Band Members:
[+]Michael Grant - born on 6 July 1969, in Birmingham - Keyboards / Vocals
[+]Kelvin Grant - born on 9 July 1971, in Birmingham - Guitar / Vocals
[+]Dennis Seaton - born on 2 March 1967 - Lead Vocals / Percussion.
[+]Patrick Waite - born on 16 June 1968; died on 18 February 1993 - Bass / Vocals
[+]Freddie "Junior" Waite - Drums / Vocals
Bio:
Although schoolboys, the group managed to secure gigs at certain Birmingham pubs and released a single, "Political" / "Generals", on local label 021 Records. An appearance on BBC disc jockey John Peel's evening show brought further attention to the group, and they were signed to MCA Records.
By that time, founding father Frederick Waite had backed down, to be replaced by Dennis Seaton as lead singer. During the winter of 1982, the group issued one of the fastest-selling singles of the year in "Pass the Dutchie". Based on the Mighty Diamonds "Pass The Kouchie" (a song about cannabis), the title had been subtly altered to feature the patois "dutchie" ,referring to a type of pot used for cooking. This idea is reinforced throughout the political and economic overtones throughout the song about extreme poverty and Musical Youth asking the question "How does it feel when ya got no food?"}. The infectious enthusiasm of the group's performance captured the public's imagination, and duly propelled the record to Number 1 in the UK singles chart. It went on to sell over four million copies, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. A US Top 10 placing also followed. The video made them one of the first black artists to be played on MTV.
The catchy follow-up, "Youth Of Today", reached the UK Top 20, and early in 1983, "Never Gonna Give You Up", climbed to UK Number 6. Minor successes with "Heartbreaker" and "Tell Me Why", were succeeded by a surprise collaboration with Donna Summer on the UK Top 20 hit "Unconditional Love".
A revival of Desmond Dekker's "007" saw them back in the Top 30, but after one final hit with "Sixteen", they fell from commercial grace, and subsequently split up in 1985 when Seaton left the band.
Plans to re-form were initially scotched when Patrick Waite, who had gone on to a career of juvenile crime, died of natural causes (hereditary heart condition) whilst awaiting a court appearance on drug charges. The Grant brothers remained involved in music, while Dennis Seaton released a solo set in 1989, before going on to form his own band, XMY.
In 2001, Musical Youth reformed. They were set to perform at the English ‘Here & Now’ tour, which features performances by many great artists from the 80’s. Due to the 9/11 attacks, the tour was cancelled.
However, by 2003 Musical Youth were back, appearing in a 1980s nostalgia tour. By 2005, now reduced to just a duo of Michael Grant and Dennis Seaton, Musical Youth performed at Wiesen festival in Austria.
On the internet, "Pass the Dutchie" is sometimes mistakenly attributed to Bob Marley.
Similarly, "Pass the Dutchie" is often mistakenly credited as being a Sonic Youth song.
Never Gonna Give You Up
Musical Youth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause what we ah go give you is a sweet music
Ah dis 'ya rank, ah dis 'ya one ah carry swing
Jah mon cah reggae music ah di king inna di ring, right
You take sugar and I have none
You take your coffee black and I have mine white
Now life is a mystery
We don't know our destiny
So let's love each other
I'm never gonna give you up
No matter what your mama say, girl
'Cause you promised me
That you'll always love me
I'm never gonna give you up
No matter what your papa say, girl
'Cause you promised me
That you'll never leave me
We dated through high school
And we have made promises to love each other
I'm never gonna give you up
No matter what your mama say, girl
'Cause you promised me
That you'll always love me
I'm never gonna give you up
No matter what your papa say, girl
'Cause you promised me
That you'll never leave me
Me seh, me went to a likkle town called Gamblin' Town
Me sight a likkle called, Paul Brown
She nearly lick me mek me tun all 'round, Lord
she nearly lick me mek me tun all 'round, big
Because yuh pretty jut cyaan' hold I, Lord
Me seh yuh gold chain cyaan' hold I
You better go oneside go cry, Lord
Because yuh pretty jut cyaan' hold I, two hits
If you love somebody new
It would make me sad
But what can I do?
Love is like the wind
It comes and goes
And you are my true love
And I'll never let go
I'm never gonna give you up
No matter what your mama say, girl
'Cause you promised me
That you'll always love me
Ah one Kelvin and him mek a front stand
Seh all mi school friend call me Rugband
Me short, me nuh tall, but me know when me talk
Me short, me nuh tall, but me know wan' fi talk, deh 'ya
Never gonna give you up
No no, never gonna give you up
'Cause you promised me
That you'll always leave me
The lyrics of Musical Youth's song "Never Gonna Give You Up" speak about the depth of love and commitment that exists between two people. The opening lines serve as a warning to anyone who intends to deceive or play games with the individual or the relationship. The singer emphasizes that what he has to offer is genuine and sweet music, and that reggae music is the king in the ring. The second verse speaks about differences the couple may have - whether it be in the types of sugar or coffee they take- while highlighting that life is a mystery and they should seize the moment to love one another. The chorus reaffirms the singer's commitment to his lover, and that he is not influenced by anyone's negative opinion. The third verse speaks, nostalgically, about the couple's teenage years and the promises they had made to each other. The final verse is dedicated to showcasing the singer's confidence despite his physical appearance, and he once again reiterates that he will never leave his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
Seh run come quick nuh bodda play no funny trick
Come quickly and don't try to deceive us or play any tricks, because we are going to give you amazing music
'Cause what we ah go give you is a sweet music
We are going to give you great music
Ah dis 'ya rank, ah dis 'ya one ah carry swing
Our music is the best and it is popular and beloved by many
Jah mon cah reggae music ah di king inna di ring, right
Reggae music is the best and most popular music genre
You take sugar and I have none
We have different preferences or experiences in life
You take your coffee black and I have mine white
We have different tastes
Now life is a mystery
Life is full of unknowns and uncertainties
So let's live for today
So let's enjoy the present moment
We don't know our destiny
We don't know what our future holds
So let's love each other
So let's cherish one another and cultivate love
I'm never gonna give you up
I will never abandon you or let you down
No matter what your mama say, girl
No matter what your mother tells you
'Cause you promised me
Because you promised me
That you'll always love me
That you will always love me
We dated through high school
We were in a romantic relationship during our high school years
And we have made promises to love each other
We have made vows to care for each other
Me seh, me went to a likkle town called Gamblin' Town
I went to a small town called Gamblin' Town
Me sight a likkle called, Paul Brown
I saw a girl named Paul Brown
She nearly lick me mek me tun all 'round, Lord
She almost knocked me over
she nearly lick me mek me tun all 'round, big
She almost knocked me over
Because yuh pretty jut cyaan' hold I, Lord
You are so attractive that I cannot resist you
Me seh yuh gold chain cyaan' hold I
Even your gold chain cannot distract me from you
You better go oneside go cry, Lord
You should go somewhere else to cry
Because yuh pretty jut cyaan' hold I, two hits
Your beauty alone is enough to captivate me
If you love somebody new
If you fall in love with someone else
It would make me sad
It would cause me to feel pain and sorrow
But what can I do?
But I am powerless to change it
Love is like the wind
Love is unpredictable and uncontrollable
It comes and goes
It can enter or leave our lives unexpectedly
And you are my true love
And you are the one I truly love
And I'll never let go
And I will hold onto you forever
Ah one Kelvin and him mek a front stand
A man named Kelvin made a bold move
Seh all mi school friend call me Rugband
All of my school friends call me Rugband
Me short, me nuh tall, but me know when me talk
I may not be tall, but I am confident in what I say
Me short, me nuh tall, but me know wan' fi talk, deh 'ya
I may be short, but I still want to express myself
Never gonna give you up
I will never abandon you or let you down
No no, never gonna give you up
Never, ever will I abandon or let you go
Because you promised me
Because you made a vow to me
That you'll always leave me
That you will always stay with me
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: Dennis Seaton, Frederick Waite, Sr., Kelvin Anthony Grant, Michael Lloyd Grant, Patrick Waite
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@josephinejohnson5644
Video done at my high school, I am in the crowd
@user-pk6gt2ob2h
Lucky you.
@adriansymcox1641
great record great group i am still listening to this in march 2024 because its great
@Munrobagger1976
Such an underrated song, a forgotten 80s classic
@hotdog210
Did I just get rickrolled by Musical Youth😂
@abraham_benson_official
No. Same song title, different song.
@keithlow3056
😂 I thought the same 😂 However I can't remember this song😢
@cvp2000
😂😂😂omfg
@YumMmh
This song came out 5 yrs before rick astley's song
@MN_2003
0:16 Cause what we give you is a sweet music 😁👌