Jamaican Toots and the Maytals was until 1971 a vocal group called simply T… Read Full Bio ↴Jamaican Toots and the Maytals was until 1971 a vocal group called simply The Maytals. They are one of the best known and highest professionally rated (Rolling Stone, AllMusic, etc) ska, rocksteady and reggae groups. They were icons for the early skinhead movement of white working-class youth in UK. Their sound was unique, highly influenced by gospel, soul, and funk. Maytals (Hebrew = "dewdrops") was formed in Kingston, Jamaica 1961 by Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, Henry "Raleigh" Gordon & Nathaniel "Jerry" Mathias. Well known songs are '54-46 Was My Number', 'Funky Kingston', 'Pressure Drop', 'Monkey Man', 'Never You Change' 'Bam Bam'. The group had 2 songs in Jimmy Cliff's 1972 film The Harder They Come, and started to enjoy international hits 1973 on Island Records.
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Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group, was born in May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1958 at the age of thirteen. In Kingston, Hibbert met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming in 1962 a group whose early recordings were incorrectly attributed to "The Flames" and "The Vikings" by Island records in the UK.

The Maytals first had chart success recording for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured success, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming vocal group, The Wailers. After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster before recording with Byron Lee in 1965. With Lee, the Maytals won their first Festival Popular Song Competition with "Bam Bam". However, the group's musical career was interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned. Toots states that he was not arrested for ganja but while bailing a friend. He also states that he made up the number 54-46 when writing 54-46 That's My Number about his time in jail.

Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the Maytals began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration a string of hits throughout the late sixties and early seventies - "Do the Reggay", a 1968 single widely credited with coining the word reggae, "Pressure Drop", "54-46" the 1969 Jamaica festival's popular song winner, "Sweet & Dandy" and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970 . In 1972 they won their third Jamaica festival popular song with "Pomps & Pride". The group was also featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events - The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff, named as one of Vanity Fair's Top 10 Best Soundtracks of all time.

Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; the group released three best-selling albums produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, and enjoyed international hits with Funky Kingston in 1973 and Reggae Got Soul in 1975. Following the release of "Reggae Got Soul", Toots & The Maytals were invited to tour as the warm-up act for The Who during their North American Tour. The tour went poorly and Toots & The Maytals never went on the success of Bob Marley or Peter Tosh in the US.

Toots and the Maytals' compositions would be given a second airing in 1978-80 during the reggae-punk and ska revival period in the UK, when The Specials included "Monkey Man" on their 1979 debut album and The Clash produced their version of "Pressure Drop". They were also included in the Bob Marley and the Wailers song, *Punky Reggae Party". "The Wailers will be there, The Damned, The Jam, The Clash, The Maytals will be there, Dr. Feelgood too".

Having toured throughout the world for many years, Toots and the Maytals disbanded in the early 1980s, but reformed in the early 90s to continue touring and recording successfully. Sublime recorded cover versions of some Maytals songs in the 1990s as well.

The group recently won the 2005 Grammy award for best reggae album True Love, an album consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside popular and legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists today such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.

In 2006, they recorded a reggae/ska version of Radiohead's Let Down for the tribute album, Radiodread, by the Easy Star All-Stars. The album is a complete song for song makeover of the English rock band's album OK Computer into reggae, dub and ska. Let Down has been frequently cited by reviewers as one of the successes of the album.

A follow up to 2004's Love was being recorded in 2005 and released in 2007, and featured re-workings of classics such as "Johnny Cool Man" as well as new material. Light Your Light was nominated for the Grammy in the category Best Reggae Album.

Frederick Nathaniel 'Toots' Hibbert passed away September 11, 2020 at age 77.

Feel So Good
The Maytals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

As I was walking on Orange Street, I feel so lonely
And shook up and shook up and shook up for a little love, yeah
And I walked, and I walked, and I walked and I just couldn't find
Couldn't find, couldn't find that little love, yeah afterwards I feel so good
Afterwards I find my lover, I feel so good afterwards

As I was walking on that street, I feel so lonely
And shook up, and shook up and shook up for a slice of bread, yeah

And Mr. Walker's bakery was the only bakery I could check on
I could check on, I could check on, I could check on for a slice of bread
Then I feel so good afterwards, oh yeah, I feel so good afterwards

As I was walking on Orange Street, I feel so lonely
And shook up, and shook up and shook up for a little love, yeah
And I walked, and I walked, and I walked and I talked, and I talked
'Til I find a little love, oh Lord and I feel so good afterwards, yeah
I feel so good afterwards, Lord

As I was walking on that street afterwards

Yeah, and I feel so good afterwards
Yeah, and I was walking on Orange Street

Overall Meaning

The Maytals' song Feel So Good tells a story of a man walking down Orange Street feeling lonely and in search of love. The repetition of the phrase "shook up" emphasizes the singer's restlessness and desperation for a connection with someone. He walks and walks but cannot seem to find the love he is looking for until he finally does, and then he feels so good afterwards. The song repeats this pattern twice with a slight variation in the second verse, where the man is searching for something as basic as a slice of bread and finds it at Mr. Walker's bakery. Again, the feeling of satisfaction and relief is emphasized through the repetition of the phrase "I feel so good afterwards."

The lyrics can be interpreted as a commentary on the human need for love and basic necessities for survival. The singer's search for love is equated with his search for food, both of which are essential for human existence. The repetition of the phrase "I feel so good afterwards" suggests that finding love or sustenance can provide a temporary sense of satisfaction and relief from the struggle of daily life.

Overall, Feel So Good is a simple but poignant song that captures the essence of the human condition and the importance of human connection and basic needs.

Line by Line Meaning

As I was walking on Orange Street, I feel so lonely
Walking down Orange Street, I felt isolated and alone

And shook up and shook up and shook up for a little love, yeah
I was desperate and emotional, seeking affection

And I walked, and I walked, and I walked and I just couldn't find
I searched and searched, yet couldn't locate what I was searching for

Couldn't find, couldn't find, couldn't find that little love, yeah afterwards I feel so good
Despite the failure to find love, finally achieving it made me feel amazing

Afterwards I find my lover, I feel so good afterwards
Finding my lover made me feel incredibly happy and fulfilled in the end

And shook up, and shook up and shook up for a slice of bread, yeah
I felt anxious and shaken up just to obtain a simple piece of bread

And Mr. Walker's bakery was the only bakery I could check on
The only bakery available to me was Mr. Walker's

I could check on, I could check on, I could check on for a slice of bread
I relied on Mr. Walker's for my sustenance needs

Then I feel so good afterwards, oh yeah, I feel so good afterwards
In the end, obtaining the bread made me feel relieved and happy

And shook up, and shook up and shook up for a little love, yeah
Again, I was anxious and emotional, in pursuit of love

And I walked, and I walked, and I walked and I talked, and I talked
I tirelessly searched and conversed with others, seeking love

'Til I find a little love, oh Lord and I feel so good afterwards, yeah
Finally discovering love left me feeling euphoric and grateful

I feel so good afterwards, Lord
The ultimate feeling of joy and satisfaction came from finding love

As I was walking on that street afterwards
Reflecting back on the experience of searching for love and bread

Yeah, and I feel so good afterwards
Despite the struggles and challenges, the end result of finding love and bread left me feeling amazing

Yeah, and I was walking on Orange Street
The setting of Orange Street remains significant throughout the song, symbolizing the struggles and eventual triumphs of the artist

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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