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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.
Pee Pee Cluck Cluck
The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look at me
You should know that I love you
So why play it shy?
You know I love you
You I need you
You know I want you right by my side
No no no no no no no no no
No no no no no no no no no
Got to, got to feel it
In "Pee Pee Cluck Cluck," The Maytals are singing to Lara, a woman they love and want to be with. They express their frustration that Lara is playing coy and not giving them the attention they desire. Despite this, the Maytals make it clear that they need, want, and love Lara, and that they want her by their side. The song has a joyful and upbeat tone, with a lively and infectious melody. The music urges Lara (and the listeners) to feel the music and dance along, perhaps as a way to convey the depth of their feelings for her.
One interpretation of this song is that it is about the struggle of expressing one's emotions to someone they love. The Maytals seem to be expressing a need for Lara's reciprocation of their love, and may be frustrated that she is not reciprocating in the same way. The repetition of "no no no no no no no no no" could represent their frustration at not being heard or understood, and their insistence that Lara acknowledge their feelings.
Another interpretation of the song is that it is about the joy and freedom of expressing oneself through music and dancing. The Maytals urge Lara (and the listeners) to "feel it" and dance along, as if music and dance are a way to express the depth of their emotions.
Overall, "Pee Pee Cluck Cluck" is a lively and playful love song that can be interpreted in multiple ways. Whether it is about the struggle of expressing one's emotions or the joy of expressing oneself through music and dance, the song is an upbeat and infectious tribute to the power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Pee pee cluck cluck Lara
Hey Lara, I see you and notice you
Look at me
Pay attention to me because I'm trying to communicate something important
You should know that I love you
I want to make it clear that I have feelings for you
So why play it shy?
Why are you hiding your feelings from me?
You know I love you
I hope you realize that I care for you deeply
You I need you
I need you in my life because you bring me happiness
You know I want you right by my side
I want you to be with me and share experiences so we can grow together
No no no no no no no no no
I reject any doubts or uncertainties that may come up
Hear the music play
Let's enjoy the moment and appreciate the music
Got to, got to feel it
We need to fully embrace this moment and allow ourselves to feel the joy and love around us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind