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About This Track
“Israelites” is a song written by Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong that became a hit for Dekker’s group, Desmond Dekker & The Aces. Although few could understand all the lyrics, the single was the first UK reggae number one and the first to crack the United States Top Ten. Lyrically paralleling ancient travails with the overwhelming toil of modern-day poverty, Dekker composed a “timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries”.
Song
It was one of the first reggae songs to become an international hit, despite Dekker’s strong Jamaican accent which made his lyrics difficult to understand for audiences outside Jamaica. In 1969 it reached the Top Ten in the United States, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It hit number one in the United Kingdom,[4] Netherlands, Jamaica, South Africa, Canada, Sweden and West Germany. The song came almost two years after Dekker first made his mark with the rude boy song, “007 (Shanty Town)”.
“Israelites” brought a Jamaican beat to the British pop fans for the first time since Millie’s number two hit “My Boy Lollipop”. But 1969 was the right time for reggae to make a breakthrough in the United Kingdom. The Beatles, as always the trendsetters back then, had recorded their own reggae-influenced song, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, which the pop group Marmalade subsequently took to number one. The disc was released in the UK in March 1969 and was number one for two weeks, selling over 250,000 copies. A global million sales was reported in June 1969.
Song
It was one of the first reggae songs to become an international hit, despite Dekker’s strong Jamaican accent which made his lyrics difficult to understand for audiences outside Jamaica. In 1969 it reached the Top Ten in the United States, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It hit number one in the United Kingdom,[4] Netherlands, Jamaica, South Africa, Canada, Sweden and West Germany. The song came almost two years after Dekker first made his mark with the rude boy song, “007 (Shanty Town)”.
“Israelites” brought a Jamaican beat to the British pop fans for the first time since Millie’s number two hit “
My Boy Lollipop”. But 1969 was the right time for reggae to make a breakthrough in the United Kingdom. The Beatles, as always the trendsetters back then, had recorded their own reggae-influenced song, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, which the pop group Marmalade subsequently took to number one. The disc was released in the UK in March 1969 and was number one for two weeks, selling over 250,000 copies. A global million sales was reported in June 1969.
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Albums featuring this track
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Israelites: The Best Of Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker
Buy- Download Album
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Israelites
Desmond Dekker & The Aces Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $49.99
- eBay Search
-
Reggae Legends
Desmond Dekker Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $15.22
- eBay Search
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Trojan UK Hits Box Set - Disc 1
Desmond Dekker & The Aces Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
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Shouts
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EyesAndNines wrote:
just watched drugstore cowboy today, forgot this song was in it
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B-AIRLINE wrote:
YEP
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spartikiss97 wrote:
:D <3 Thiiiissssss
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PsychoVertical wrote:
do like
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Throwabolt wrote:
had the pleasure to see him live in the old days! great concert (maybe the best of all i`ve ever seen)
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iljahellenthal wrote:
HERO!!!
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Karaline77 wrote:
such a powerful song with a catchy beat. love this song.
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OU812_JT wrote:
Love it!!!
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Marjo47 wrote:
I had the Israelites from since 3 years ago, love them.{faulthy last fm.}
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DZRTsurfer88 wrote:
true~~~CLASSIC~~~ that made its mark early on and still going strong over 4 decades later
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SHED82 wrote:
.......Darling Cheese Head I was yards too greasy......
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NitaD1 wrote:
My Ears are alight.............
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pinkpinkpink999 wrote:
b.............bob where were you?
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dharmanaut wrote:
one of those songs you inevitably make up your own words to. one of the greatest, from the sound of @silversurfer250, a lightning bolt from the unconscious.
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maccablue666 wrote:
wow great sound
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iLoveDUB wrote:
A simple classic.
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KidFlatulant wrote:
the madness cover is pretty cool
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Lissof_leuf wrote:
:-)
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udenjpg wrote:
true classic indeed
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thedropihold wrote:
:)
Track Stats
131,538 Scrobbles
46,444 Listeners
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Recent Activity
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DeQuari, saints7677, tjv7 and 6 other people loved Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites. 39 minutes ago
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IrisMatern added Israelites to IrisMatern’s library. Monday afternoon
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IrisMatern added Israelites to the playlist. Monday afternoon
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I-n-I_survive, KavMD, shnuphy and 9 other people loved Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites. Sunday morning
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DrgnflyMktSci added Israelites to DrgnflyMktSci’s library. last week
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Frankxn, pa35mmy and JSHarrisonnyc loved Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites. last week
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rzak77 added Israelites to rzak77’s library. 11 days ago
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mr_tortoise, rickyraypissed, BWoolmore and 6 other people loved Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites. 13 days ago
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77LITRI added Israelites to 77LITRI’s library. last month
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misterecho2369, wittske, malsehnwasgeht and 10 other people loved Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites. last month
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