"Wake the Town" | |
---|---|
Single by U-Roy | |
Released | 1970 |
Genre | Reggae |
Songwriter(s) | U-Roy, Reid |
"Wake the Town" is a reggae song recorded by Jamaican toaster U-Roy in 1970. It was U-Roy's first big hit and one of the songs that established U-Roy as the grandfather of the modern deejay phenomenon. [1] It also helped create dancehall style in Jamaica. [1]
The recording that led to the single was initiated when John Holt attended a sound system party, and heard U-Roy deejay. Holt convinced U-Roy and producer Duke Reid to hook up, and have U-Roy talk-over some of Reid's Treasure Island rocksteady classics. U-Roy recorded "Wake the Town" (and another hit, "Rule the Nation"), using his talk-over style, from start to finish without any restarts. [2]
"Wake the Town" quickly went to number one on Jamaica's pop music charts, along with "Rule the Nation" at number two, [2] and many other deejays began to adopt his style. [3] These two songs, along with "Wear You to the Ball", established U-Roy as a dancehall star [1] and helped create the deejay sound. Dennis Alcapone said of the song, "When U-Roy come with 'Wake the Town' it's like a new Jamaica was born". [4]
Wake the Town and Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica is a book discussing the history of dancehall music in Jamaica by cultural anthropologist Norman Stolzoff. [1]
"Wake the Town" was sampled in the 1994 songs "Omaha Stylee" by 311 and " You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" by Dawn Penn.[ citation needed] It was also sampled in the song "Good Night" by Kanye West on his album Graduation.