Jamaican ska vocal group The Maytals became a reggae band in 1971, renamed … Read Full Bio ↴Jamaican ska vocal group The Maytals became a reggae band in 1971, renamed Toots and The Maytals with Toots Hibbert (Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert) as front figure. The band won a 2005 Grammy award for the album True Love. Funky Kingston in early 70s is on Rolling Stone's list The Greatest Albums of All Time. The bass line in "54-46" is one of the most covered in pop music. Songs such as "Monkey Man", "Pressure Drop", "Bam Bam", among others, made them favorites for the early skinhead movement of white working-class youth in UK.

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.

So Bad
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

ay ay ay ay
They say you don't love me
But I know, yeah
I know you really love me

But you don't love me like I love you
You don't need me like I need you
So bad

I need you so bad

The way you treat me, you control me
The way you love me, Lord you make me cry
You make me cry

I've tried my best to keep you all the way flew(??)
But if you're still feeling blue baby, come on me
I'll come to you

I've tried my very best to keep you satisfied

But baby if you still want more from me, call on me
I'll give you more

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Toots and The Maytals' song So Bad describe a one-sided love where the singer believes that they are loved by their significant other, but not to the extent that they need to be loved. Despite this, they cannot help but still yearn for the love and attention of their partner. The lyrics show that although the singer is aware of the unevenness of their affection and the power dynamic between them, they still cannot help but be drawn to their partner.

The phrases "But you don't love me like I love you" and "You don't need me like I need you" capture the emotional baggage of the one-sided nature of their love where the singer is willing to give everything they have to the relationship, but the other person cannot reciprocate the same intensity of emotion. The chorus of "I need you so bad" emphasizes the desperation and longing of the singer for their partner, despite the hurt that they are experiencing.

The lines "The way you treat me, you control me / The way you love me, Lord you make me cry / You make me cry" bring to light the toxicity of the relationship and the emotional manipulation that the singer is subjected to. The last verse of the song "I've tried my very best to keep you satisfied / But baby if you still want more from me, call on me / I'll give you more" shows the singer's willingness to go above and beyond to keep their partner's affections, regardless of the emotional toll it takes on them.

Line by Line Meaning

ay ay ay ay
Vocal expression of pain and sadness.

They say you don't love me
Others say that you don't love me.

But I know, yeah
I have a strong conviction that it's not true and you love me.

I know you really love me
I am certain that you truly love me.

But you don't love me like I love you
You don't love me with the same intensity as I love you.

You don't need me like I need you
The level of need I have for you is not reciprocated.

So bad
It's a profound need I have for you that is hurtful.

I need you so bad
My need for you is immense and leaves me in a state of desperation.

The way you treat me, you control me
Your actions and behavior towards me affect me profoundly to the point that you have power over me.

The way you love me, Lord you make me cry
When you truly love me, it's such an intense feeling that it moves me to tears.

You make me cry
Your love brings such intense emotions that I cry.