Born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, Nora Dean recorded as a member of The Soulettes (with Rita Marley) and The Ebony Sisters before recording as a solo artist. She recorded for Lee "Scratch" Perry, including the 1969 single "The Same Thing That You Gave to Daddy". Dean had her first hit in 1970 for producer Byron Smith with "Barbwire", based on The Techniques' "You Don't Care". She enjoyed further success with "Night Food Reggae". She went on to record for Sonia Pottinger, Harry Mudie ("Let Me Tell You Boy"), and Bunny Lee, including a version of "Que Sera Sera", retitled "Kay Sarah". She contributed backing vocals to Jimmy Cliff's 1973 album Unlimited. Dean moved to New York City in the mid-1970s, where she married. After several years away from music she returned in the 1980s, singing in a lovers rock style. In the 1990s she began recording again, now concentrating on gospel music, releasing several albums in the years that followed.
Dean moved to Connecticut in 2010, and died there on 29 September 2016, aged 72.
Nora Dean is one of reggae’s greatest mysteries. She sang solo as well as being a member of The Ebony Sisters, The Soul Sisters and The Soulettes. She did backing vocals on some recordings by Jimmy Cliff. Although she was not a prolific artist (especially by reggae standards), a number of her songs are very fondly remembered by fans of Jamaican music as true reggae classics. This is because Nora Dean brought something extra to her best songs, making them unusual and endlessly enjoyable. And yet, there is little biographical information about her anywhere. No interviews with her have ever been published. Photos seemed to be non-existent. Go through every reggae book, documentary, and liner note of the dozens of compilations her classic tracks appear on; you’ll learn that Nora Dean was born in 1952, and nothing more. Google until the search results are exhausted and, all you’ll learn is how many people share her name.
Somehow, the mystery is fitting for such an unusual singer.
Nora Dean is one of reggae’s best female vocalists. Listening to her music, it is immediately apparent that she has a great Jamaican voice. What might be slightly less obvious are the rich depths of her singing. This is what makes many of her recordings so special. An unexpected turn of melody, a well placed use of sounds instead of words, an emotional intensity and complexity that is very expressive. These are the hallmarks of the Nora Dean sound. Her songs are made all the more memorable by recording with some of Jamaica’s best producers, musicians and riddims. Oh, and there's also the sex. In all of her most memorable songs, there is sexuality. Each song presents a very different, unusual situation and the sexuality is always surprising. There's not a conventional love song in the bunch.
In “Barbwire” she plays babyishly naïve about a man’s advances. In “Mojo Girl”, she is serenely in full control. She lays down the law to her man, threatening him with black magic reprisals. In “Wreck A Buddy”, she is in desperate carnal need, with explicit lyrics to the melody of “Little Drummer Boy”. In “The Same Thing You Gave To Daddy”, she is in a battle of wills with her little boy, who won't go to sleep until he gets what Nora gave his daddy the night before. “Oh, no, no, no”, indeed! And in “Ay Ay Ay”, the music is deconstructed from reggae to a drone. Narrative is abandoned in favor of free association, and words become invocations that are supplemented with kisses, bird cries and groans of pure ecstasy.
But to be fair to the artist, Nora Dean would argue the point. She is a religious, righteous woman, who was born again in the late 1981. Some of her songs, she explained in early 2006, thought to be sexual in nature are actually misunderstood. In some cases, as a young girl she was pressured by producers to act outside of her character. (She was only about 15 when she started recording.) And at least one scandalous song, a cover of the mento song Night Food, Nora insists she did not record. She is upset that her name was affixed to a song she finds so repugnant.
The lyrical content aside, what is universally accepted is superb vocals and the enormous contribution that Nora Dean made to reggae music.
From www.noradean.com
Peace Begins Within
Nora Dean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My my, what now, got to make it, don't know how.
Oh me, oh my, want to see heaven, but I don't want
Oh me, oh my, cost of living get so high.
My my, what now, got to make it, don't know how.
Oh me, oh my, want to see heaven, but I don't want to die.
We believe peace begins within
In the lyrics of Nora Dean's song "Peace Begins Within," the artist expresses her concerns about the high cost of living and the struggle to make ends meet. She acknowledges the difficult reality that many people face, that they want to reach a place of peace, but they don't know how to attain it. Despite these obstacles, the artist affirms her belief that peace must first begin within ourselves. Nora Dean is suggesting that the quest for peace cannot be imposed on us from external forces; it must be a decision that each individual must make for themselves.
The lyrics are an invitation to self-reflection and introspection. Nora Dean reminds us that we cannot control the external world, but that we can control our own actions and mindset. While it may seem difficult to find peace in such tumultuous times, finding peace within ourselves provides a strong foundation for positive change in the world around us.
Overall, Nora Dean's "Peace Begins Within" is a powerful call to action and a reminder to prioritize self-care and personal growth towards inner peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh me, oh my, cost of living get so high.
Expressing frustration with the high cost of living.
My my, what now, got to make it, don't know how.
Feeling overwhelmed with the struggle to make ends meet.
Oh me, oh my, want to see heaven, but I don't want
Yearning for a better existence.
Oh me, oh my, cost of living get so high.
Reiterating the frustration with the high cost of living.
My my, what now, got to make it, don't know how.
Still feeling overwhelmed with the struggle.
Oh me, oh my, want to see heaven, but I don't want to die.
Desiring a peaceful existence, without having to give up life to achieve it.
We believe peace begins within
The realization that inner peace is crucial to achieving peace in the world.
Writer(s): nora dean
Contributed by Jason K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jahwiseroots
We believe peace begins within
We believe peace begins within
Oh me, oh my, cost of living get so high.
My my, what now, got to make it, don't know how.
We believe peace begins within
We believe peace begins within
Don't try oh, give us peace
Want you excuse me what I get hard release
Oh me, oh my, thinkin' so bad, I can not cry
We believe peace begins within
We believe peace begins within
Oh me, oh my, want to see heaven, but I don't want to die.
We believe peace begins within
We believe peace begins within
❤🔥
@hagopgulesserian7505
Thank god harlem shuffle reissue this jewel! There's a song called Mojo girl by Nora Dean on a heartbeat studio one compilation such a sweet song hope someone will reissue this one too... Souljazz records, TRS, Rock a shacka, hornin sounds, Gaffa blue, Digikiller, Iroko, pressure sounds, deep roots, onlyroots, archive recording, reggae fever...
@keezersteppa7578
My my my 19 longtime tune , nah here dis since 1976, on a Sunday when the gran was played by my dad, he’s now 86, and I’m 52.. tuuune
@gilbrown55
Got the single. Great tune
@ericcarlson1709
One of the most beautiful reggae tracks ever recorded.
@danieljullien1854
What a powerful piece of music! The words
and the sounds!
@iltomrootscolection7815
Uma pedra linda e clássica , um ouro no meio de várias outras canções . Reggae para mil anos de glória
@danieljullien1854
What a powerful piece of music! The message and the sounds!
@Original274
Absolute classic recording from Ms.Dean. Awesome Bullet selection.
@saharmartinez6253
What a song!
@jahwiseroots
We believe peace begins within
We believe peace begins within
Oh me, oh my, cost of living get so high.
My my, what now, got to make it, don't know how.
We believe peace begins within
We believe peace begins within
Don't try oh, give us peace
Want you excuse me what I get hard release
Oh me, oh my, thinkin' so bad, I can not cry
We believe peace begins within
We believe peace begins within
Oh me, oh my, want to see heaven, but I don't want to die.
We believe peace begins within
We believe peace begins within
❤🔥