (1999) Mafia & Fluxy
Love Message (1999) Warriors
Something is Wrong (1999) Warriors
In This Time (2001) 3D (Max Romeo & Tribu Acustica)
Pocomania Songs (2007) Ariwa Sounds
- Compilations:
Max Romeo Meets Owen Gray At King Tubby's Studio (1984) Culture Press (with Owen Gray)
Max Romeo and the Upsetters (1989)
Wet Dream (1993) Crocodisc
McCabee Version (1995) Sonic Sounds
Open The Iron Gate (1999) Blood & Fire
The Many Moods of Max Romeo (1999) Jamaican Gold
Pray For Me: The Best of Max Romeo 1967-73 (2000) Trojan Records
Perilous Times (2000) Charmax
On The Beach (2001) Culture Press
The Coming of Jah (2002) Trojan
Ultimate Collection (2003) (compiled by David Katz)
Holy Zion (2003) Burning Bush
Wet Dream: The Best of Max Romeo (2004) Trojan
Crazy World of Dub (2005) Jamaican Recordings
One of Jamaica's most provocative lyricists, a singer who gave us such enduring songs as 'Chase The Devil' (which was sampled in the song 'Out of Space' by The Prodigy and the song 'Lucifer' by Jay-Z), 'Public Enemy Number One', 'One Step Forward' and 'Three Blind Mice'. It was Romeo who first introduced Britain to the concept of rude reggae with 'Wet Dream', which, despite a total radio ban, reached number 10 in the UK charts in May 1969.
In 1972 Romeo began working with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. 'Babylon Burning', 'Three Blind Mice' and 'The Coming Of Jah' all maintained his star status in Jamaica between 1972 and 1975. Revelation Time was one of the best albums of 1975, and 1976's War Ina Babylon was hailed by the rock press as an all-time classic reggae album. Two outstanding contributions that will remain classic recordings from the so-called ‘golden age’ of Jamaican reggae music.
A Fi We Country
Max Romeo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mek we live it up, alright
A fi we country
So no mash it up, yes
A fi we something
So mek we use it up
A fi we country
So no shoot it up, no mash it up
Thinking of a vacation the other day
All work and no play makes a dull day
My woman, she looks at me and says (yeah)
Why not take a vacation in Montego Bay
'Cause
A fi we country
Mek we live it up, alright
A fi we country
So no mash it up, yes
A fi we something
Mek we use it up
A fi we country
So no shoot it up, no mash it up
I said, "Woman, I prefer a foreign land
Where I can pretend to be a big-shot man"
She said, "Have you tried rafting on the Rio Grande?
Or clompering on Negril's white sand?"
Yes
A fi we country
Mek we live it up, alright
A fi we country
So no mash it up, yes
A fi we country
Mek we build it up, alright
A fi we country
So no shoot it up, no mash it up
"Honey, I know it's my own land,
But those places are for the foreign man"
She said, "Oh no, it couldn't be so,
You can be a visitor in your own land"
I know that we have traveled far
From those slave markets in Zanzibar
This land is our own sweat and blood
So let's live it up, live it up, don't shoot it up
'Cause
A fi we country
Mek we live it up, alright
A fi we country
So no mash it up, yes
A fi we something
So mek we use it up
A fi we country
So no shoot it up, no mash it up
The song "A Fi We Country" by Max Romeo is about the appreciation of one's own country and the need to celebrate it rather than destroy it. In the song, Romeo encourages his fellow Jamaicans to live it up and make the most of their beautiful country. He urges them not to mash it up, shoot it up or destroy it in any other way. Romeo’s lyrics praise the natural goodness of Jamaica’s people and resources and the song is a call to action to protect and nurture the environment.
The song begins with Romeo thinking about going on a vacation but gets convinced by his woman to stick around and enjoy what their country has to offer. In the second verse, Romeo had a preference for a foreign land, but his woman convinced him to stay and enjoy the local attractions. Romeo’s lyrics highlight the difference in perception that Jamaicans have about their own country concerning foreign lands.
The message of the song is simple and grounded in the reality of life in Jamaica. The lyrics of the song illustrate the rich cultural and artistic heritage of Jamaica, its natural beauty, and the importance of community. Romeo’s lyrics have an empowering effect on the Jamaican people, reminding them of the greatness of their country and its people.
Line by Line Meaning
A fi we country
This is our country
Mek we live it up, alright
Let's enjoy ourselves and have a great time here
So no mash it up, yes
Let's not destroy it or ruin it
A fi we something
This is something that belongs to us
So mek we use it up
So let's use it to our advantage
So no shoot it up, no mash it up
Let's not damage or destroy it with violence or carelessness
I said, "Woman, I prefer a foreign land
I said to my partner, I want to go to a foreign country
Where I can pretend to be a big-shot man"
Where I can pretend to be someone important
She said, "Have you tried rafting on the Rio Grande?
My partner suggested we try rafting on the Rio Grande
Or clompering on Negril's white sand?"
Or walking along Negril's beautiful beaches?
Mek we build it up, alright
Let's work hard to build it up
"Honey, I know it's my own land,
I responded to my partner with hesitancy
But those places are for the foreign man"
But I feel like those places are for tourists
She said, "Oh no, it couldn't be so,
My partner challenged my perspective by saying it's not true
You can be a visitor in your own land"
You can still explore your own country and be a tourist in it
I know that we have traveled far
I recognize that we have come a long way
From those slave markets in Zanzibar
From the time when slave trading was happening in Zanzibar
This land is our own sweat and blood
Our hard work and sacrifices have made this land ours
So let's live it up, live it up, don't shoot it up
So let's enjoy it to the fullest and not destroy it with violence
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MAXWELL LIVINGSTON SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jacobnyer
big tune! how did no one else comment on this yet... dayum! wake up and live!
ZombBait
alright