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.
Hard To Handle
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm the man on the scene
I can give you what you want
But you got to come home with me
I forgot some good old lovin'
And I got some more in store
When I get to thrown it on you
You got to come back for more
That ain't nothin' but drug store lovin'
Hey little thing, let me light your candle
'Cause mama I'm sure hard to handle, now, gets around
Action speaks louder than words
And I'm a man of great experience
I know you got another man
But I can love you better than him
Take my hand, don't be afraid
I'm gonna prove every word I say
I'm advertisin' love for free
So, you can place your ad with me
Once it come along a dime by the dozen
That ain't nothin' but ten cent lovin'
Hey little thing, let me light your candle
'Cause mama I'm sure hard to handle, now, gets around
Yeah, hard to handle, now
Oh, baby
Baby, here I am
The man on your scene
I can give you what you want
But you got to come home with me
I forgot some good old lovin'
And I got some more in store
When I get to thrown it on you
You got to come runnin' back for more
Once it come along a dime by the dozen
That ain't nothin' but drug store lovin'
Hey little thing, let me light your candle
'Cause mama I'm sure hard to handle, now, gets around
Hard, hard to handle, now
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah
Once it come along a dime by the dozen
That ain't nothin' but ten cent lovin'
Hey little babe, let me light your candle
'Cause mama I'm sure hard to handle, now, gets around
Yeah, so hard to handle, now
Oh yeah
Baby, good lovin'
Baby, baby, owww, good lovin'
I need good lovin'
I got to have, oh yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah
So hard to handle, now, yeah
Um-um-um
The lyrics of Toots and The Maytals' song "Hard to Handle" speak of a man who presents himself as the perfect companion for a woman, someone who can give her what she wants and provide her with good old loving. Despite acknowledging that the woman he is addressing already has another man, he makes a confident offer to prove that he can love her better than him. He expresses himself as an experienced man who believes that actions speak louder than words, and he is willing to demonstrate his abilities. He tries to win her over with words and boasts about the various toys and things he has to offer, but ultimately, he says that what he wants is someone to share love with.
The song is a celebration of the idea of love as a commodity. The lyrics seek to advertise love as a free product that can be exchanged between two people who are willing to reciprocate. The man in the song portrays himself as a provider of love and wants the woman to see him as someone who can enrich her life with it. With the repeated line, "hard to handle," Toots and The Maytals emphasize the idea that love is hard to come by, but the man in this song is more than capable of handling it.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey there, here I am
Introducing himself to a potential romantic interest
I'm the man on the scene
Asserting his confidence and authority as a desirable partner
I can give you what you want
Promising to meet the needs of his romantic interest
But you got to come home with me
Stating a condition for receiving what she desires (i.e. her presence is required)
I forgot some good old lovin'
Admitting that he has been neglecting the romantic aspect of his life
And I got some more in store
Implying that he has learned from his mistakes and has better things to offer
When I get to thrown it on you
Suggesting that he will make a strong, irresistible move at the right time
You got to come back for more
Believing that his romantic interest will be hooked once she experiences his love
Toys and things that come by the dozen
Dismissing superficial material items as worthless substitutes for genuine love
That ain't nothin' but drug store lovin'
Comparing artificial love to cheap, common drugs
Hey little thing, let me light your candle
Flirting with his romantic interest to build attraction and interest
'Cause mama I'm sure hard to handle, now, gets around
Characterizing himself as a desirable but perhaps challenging partner who is in demand by others
Action speaks louder than words
Expressing the conviction that deeds are more important than empty promises
And I'm a man of great experience
Emphasizing his qualifications as a seasoned lover
I know you got another man
Acknowledging potential competition for his romantic interest
But I can love you better than him
Offering to be a superior lover compared to whoever else she may be seeing
Take my hand, don't be afraid
Inviting his romantic interest to trust him and giving reassurance
I'm gonna prove every word I say
Making a confident pledge to follow through on his commitments
I'm advertisin' love for free
Suggesting that he is offering genuine love without ulterior motives or charges
So, you can place your ad with me
Extending an invitation to his romantic interest to engage in a mutually beneficial partnership
Once it come along a dime by the dozen
Repeating the earlier warning about cheap, inferior love substitutes
That ain't nothin' but ten cent lovin'
Reinforcing his belief that artificial love is not valuable
Hey little thing, let me light your candle
Repeating his flirtatious invitation to build interest and desire
'Cause mama I'm sure hard to handle, now, gets around
Repeating his confident, desirable self-characterization to maintain intrigue and interest
Baby, here I am
Recalling his earlier introduction and reinforcing his self-presentation
The man on your scene
Reiterating his assertion of his authority and desirability
Once it come along a dime by the dozen
Repeating the warning against fake love substitutes to emphasize his focus on genuine love
That ain't nothin' but drug store lovin'
Repeating his condemnation of inferior forms of love
Hard, hard to handle, now
Referring to his earlier characterization of himself as a desirable but challenging partner
Oh, baby
Emphasizing his affectionate intentions and sounding particularly emotive
Baby, good lovin'
Asserting that he has quality, authentic love to offer
Baby, baby, owww, good lovin'
Emphasizing his commitment to being a superior lover
I need good lovin'
Expressing his desire and need for authentic love
I got to have, oh yeah, yeah, yeah
Stressing the importance of sincere, genuine love to him
Um-um-um
Ending the song with a non-verbal, musical expression conveying satisfaction and contentment
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Otis Redding, Alvertis Isbell, Allen Alvoid Jr. Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wiza O
This is an awesome cover version.
Leon Allan Davis
RIP Toots!
Richard Paul
Bye Toots. I was hoping you would live forever
Kylie Simeon
meanest version of this song excellent
David Esp
What? ... Oh Yes!