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.
In This Time
Max Romeo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
lay down and thought about you.
I tho't about the way that it could be.
Two o'clock, wond'rin' what I'm doin' here alone without you.
So, I close my eyes and dream you here to me.
And I woke up in love this mornin'.
I woke up in love this mornin'.
I woke up in love this mornin'.
I woke up in love this mornin'.
Went to sleep with you on my mind.
Hello girl, yes, its five o'clock,
I know, but just you listen.
There's something that I've got to let you know.
This is you, this pillow that I'm hugging and I'm kissing.
And one more thing before I let you go.
And I woke up in love this mornin'.
I woke up in love this mornin'.
Went to sleep with you on my mind.
I woke up in love this mornin'.
I woke up in love this mornin'.
Went to sleep with you on my mind.
Do dreams come true?
Well, if they do,
I'll have you not for just a night,
but for my whole life through.
Oh, I woke up in love this mornin'.
I woke up in love this mornin'.
Went to sleep with you on my mind.
I woke up in love this mornin'.
Oh, I woke up in love this mornin'.
The lyrics of Max Romeo's "In This Time" speak about the desire to be with someone you love and the way they occupy your thoughts, even when you are trying to sleep. The singer thinks about this person before falling asleep and continues to dream about them, wishing that they were there with him. The lyrics express a feeling of love and longing and the hope that the dreams will come true.
The first verse sets the scene as the singer goes to bed and thinks about the person he loves. He lays down and closes his eyes, but his mind is occupied by thoughts of his loved one. He feels alone without them and wishes they were there with him. The chorus emphasizes the feeling of waking up in love after dreaming of this person.
The second verse addresses the person directly, as the singer calls them on the phone in the early morning hours. He tells the person that he loves them and misses them. He describes how he is holding and kissing a pillow that reminds him of them. The chorus repeats the lines about waking up in love and going to sleep with this person on his mind.
The final lines express the hope that his dreams will come true and that he will be with this person not just for a night, but for his whole life. The song is a romantic ballad that speaks to the universal experience of falling in love and longing for someone you cannot be with.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night, I turned out the light,
I switched off the light, capping off the day and opening space in my head to think of you.
lay down and thought about you.
I stretched on my bed and let my thoughts run wild, all about you.
I tho't about the way that it could be.
I wondered if we were together, how it would feel and what it would look like.
Two o'clock, wond'rin' what I'm doin' here alone without you.
It was two in the morning and I was left with my own company, wanting to be with you instead.
So, I close my eyes and dream you here to me.
To quell my yearning, I shut my eyelids and conjured an image of you in my mind, imagining your presence next to me.
And I woke up in love this mornin'.
Come morning, I felt love pulsing within me, a deep, intense and passionate emotion.
Went to sleep with you on my mind.
As I drifted off to sleep, you were the last thought occupying my mind.
Hello girl, yes, its five o'clock,
I'm up early, speaking to you at this unusual hour when I'm supposed to be fast asleep.
I know, but just you listen.
I plead with you to truly hear me out.
There's something that I've got to let you know.
I have something crucial to reveal to you.
This is you, this pillow that I'm hugging and I'm kissing.
As I cozy up to this pillow, I wish it was you instead so that I could hold and kiss you close.
And one more thing before I let you go.
Before I end this conversation and release you, there's one last thing I want to say.
Do dreams come true?
I wonder if what I'm imagining could actually become a reality.
Well, if they do,
Assuming dreams really do come true,
I'll have you not for just a night,
I won't settle for a fleeting romance, just for a night's pleasure.
but for my whole life through.
I want more, a lifetime partnership with you by my side.
Oh, I woke up in love this mornin'.
This intense feeling of love I'm experiencing is still alive and well, prevailing after a night of dreams and imaginings of you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IRWIN LEVINE, LARRY RUSSELL BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@eirinigiannetou1568
do you have the full album In This Time? if yes plzz upload <3