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.
King Step MK. 1
UB40 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Nough respect, cause every entertainer is select
And right ya now me a go show you how to do the king step
[Chorus]
Me a go show you how to do the king step left right,
Me a go show you how to do the king step left right,
Is pure exciting, educating, fascinating, pirate chanting
Culture preaching, perfect timing lyrics you a go get
The whistlers blow their whistle, big women say "Kiss me neck"
Some bawl "Forward", some bawl "Rewind" and some shout out "eject"
While the pirates press record pon fe dem pocket size cassettes
The MCs that chat slack fret till dem armpit wet with sweat
Because they know that slackness is a thing I man do not respect
That's why me have to show dem how fe do the King Step Left Right.
[Chorus]
Well before me start to go down in a dais yak subject
Me have to praise you Jah cause you never fail I yet
Even when satan captured me and bring me close to death
You offered me the truth and right and I had to accept
But now me find you Jah me na go keep it secret
That's why the conscious lyrics are my favourite subject
Me chat dem in the blues party, pub, club and discotheque
Me chat dem in the bookie shop while man a put on bet
And also in the gambling house when man ready fe set
And even to bad man who a walk wid dem ratchet
Me chat dem a UB40 Studio in Digbeth
And when dem want more culture dem a bawl out "Dep, Dep, Dep"
But me tell them, hold on lads you ain't heard nothing yet
"Cause now I'm gonna show ya how to do the King Step" Left Right
[Chorus]
Left right its time to walk in the light of Jah not darkness
Left right who Jab bless no man curse, who Jah curse no man bless
Left right eternal life for the man that tries his very best
Left right do bad and you'll go down in the pit that's bottomless
Left right Pato Banton has now come to preach the right
Left right left right me no partial if your black or if your white
Left right well now me know how fe do the king step
Me just can not keep it a secret
So right ya now you a get
The king step the king step the king step
Step 1, we all should know that there's one god and only one
Step 2, Is give him praises for this whole creation
Step 3, Is love your brother man cause you and him is one
Step 4, Is not to make the same mistake as Soloman
Step 5, Is to repent and beg forgiveness for your wrongs
Cause the wrath of Jah is clear to see in Revelation
So make up mind if you want to go to Heaven or Hell
Step 6, Oh yes there's more the King Step carries on
It carries on and on, and on, and on, and on, and on
Step 6, is once you know the truth to pass the message on
And do the King Step daily as you trod upon Jah land
So when the right time comes for Babylon's destruction
You'll be among the few to march towards mount Zion
Left-Right, Left-Right, Left-Right, Left-Right
The lyrics to UB40's song King Step MK.1 are about showing respect to entertainers and their craft, as well as spreading the message of conscious lyrics and the importance of following a moral code. The song begins by acknowledging the selectivity of entertainers and how they deserve respect. The artist then proceeds to describe their own method of entertaining, which involves educating, preaching culture and perfect timing lyrics, while disapproving of slackness in music. The chorus then introduces the "King Step" dance and the artist's desire to teach others how to do it.
The song's lyrics then shift to discussing the artist's relationship with God, and how he has been shown the truth and must, therefore, spread it to others. The artist expresses his preference for conscious and truthful lyrics and mentions his habit of chatting them in different settings, including social gatherings and even among bad men. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the importance of treading the righteous path and following Jah's will.
Overall, the song's message seems to center around respect for oneself, God, and others, preaching truthfulness, and leading a righteous life while enjoying the art of entertainment and music.
Line by Line Meaning
To all the entertainers in the world I man show 'nough respect
I give respect to all the entertainers because they are chosen
'Nough respect, cause every entertainer is select
Respect because every entertainer is chosen
And right ya now me a go show you how to do the king step
Now, I will show you how to do the king step
Me a go show you how to do the king step left right,
I will show you the king step, left and right
As soon as me operator puts the music on the deck
When the operator puts the music on, it's exciting and educational
Is pure exciting, educating, fascinating, pirate chanting
It's exciting, educational, fascinating, pirate chanting
Culture preaching, perfect timing lyrics you a go get
You will get culturally rich lyrics with perfect timing
The whistlers blow their whistle, big women say "Kiss me neck"
The whistlers whistle while big women ask for a kiss on the neck
Some bawl "Forward", some bawl "Rewind" and some shout out "eject"
Some say 'forward', some say 'rewind', and some shout 'eject'
While the pirates press record pon fe dem pocket size cassettes
The pirates record on pocket-sized cassettes
The MCs that chat slack fret till dem armpit wet with sweat
The MCs who chat slack are worried until they get sweaty
Because they know that slackness is a thing I man do not respect
They know that I don't respect slackness
That's why me have to show dem how fe do the King Step Left Right.
That's why I have to show them the King Step, left and right
Well before me start to go down in a dais yak subject
Before I talk about something else
Me have to praise you Jah cause you never fail I yet
I have to praise you, Jah, because you have never failed me
Even when satan captured me and bring me close to death
Even when Satan captured me and brought me close to death
You offered me the truth and right and I had to accept
You offered me the truth and I had to accept it
But now me find you Jah me na go keep it secret
Now that I've found you, Jah, I won't keep it a secret
That's why the conscious lyrics are my favourite subject
That's why conscious lyrics are my favorite topic
Me chat dem in the blues party, pub, club and discotheque
I talk about them in the blues party, pub, club, and discotheque
Me chat dem in the bookie shop while man a put on bet
I talk about them in the bookie shop while people place bets
And also in the gambling house when man ready fe set
I also talk about them in the gambling house when people are ready to set
And even to bad man who a walk wid dem ratchet
I even talk about them to bad men walking with their weapons
Me chat dem a UB40 Studio in Digbeth
I talk about them at the UB40 Studio in Digbeth
And when dem want more culture dem a bawl out "Dep, Dep, Dep"
When they want more culture, they shout out 'Dep, Dep, Dep'
But me tell them, hold on lads you ain't heard nothing yet
But I tell them to wait because they haven't heard anything yet
"Cause now I'm gonna show ya how to do the King Step" Left Right
Now I will show you the King Step, left and right
Left right its time to walk in the light of Jah not darkness
It's time to walk in the light of Jah, not darkness
Left right who Jab bless no man curse, who Jah curse no man bless
Who Jah blesses, no one can curse and who Jah curses, no one can bless
Left right eternal life for the man that tries his very best
Eternal life for the man who tries his best
Left right do bad and you'll go down in the pit that's bottomless
If you do bad things, you'll go down to a bottomless pit
Left right Pato Banton has now come to preach the right
Pato Banton is here to preach what's right
Left right left right me no partial if your black or if your white
I am not partial to black or white
Left right well now me know how fe do the king step
Now I know how to do the king step
Me just can not keep it a secret
I cannot keep it a secret
So right ya now you a get
Now you get it
Step 1, we all should know that there's one god and only one
The first step is to know that there's only one God
Step 2, Is give him praises for this whole creation
The second step is to give God praises for all of creation
Step 3, Is love your brother man cause you and him is one
The third step is to love your brother because you are one
Step 4, Is not to make the same mistake as Soloman
The fourth step is not to make the same mistakes as Solomon
Step 5, Is to repent and beg forgiveness for your wrongs
The fifth step is to repent and ask for forgiveness for your wrongs
Cause the wrath of Jah is clear to see in Revelation
The wrath of Jah is clear to see in Revelation
So make up mind if you want to go to Heaven or Hell
Decide if you want to go to Heaven or Hell
Step 6, Oh yes there's more the King Step carries on
The sixth step is the King Step continues
It carries on and on, and on, and on, and on, and on
It continues, and continues, and continues
Step 6, is once you know the truth to pass the message on
The sixth step is to pass on the message once you know the truth
And do the King Step daily as you trod upon Jah land
And do the King Step daily as you walk on Jah's land
So when the right time comes for Babylon's destruction
So when Babylon's destruction comes
You'll be among the few to march towards mount Zion
You'll be one of the few to march towards Mount Zion
Left-Right, Left-Right, Left-Right, Left-Right
Left-Right, Left-Right, Left-Right, Left-Right
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALI CAMPBELL, BRIAN TRAVERS, EARL FALCONER, JIM BROWN, MICHAEL VIRTUE, NORMAN HASSAN, PATO BANTON, ROBIN CAMPBELL, TERRENCE OSWALD WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ian Fulton
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