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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.
Got to Feel
The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sure I saw you walking down the lane with another boy
And I just turned my face away and I walked a little faster
When you see me walking down the street with another girl
You just fuss around and try to work all your tricks on me
I know you would do that
I know you would do that
Oh baby, do that
That's the way you want it
That's the way you like it
That's the way you love it
That's the way you want it
That's the way you need it
That's the way you love it
Hey baby, do you, do you
Do you, do you do
Got to, got to feel it
[Incomprehensible]
Get me, get me feel it
If you see me walking down the street with another girl
You just bust around and try to work all your tricks on me
So I saw you walking down the lane with another boy
And I just turned my face away and I walked a little faster
I know you would do that
I know you would do that
I know you would do that
Oh baby, do that
That's the way you want it
That's the way you like it
That's the way you love it
That's the way you want it
That's the way you need it
That's the way you want it
Hey baby, do you, do you
Do you, do you do
Get me, get me feel it
[Incomprehensible]
Get me, get me, got to feel it
So don't come around, knock on my door
I don't love you, I don't need you no more
Don't keep knocking upon my door
I don't love you, I don't need you no more
Don't keep knocking upon my door
The Maytals' "Got to Feel It" can be interpreted as a song about a tumultuous romantic relationship. The lyrics describe two individuals who are continuously playing games with each other's emotions to try and gain the upper hand. The singer knows that their partner is not fully committed to them, and is even willing to see other people, evidenced by their actions of walking down the street with different companions. However, when the roles are reversed and the singer is seen with someone else, their partner becomes jealous and tries to manipulate the situation.
The singer is aware of this toxic cycle, but seems to be addicted to it. They feel the need to "feel it," even though it brings them pain and heartache. The chorus repeats the phrase "that's the way you want it, that's the way you love it," suggesting that both parties are willing participants in this damaging relationship. The final verse signifies a breaking point, where the singer realizes that they cannot continue with this pattern and chooses to shut the door on their partner.
Overall, "Got to Feel It" is a raw and honest portrayal of a dysfunctional romance, where both individuals are complicit in their own misery. It showcases the complexity of human relationships, where people can be drawn to things that are harmful to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Sure I saw you walking down the lane with another boy
I noticed you walking with someone else
And I just turned my face away and I walked a little faster
I chose to ignore it and leave quickly
When you see me walking down the street with another girl
If you ever see me with someone else
You just fuss around and try to work all your tricks on me
You try to play games and manipulate me
That's the way you want it
That's how you prefer things to be
That's the way you like it
That's how you enjoy it
That's the way you love it
That's how you cherish it
That's the way you need it
That's what you require
Hey baby, do you, do you
Hey, my dear, do you
Do you, do you do
Do you do that
Got to, got to feel it
I have to experience it
If you see me walking down the street with another girl
If you happen to spot me with someone else
You just bust around and try to work all your tricks on me
You try to deceive me and win me over
So I saw you walking down the lane with another boy
So I caught you with someone else
And I just turned my face away and I walked a little faster
And I just ignored it and walked away
So don't come around, knock on my door
So don't try to visit me
I don't love you, I don't need you no more
I don't have feelings for you, I don't require you anymore
Don't keep knocking upon my door
Don't continue to seek me out
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind