Originally called simply The Maytals, are considered legends of ska and reg… Read Full Bio ↴Originally called simply The Maytals, are considered legends of ska and reggae music. They are from Kingston, Jamaica. Their sound is a unique, original combination of gospel, ska, soul, reggae and rock. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group, was born in May Pen in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1961 at the age of sixteen.

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).

You Know
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics

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I saw you coming to meet me
With all your friends coming to greet me
It is a good communication
It's a heavy, heavy, heavy, vibration

You make me feel so good inside
Yes, you make me feel so good inside

And the first I saw your face
And I want to know, what's your name
Yes, you know who I am
And I want to know who you are

Yes, you know who I am
And I want to know who you are
Yes, you know who I am
And I want to know who you are

It is nice, meeting all of you
And to talk with you, you see what love can do
What a sweet communication
With a heavy, heavy, heavy, vibration

And you make me feel so good inside
Yes, you make me feel so good inside

And the first I saw your face
And I want to know, what's your name
'Cause you know who I am
And I want to know who you are

Yes, you know who I am
And I want to know who you are
Yes, you know who I am
And I want to know who you are

Want to know who you are

I saw you coming to meet me
With all your friends coming to greet me
It is a good communication
It's a heavy, heavy, heavy, vibration

And you make me feel so good inside
Yes, you make me feel so good inside

And the first I saw your face
And I want to know, what's your name
'Cause you know who I am
And I want to know who you are

Yes, you know who I am
And I want to know who you are
Yes, you know who I am
And I want to know who you are

Want to know who you are, yeah

You know who I am
And I want to know, I want to know
Who you are

You know who I am
And I want to know who you are

Yes, you know who I am
And I want to know

Overall Meaning

The song "You Know" by Toots & The Maytals is a joyful expression of the joy of meeting someone new and the excitement that comes with it. The lyrics describe the singer seeing the person coming towards them, accompanied by their friends, and feeling good inside. The singer mentions the good communication and heavy vibration between them, which could refer to the way their connection feels. The chorus repeats the sentiment of wanting to know more about the person, their name, and who they are.

The verses of the song are filled with praise for the other person and the joy that their meeting brings. The lyrics are simple yet profound as they express the singer's longing to get to know the person better. The repetition of the line "you know who I am," and "I want to know who you are" emphasizes the desire for mutual understanding and connection.

Overall, "You Know" is a love song without being explicitly romantic. It celebrates the joy of human connection and the simple pleasure of getting to know another person. The song is instantly catchy and upbeat, and its message of openness and curiosity is universal.

You KnowToots & The Maytals Lyrics

You Know
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics