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).
Peace Perfect Peace
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody's talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m.
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Everybody's talking about Ministers,
Sinisters, Banisters and canisters
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes,
And bye bye, bye byes.
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Let me tell you now
Everybody's talking about
Revolution, evolution, masturbation,
Flagellation, regulation, integrations,
Meditations, United Nations,
Congratulations.
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Everybody's talking about
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary,
Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper,
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer,
Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna,
Hare, Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Toots & The Maytals's song "Peace Perfect Peace" is a reggae re-imagination of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance". The song's lyrics talk about the different "isms" and figures that people are talking about like Bagism, Shagism, Dragism. These words are invented terms that reference different social movements like feminism, environmentalism, and counterculture. The lyrics seem to imply that all these movements and ideologies are insignificant compared to the importance of peace.
In the second verse, the song mentions different figures such as Ministers, Sinisters, Banisters, Bishops, Fishops, Rabbis, and Pop eyes. These are all references to people who have power and authority but, again, are less important than promoting peace. The third verse lists different movements and organizations like Revolution, evolution, and United Nations. It seems to imply that these institutions have failed in promoting peace and instead, individual efforts are necessary.
In the final verse, the song lists different famous people who are associated with peace movements like John and Yoko, Bobby Dylan, and Norman Mailer. The repetition of the line "All we are saying is give peace a chance" reinforces the idea that peace is the ultimate goal that supersedes any movement or ideology.
Line by Line Meaning
Two, one two three four
Counting in the beat of the song
Everybody's talking about
People are discussing
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
Various isms and ideologies
This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m.
Different kinds of isms and ideologies are being mentioned repeatedly
All we are saying is give peace a chance
The message of the song is to promote peace
All we are saying is give peace a chance
The message of the song is to promote peace
C'mon
An urging to join the call for peace
Everybody's talking about Ministers,
People are talking about religious figures
Sinisters, Banisters and canisters
Various professions and objects are being mentioned
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes,
Specific religious leaders are mentioned
And bye bye, bye byes.
A playful goodbye
All we are saying is give peace a chance
The message of the song is to promote peace
All we are saying is give peace a chance
The message of the song is to promote peace
Let me tell you now
An introduction to a thought
Everybody's talking about
People are discussing
Revolution, evolution, masturbation,
Various actions and movements are being mentioned
Flagellation, regulation, integrations,
More actions and concepts are being mentioned
Meditations, United Nations,
Meditation and global peace initiatives are mentioned
Congratulations.
An ironic congratulations for all the buzz
All we are saying is give peace a chance
The message of the song is to promote peace
All we are saying is give peace a chance
The message of the song is to promote peace
Everybody's talking about
People are discussing
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary,
Various public figures and personalities are mentioned
Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper,
More public figures and personalities are mentioned
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer,
More public figures and personalities are mentioned
Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna,
More public figures and concepts are mentioned
Hare, Hare Krishna
A repetition of the Hare Krishna chant
All we are saying is give peace a chance
The message of the song is to promote peace
All we are saying is give peace a chance
The message of the song is to promote peace
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anniefranklin9853
So sad today. Thankyou so much for the years of wonderful music. Rest in Power. 🙏🏽
@nelsontiger3237
thenks 4 yo coment anniel
@siosaiapupua8943
RIP Toots, thanks for the memories, in 1989 I took my nephew (11yrs old) to see you and I brought him all the way to the front and lift him on stage and you gave him the chance to dance on stage with you, for that unforgettable memory I salute, miss 'n love you always and your music Toots🥰. Nephew Johnny let me know if you see this, please comment and pay your respects to Toots🙏💖
@tedcrawford4888
How could you give this song a thumbs down I pray for you and wish love and peace in your soul
@thembasepotokele6575
Still relevant today and tomorrow. Evergreen.
@vukaningcobo5680
This song goes to the very core of my soul. Been looking for it for years , didn't know the title
@nelsontiger3237
no water can cool the fire
@sifisosibiya135
No water can cool this fire,only the Lord can save us.We need more love in this community.
@BubblePi
Forgot about this wonderful tune. Rest in complete peace rastaman 🤎
@gracep1213
Rest in Peace Toots. This song, this music, is so moving. I can’t describe how it makes me feel inside. I keep playing it over and over, very moving. Having goose pimples...💕💖⭐️ 🌻.