The band is one of the most culturally diverse dub Ska bands with musicians of English, Scottish, Irish, Yemeni and Jamaican parentage. The band is named from the paper form issued by the UK government's Department of Health and Social Security at the time of the band's formation for claiming unemployment benefit (UB40 = Unemployment Benefit, Form 40).
UB40 were influenced by the many Blues Parties they attended as teenagers in the multiracial Balsall Heath area of Birmingham, their love of ska and reggae inspired such original tracks as King, Madam Medusa, Food for Thought, Signing Off and One in Ten.
Their early music style was unique, with a heavy influence of analogue synthesizers, psychedelic rock guitar, saxophone and dub producer techniques which were later perfected by the late Pablo Falconer.
Ali and Robin Campbell have a musical heritage, being sons of Ian Campbell, a folk musician.
The band purchased its first instruments with compensation money Ali Campbell received after a bar fight. They have had a number of hits, most commercially and to amusement of the band, "Red Red Wine", a cover version of a Neil Diamond song (in an arrangement similar to that of Tony Tribe's version). Their most successful single release is the cover of the Elvis Presley ballad Can't Help Falling In Love which was intended to be the main title to the 1992 Sharon Stone movie Sliver and was a Number One hit across Europe and in the U.S.
Many of UB40's recordings were inspired by 1960s ska and early lovers rock songs that would have otherwise been forgotten in the public eye. Their new injection of life into so many old Jamaican hits has resulted in many musicians' and producers' renewed popularity and income.
UB40's early music often tackled social issues such as racism and unemployment.
Other artists that UB40 have collaborated with include: Pato Banton, Madness, Bitty McLean, Chrissie Hynde, Robert Palmer, Hunterz, Japanese artist Mikidozan, French artist Nuttea, Lady Saw and Afrika Bambaataa.
Demonstrate
UB40 Lyrics
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Yes, Jerry at de mike me come fe Demonstrate
Me come fe show de crowd a people dat great is great
Right ya now Mr Jerry at go set tings straight
No MC test Jerry in a ate!
So listen dem ya styles I man originate
First of all me wan you know me na exaggerate
Is a whole leap a space I man accommodate
An a whole leap a gal I accumulate
Round de mile Jerry don't need no associate
Me chat by meself me no combinate
Me study very hard because me want graduate
Up de MC ladder I man Essulate
To be a boss MC I'm a chief candidate
True me fascinate nor irritate and me originate
Round de classic Micro-centre dat is where me locate
Me no select no tune an Jerry don't operate
Fe see me lift speaker - box you must fortunate
Cause asdedance down me gone home me gone go hibernate
Going home de other night me can't remember de date
De early hours of de morning before people a wake
Bopsing down de road it was me worst mistake
Police come draw down pon me an a investigate
Him say "Hey son where you coming from don't you know that it's late
I've heard about you niggers and the trouble you create"
I said "I'm coming from a party and me going home straight
Me just stop a de shop to buy some cigarette an chocolate"
When me explain de situation him stop interrogate
Turn around jump in a I'm panda car an say "See you mate"
Is a good ting me never cheeky or be obstinate
Or me could a end up visiting de damn magistrate
De house way me live in you know it must decorate
An de girl way me love ave to affectionate
Nem ya Linda lyrics you must penetrate
So listen every word I man and quotate
True me talking very clear you no need fe translate
Cause when me riding pon de riddim me no mek no mistake
Gast contagious disease I man vaccinate
An true me no wan catch a dose me no fornicate
De lyrics way me chat dem must variate
Some time me chat it slow sometime me accelerate
Dem ya kinds style you must appreciate
'nough gal come to me a congratulate
Dem say "Jerry your so good looking can I have you portrait"
I say "Yes of course my darling but you know you have to wait"
Well dais a something I man have to state
A trollop is a woman with a whole heap a weight
Don't tell her to her face cause she will aggravate
And if she sit down pon you you will suffocate
At de mile is 'nough excitement I Jerry create
And you know that its not hard for me to exterminate
Any boy way come a dance an a duplicate
A style him get off a Saxon or a old yard tape
I say de lyrics way me chat dem must variate
An 'nough people dem a say don't me impertinent
Any gal way me like we must be intimate
But me only make love when me in private
"Jerry at de mike come fe Demonstrate" is the opening line of UB40's song "Demonstrate". It is a reggae song that UB40 released in 1986. The song is sung by Jerry Dammers, the founder and keyboardist of The Specials. The song's lyrics are about Jerry demonstrating his talent as an MC and putting on a show. He boasts about his skills as an MC and his ability to attract many girls.
Jerry talks about his MC skills and how he doesn't need an associate to chat or operate the music. He describes his origin as an MC and how he studied hard to graduate, become a boss MC, and chief candidate. He talks about his style which varies and how he accommodates many girls. Jerry says that he doesn't fornicate or catch any contagious disease; instead, he vaccinates himself. The song ends with Jerry saying that he only makes love when he's in private.
Line by Line Meaning
Well Jerry at de mike come fe Demonstrate
Jerry is at the microphone to demonstrate
Yes, Jerry at de mike me come fe Demonstrate
I am here with Jerry to demonstrate
Me come fe show de crowd a people dat great is great
We are here to demonstrate that greatness is great
Right ya now Mr Jerry at go set tings straight
Jerry will now set things straight
No MC test Jerry in a ate!
No MC can compete with Jerry
So listen dem ya styles I man originate
Listen to the styles that I create
First of all me wan you know me na exaggerate
Firstly, I want you to know that I am not exaggerating
All pirate in de dance me would a evacuate
I would evacuate if there were any troublemakers
Is a whole leap a space I man accommodate
I can accommodate a large area
An a whole leap a gal I accumulate
And I attract a lot of girls
Round de mile Jerry don't need no associate
Jerry doesn't need anyone to associate with at the moment
Me chat by meself me no combinate
I talk by myself and don't collaborate
Me study very hard because me want graduate
I study hard because I want to graduate
Up de MC ladder I man Essulate
I climb up the MC ladder and excel
To be a boss MC I'm a chief candidate
I am a strong candidate to be a boss MC
True me fascinate nor irritate and me originate
I fascinate and inspire, and my work is original
Round de classic Micro-centre dat is where me locate
I am located at the classic Micro-centre
Me no select no tune an Jerry don't operate
I don't choose the music and Jerry doesn't operate anything
Fe see me lift speaker - box you must fortunate
You are lucky if you see me lifting a speaker-box
Cause asdedance down me gone home me gone go hibernate
After the dance, I went home and went to sleep
Going home de other night me can't remember de date
The other night on the way home, I can't remember the date
De early hours of de morning before people a wake
In the early morning before people wake up
Bopsing down de road it was me worst mistake
Walking down the road was a mistake
Police come draw down pon me an a investigate
The police stopped me and started investigating
Him say "Hey son where you coming from don't you know that it's late
He asked where I was coming from and reminded me how late it was
I've heard about you niggers and the trouble you create"
He knew about our reputation for causing trouble
I said "I'm coming from a party and me going home straight
I explained that I was coming from a party and going straight home
Me just stop a de shop to buy some cigarette an chocolate"
I only stopped at the shop to buy cigarettes and chocolate
When me explain de situation him stop interrogate
When I explained my situation, he stopped interrogating me
Turn around jump in a I'm panda car an say "See you mate"
He turned around, got in the car, and said 'see you later'
Is a good ting me never cheeky or be obstinate
I didn't act rude or stubborn, which was a good thing
Or me could a end up visiting de damn magistrate
Or else I would have ended up in court
De house way me live in you know it must decorate
As you know, my house must be nicely decorated
An de girl way me love ave to affectionate
And the girl I love has to be affectionate
Nem ya Linda lyrics you must penetrate
You need to understand the lyrics of Linda's song
So listen every word I man and quotate
Listen to every word I say and quote me
True me talking very clear you no need fe translate
I speak very clearly, you don't need to translate
Cause when me riding pon de riddim me no mek no mistake
Because when I am riding the rhythm, I don't make any mistakes
Gast contagious disease I man vaccinate
I vaccinate myself against contagious diseases
An true me no wan catch a dose me no fornicate
And I don't want to catch any diseases, so I don't have sex
De lyrics way me chat dem must variate
My lyrics need to be diverse
Some time me chat it slow sometime me accelerate
Sometimes I speak slowly, sometimes I speak quickly
Dem ya kinds style you must appreciate
You must appreciate these kinds of styles
'nough gal come to me a congratulate
A lot of girls come to congratulate me
Dem say "Jerry your so good looking can I have you portrait"
They say, Jerry, you're very good-looking, can I have your portrait?
I say "Yes of course my darling but you know you have to wait"
I say, yes of course, but you have to wait
Well dais a something I man have to state
Now, there is something I have to say
A trollop is a woman with a whole heap a weight
A trollop is a woman who is very heavy
Don't tell her to her face cause she will aggravate
Don't tell her to her face or she will get upset
And if she sit down pon you you will suffocate
And if she sits on you, you will suffocate
At de mile is 'nough excitement I Jerry create
I create enough excitement at the mile
And you know that its not hard for me to exterminate
And you know it's not hard for me to defeat anyone
Any boy way come a dance an a duplicate
Anyone who copies my style at the dance
An 'nough people dem a say don't me impertinent
And many people say I am not impertinent
Any gal way me like we must be intimate
Any girl that I like, I must be intimate with
But me only make love when me in private
But I only make love when I am in private
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JERRY BUTLER, JIM BROWN, ALI CAMPBELL, ROBIN CAMPBELL, EARL FALCONER, NORMAN HASSAN, BRIAN TRAVERS, MICHAEL VIRTUE, TERRENCE OSWALD WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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