Toots and The Maytals are from Kingston, Jamaica. It was the producer Byron Lee who 1971 renamed them Toots & the Maytals. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group and the lead singer, 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 drug possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band 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" 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.
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", 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.
In 2005, the band won a Grammy award for best reggae album for True Love, consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.
They also contributed to the Easy Star All-Stars album 'Radiodread' (a dub tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
In 2016 Toots and the Maytals announced a return to the stage with their first tour in 3 years,[35] and on June 15 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego the group returned to the stage for the first time since 2013.
In 2017 Toots and the Maytals played Coachella Fest April 16 and 23 at 4:20 pm. They became the second reggae-based group to perform at the Coachella festival, after Chronixx in 2016.
In 2018, Toots and the Maytals launched a 50th anniversary tour with concert appearances in North America from April to August, moving to dates in the UK starting in October.
On July 25, 2018 Toots and the Maytals debuted an original song entitled "Marley" live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and also played the classic "Funky Kingston".
On August 24, 2018 Toots and the Maytals performed at Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, Virginia, where guest Taj Mahal accompanied them on the song “Monkey Man”.
Frontman "Toots" Hibbert died on 12 September 2020.
Gee Whiz
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh no, I didn't recieve you
Oh no, I never believe you
I never believe what you say
I say
Gee Whiz, look what you told me
gee whiz, look how you tell me, tell me, tell me,
look how you tell me a lie
That's why I say
Oh yeah...look what you do me
Oh yeah...look what you do me, do me, do me
Oh yeah...look what you do me
Look what you're doing to me
I said
break up (x3)...break up your fall the ground
I say break up, break up...break up your falling down
break up, break up...break up your fall to the ground
The lyrics of "Gee Whiz" by Toots and The Maytals, largely revolve around themes of betrayal and deception in relationships. The repetition of "Oh no, I never believe you" highlights a lack of trust and perhaps even a sense of betrayal felt by the singer towards their partner. The use of the phrase "Gee Whiz", which is another way of saying "Oh my!", is ironic in this context because it is used to express shock and disbelief at the partner's lies, yet the singer repeats this phrase throughout the song with increasing frustration and anger towards the situation.
Furthermore, the lyrics of "Gee Whiz" also touch on the idea of action versus words. The repetition of "look what you do me" emphasizes the importance of actions in a relationship, instead of just empty promises and lies. The singer is urging their partner to take action and "break up" their bad behavior, which is portrayed as causing them to fall down. This line can also be interpreted as demanding the partner to break up with them, as a result of their dishonesty and lack of trust.
Overall, "Gee Whiz" is a powerful song that expresses complex emotions surrounding trust, betrayal, and actions in relationships. The use of simple and repetitive phrases creates a sense of urgency and emphasizes the emotional weight of the message.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh no, I never believe you
I do not trust you or believe what you say
Oh no, I didn't recieve you
I did not receive your message or understand it
Oh no, I never believe you
I still do not trust you or believe what you say
I never believe what you say
I do not have faith in your words or promises
Gee Whiz, look what you told me
Expressing surprise and disappointment in response to something that was told to them
gee whiz, look how you tell me, tell me, tell me,
Expressing surprise and disappointment at the way the other person conveyed their message multiple times
gee whiz, look how you tell me
Expressing surprise and disappointment at the way the other person conveyed their message
look how you tell me a lie
Accusing the other person of lying to them
Oh yeah...look what you do me
Expressing frustration at the actions of the other person
Oh yeah...look what you do me, do me, do me
Repeated expression of frustration towards the other person's actions
Oh yeah...look what you do me
Expressing frustration at the actions of the other person
Look what you're doing to me
Expressing the negative impact of the other person's actions on them
break up (x3)...break up your fall the ground
Encouraging the other person to take action to prevent their own downfall or failure
I say break up, break up...break up your falling down
Continuing to encourage the other person to take action to prevent their own downfall or failure
break up, break up...break up your fall to the ground
Continuing to encourage the other person to take action to prevent their own downfall or failure
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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