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 Locknā Festival in Arrington, Virginia, where guest Taj Mahal accompanied them on the song āMonkey Manā.
Frontman "Toots" Hibbert died on 12 September 2020.
Got To Feel It
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sure I saw you walking down the lane with another boy
And I just turned my face away and I walked a little faster
When you see me walking down the street with another girl
You just fuss around and try to work all your tricks on me
I know you would do that
I know you would do that
Oh baby, do that
That's the way you want it
That's the way you like it
That's the way you love it
That's the way you want it
That's the way you need it
That's the way you love it
Hey baby, do you, do you
Do you, do you do
Got to, got to feel it
[Incomprehensible]
Get me, get me feel it
If you see me walking down the street with another girl
You just bust around and try to work all your tricks on me
So I saw you walking down the lane with another boy
And I just turned my face away and I walked a little faster
I know you would do that
I know you would do that
I know you would do that
Oh baby, do that
That's the way you want it
That's the way you like it
That's the way you love it
That's the way you want it
That's the way you need it
That's the way you want it
Hey baby, do you, do you
Do you, do you do
Get me, get me feel it
[Incomprehensible]
Get me, get me, got to feel it
So don't come around, knock on my door
I don't love you, I don't need you no more
Don't keep knocking upon my door
I don't love you, I don't need you no more
Don't keep knocking upon my door
Toots and The Maytalsās song It is a classic rocksteady ode to a relationship gone sour. The lyrics paint a picture of two people who can't leave each other alone, even though they know it's not good for them. The lyrics revolve around the fact that both the singer and his girl canāt let go of the relationship even though they seem to be hurting each other. The singer recounts how he witnessed his girl walking down the lane with another boy, and he felt compelled to look away and walk away faster. He knows that if he were to do the same while with another girl, she would fuss around and try to work all her tricks on him. He sings that he knows she will do it because that is how she wants it, likes it, and loves it.
The refrain emphasizes that the singer's girl can't let go of their relationship. The lyricist repeats that she wants him even though she knows it's not good for either of them. The song ends with the singer telling his girl not to come around and knock on his door as he doesn't love her or need her any longer. It's a poignant reminder of a tragedy that keeps playing out in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Got to, got to, got to
Expressing the urgency and necessity of something
Sure I saw you walking down the lane with another boy
I definitely saw you walking with someone else
And I just turned my face away and I walked a little faster
I didn't want to confront you, so I avoided you and walked away quickly
When you see me walking down the street with another girl
If you ever see me with someone else
You just fuss around and try to work all your tricks on me
You try to manipulate me and use your charms to get me back
I know you would do that
I am aware that you behave this way
Oh baby, do that
Encouraging the partner to continue their behavior
That's the way you want it
Acknowledging that this is what the partner desires
That's the way you like it
This is what the partner finds enjoyable
That's the way you love it
The partner has strong affection for this behavior
That's the way you want it
Reiterating that this is what the partner desires
That's the way you need it
This behavior is a necessity for the partner
Hey baby, do you, do you
Asking the partner if they desire this behavior
Do you, do you do
Reiterating the question
If you see me walking down the street with another girl
Repeating an earlier scenario
You just bust around and try to work all your tricks on me
Explaining the partner's response to the scenario
So I saw you walking down the lane with another boy
Continuing the earlier scenario
And I just turned my face away and I walked a little faster
Repeating the earlier reaction
So don't come around, knock on my door
Advising the partner to stay away
I don't love you, I don't need you no more
Expressing that the relationship is over
Don't keep knocking upon my door
Reiterating that the partner should not come back
I don't love you, I don't need you no more
Confirming the end of the relationship
Don't keep knocking upon my door
Final warning to the partner to stay away
Lyrics Ā© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind