The charismatic vocalist says he listened to everything from the 1970s soul of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway to the New Jack swing of Guy and gangsta rap of Dr. Dre, when he was growing up in Brooklyn, New York.
Now, he gets the chance to play out those influences on his first full-scale solo project.
“It was nothing planned. We got a call from (producer) Salaam Remi last year about Gramps, Mojo and myself doing individual songs for an album he was doing,” Peetah explained. “The song I did (Salute Them) came out so well; I just got to thinking about doing something for myself.”
That ‘something’ is totally different from the rootsy songs ‘Heritage’ have belted out since the late 1990s, making them household names among reggae fans in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
“It’s going to be more hip-hop and dancehall with some R&B overtones,” Peetah said.
Peetah worked with Shane Brown of Juke Boxx Productions on most of the songs, one of which includes the world beat-ish Save The World which gained steady airplay on Jamaican radio. Brown, one of reggae’s upcoming producers, is best known for his work with Chuck Fenda, Busy Signal, Mavado and Morgan Heritage.
The two plan to complete as many as forty songs by the end of February, 2009. They hope to release several of their productions in the first quarter of next year to get Peetah’s solo career off and running.
The dreadlocked singer is quick to point out that it is not the end of Morgan Heritage.
“It’s something we’ve (Morgan Heritage) discussed as a group. People know the group but don’t know each member as individuals. It was a collective decision to do some solo work,” he said.
Peetah was born to make music. He is one of Jamaican singer Denroy Morgan’s over twenty children and was born in Brooklyn, the New York City borough that has been home to thousands of Jamaicans since the 1960s.
Even though he and most of his siblings were born in the United States, Peetah recalls a strong Jamaican vibe in his household.
“Our parents raised us like Jamaicans. It was Americans at school but once we were home it was all about being Jamaican,” he said.
Peetah remembers his parents keeping the Jamaican music vibe alive in the home by playing the music of Toots and the Maytals and The Heptones, but says as a boy he was never consumed by Jamaican music. He was into the genius of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway and later discovered the smoothness of vocal group Guy, and the funky West Coast beats of Dr Dre.
It was not until 1995 when new-wave roots singer Garnet Silk died in a mysterious explosion at his mother’s home in Manchester, Jamaica that Peetah found his reggae calling.
“I started listening to a lot of reggae when Silk passed away. There was just something about him,” he recalled.
Peetah admits writing songs without the rest of the Morgan clan has been the toughest aspect of his solo effort. “Just thinking about going out there by myself is nerve-wracking,” he said.
But come 2009, he is confident the butterflies would have long left his stomach. Enough for him to embark on his most ambitious venture to date.
365 Days a Year
Peetah Morgan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My absolution nearer, I'll reappear discretely
Calling underground people,
With your underground hearts;
You could start a mainstream fire
With your underground sparks.
Keeping all your underground thoughts
Realize it is inside those minds
Where revolutions start.
Your only failure will be thinking you see right through me.
When things become much clearer, I′ll know just where you have been.
On and on I feel you slide
Deep into my memory, slowly.
I look behind to find you stood in front of me,
Adding to elements of subtraction.
Taken from that backwards heart,
And mistaken for love,
I search for ways to compensate for
Simple words no longer true to me.
My resolution this year? I'll disappear completely.
My absolution nearer, I'll reappear.
Your only failure will be thinking you see right through me.
When things become much clearer, I′ll know just where you have been.
Suddenly I′m in a place I've never seen before.
In front of me a faceless figure that I′ve seen before;
Undeterred by motions of distraction, and it's coming to me.
Your life (undeterred my motions of distractions)
You′re right (and it's coming to me)
You′re alive (undeterred by motions of distraction)
But your mind wont think what it's supposed to.
"365 Days a Year" by Peetah Morgan is a song with a deeper meaning about self-discovery and the quest for fulfillment. The opening lines, "My resolution this year? I'll disappear completely. My absolution nearer, I'll reappear discretely," suggest a desire to break away from the constraints of society and seek a deeper understanding of oneself. The lines touch on his willingness to let go of everything in order to find peace and solace in his own company.
The next lines, "Calling underground people, With your underground hearts; You could start a mainstream fire With your underground sparks," appeal to those with hidden talents and potential, urging them to embrace their uniqueness and bring something valuable to the world. The song emphasizes that we all have something special to offer, despite how insignificant we may feel. By exploring our inner selves and digging deep, we can learn to tap into our potential and make a positive impact.
In the bridge, Peetah encourages us to look beyond the surface and recognize that revolutions often begin in the minds of those who go against the norm. He urges us to embrace our underground thoughts and bring them to the forefront. The lines, "Your only failure will be thinking you see right through me. When things become much clearer, I'll know just where you have been," suggest that while people might fail to see him, he knows where he is going and that he will emerge stronger.
Overall, "365 Days a Year" is a song about finding oneself, embracing one's uniqueness, and pursuing one's passions, no matter how unconventional they may seem or how many obstacles may be faced along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
My resolution this year? I’ll disappear completely.
I have a resolution of disappearing from everyone’s life this year.
My absolution nearer, I'll reappear discretely.
I'll make my return secretly and discretely very soon.
Calling underground people,
Addressing the people who are living an underground life.
With your underground hearts;
You people have hearts that are different and not open to everyone.
You could start a mainstream fire
You have the power to start a change in the world.
With your underground sparks.
The unique sparks that you have deep within can ignite a fire.
Keeping all your underground thoughts
Your thoughts are hidden and not exposed to the world.
From the surface above,
You don't show your true self to the surface world.
Realize it is inside those minds
Revolutionary ideas begin from within those hidden and underground minds.
Where revolutions start.
These minds are the place where big changes happen.
Your only failure will be thinking you see right through me.
You'll fail if you think you know me completely.
When things become much clearer, I′ll know just where you have been.
I'll know your true intentions and motives only when everything is clear.
On and on I feel you slide
You keep slipping away from me.
Deep into my memory, slowly.
The memory of you is deeply rooted in my mind, fading away slowly.
I look behind to find you stood in front of me,
I look back to see that you're still present in front of me.
Adding to elements of subtraction.
Your presence is making me feel negative emotions.
Taken from that backwards heart,
Your actions are not based on a genuine heart.
And mistaken for love,
I mistook your actions to be those of love.
I search for ways to compensate for
I look for ways to make up for lost time and love.
Simple words no longer true to me.
The words that you say don't hold any true meaning to me anymore.
Suddenly I′m in a place I've never seen before.
I find myself in an unfamiliar situation.
In front of me a faceless figure that I′ve seen before;
I'm facing a person who is anonymous yet familiar.
Undeterred by motions of distraction, and it's coming to me.
This person is not affected by any kind of distraction and is coming towards me.
Your life (undeterred my motions of distractions)
Your life is not affected by any kind of distraction.
You′re right (and it's coming to me)
You're correct in following your path and coming towards me.
You′re alive (undeterred by motions of distraction)
You're living your life to the fullest regardless of any distraction.
But your mind wont think what it's supposed to.
Your thoughts are not aligned with what's expected of you.
Writer(s): Butler Terence Damien, Greasley Jonathan Keith, Huckvale Andrew Charles, Macan Louis Richard
Contributed by Taylor F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@theangolabeauty
I do love this song it very swal. Good job P. Morgan keep rocking, almost rockazz moment 2012
@lamulatona06
que cancion mas linda me llega al alma love it
@zuleikhaahmed7220
❤❤❤