In Kingston, he met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming a group whose early recordings were attributed to "The Flames" and, possibly, "The Vikings". Having renamed the group the Maytals, the vocal trio recorded their first album, "Never Grow Old - presenting the Maytals", for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One in 1962-63. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured instant success for the 1964 release, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming gospel trio, The Wailers. The original album augmented by studio out-takes from the Studio One sessions was re-released by Heartbeat/Rounder Records in 1997, and is essential listening for Maytals and Skatalites fans.
After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster (released in 1974) before recording their second album produced by Byron Lee in 1965. However, the band's musical career was rudely interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned on drugs possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band officially changed their name to Toots and the Maytals and began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration which produced three classic albums and 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 was my number" and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970. The group was featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events - The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff.
Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, the group released three best-selling albums, and enjoyed international hits with "Funky Kingston" in 1973 and "Reggae Got Soul" in 1976.
The compositions of Toots & the Maytals (also known as Toots and the Maytals) 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", with other Maytals' covers being recorded by Sublime. 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.
The band recently won the 2005 Grammy award for reggae for the 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.
They also contributed to the album 'Radiodread' (a tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
My Love Is So Strong
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics
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That you wish if I could go with you
Every night you keep on telling me
That you wish if I could follow you
Every time you keep on worrying, worrying me
That you wish if I could go with you
Just to do those funny things you wanted me to do
Honey, you tried to, to bend my love, yeah
You made a fool of me
One time I know is not the same
When we used to play in the sun
We used to hold each other's hand
Remember we used to play in the pond
So all the good looks that you have
Would not break my heart
My old heart still remains the same
Honey, you tried to bend my love
And made a fool of me, yeah
I said my love is so strong
And my mind is unchangeable
You take a look at my face
You will see that my future's still bright
Oh, bright as the sun in the sky
Honey, you're sure to see me shine, yeah
Shine as the stars in the morning
The pattern in the sky, oh yeah
I said my love is so strong
And my mind is unchangeable
You take a good look at my face
You will see that my future is still bright
Oh, bright as the stars in the sky
Honey, you're sure to see me shine
Shine as the morning stars
That shine on the sky, yeah, yeah
Oh, that good thing have been for you
Oh, you do those funny things
Avoiding me for good
Oh, my love is so strong
The lyrics of Toots & The Maytals's song My Love Is So Strong speaks to the enduring power of love and the challenges that come with finding and maintaining it. The song is a story of a relationship in which one person is constantly seeking to bend and manipulate the love of the other. The singer's partner pleads with him to follow her and worry about her, suggesting that she needs constant validation and attention in order to feel safe and secure in the relationship. However, the singer refuses to bend his love and remain steadfast in his resolve to maintain the relationship on his own terms. He recalls a time when the two of them were carefree and happy, playing and holding hands in the sun. He insists that all of her good looks and seductive ways will not break his heart or lead him astray. In the end, he declares his love to be so strong and his mind so unchangeable that his future is still bright, shining like the morning stars in the sky.
The lyrics of My Love Is So Strong encapsulate the themes of resilience, determination, and perseverance that are often present in romantic relationships. The song shows that love can be a powerful force, capable of overcoming even the most difficult challenges. It also demonstrates the importance of setting boundaries and staying true to oneself in order to maintain a healthy and fulfilling relationship. The music itself is an upbeat blend of reggae, ska, and rock that captures the joyful spirit of the lyrics and invites listeners to dance along.
Line by Line Meaning
Every day you say
That you wish if I could go with you
You constantly express a desire for me to accompany you every day.
Every night you keep on telling me
That you wish if I could follow you
You repeatedly express a desire for me to follow you every night.
Every time you keep on worrying, worrying me
That you wish if I could go with you
Your constant worry is causing me concern as you express the desire for me to go with you repeatedly.
But it's a good thing I didn't follow you
Just to do those funny things you wanted me to do
Honey, you tried to, to bend my love, yeah
You made a fool of me
I'm glad I didn't follow your requests to do strange things that you wanted as it seems like you were trying to manipulate my love for you and it made me look foolish.
One time I know is not the same
When we used to play in the sun
We used to hold each other's hand
Remember we used to play in the pond
I remember when we used to be happy together, playing and holding hands in the sunshine and playing in the pond.
So all the good looks that you have
Would not break my heart
My old heart still remains the same
Honey, you tried to bend my love
And made a fool of me, yeah
Despite your good looks, they aren't enough to break my heart as it remains the same. You tried to manipulate my love for you and made me look foolish.
I said my love is so strong
And my mind is unchangeable
You take a look at my face
You will see that my future's still bright
I am confident in the strength of my love and my unchanging mindset. You can see the brightness of my future just by looking at my face.
Oh, bright as the sun in the sky
Honey, you're sure to see me shine, yeah
Shine as the stars in the morning
The pattern in the sky, oh yeah
My future is as bright as the sunlight and you're guaranteed to see me shine, like the morning stars and the patterns in the sky.
Oh, that good thing have been for you
Oh, you do those funny things
Avoiding me for good
It's a good thing I didn't do those funny things for you anymore because now I'm avoiding you for good.
Oh, my love is so strong
My love is incredibly strong.
Contributed by Cameron G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.