"Israelites" is a song written by Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong for their group, Desmond Dekker & the Aces, which reached the top of the charts in numerous countries in 1969. Sung in Jamaican Patois, some of the song's lyrics were not readily understood by many British and American listeners at the time of its release. Despite this, the single was the first UK reggae #1 and among the first to reach the US top ten (peaking at #9). It combined the Rastafarian religion with rude boy concerns, to make what has been described by Allmusic as a "timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries".
Song
Origin and lyrics
Originally issued in Jamaica as "Poor Me Israelites", it remains the best known Jamaican reggae hit to reach the United States Hot 100's top 10, The title has been the source of speculation, but most settle on the Rastafarian Movement's association/claimed ancestry with the ancient Israelites. In the 1960s, Jamaican Rastafarians were largely marginalized as "cultish" and ostracized from the larger society, including by the more conservative Christian church in Kingston. Destitute ("slaving for bread") and unkempt ("Shirt dem a-tear up, trousers a-gone"), some Rastafarians were tempted to a life of crime ("I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde"). The song is a lament of this condition.
Musical structure
The vocal melody is syncopated and centred on the tone of B flat. The chords of the guitar accompaniment are played on the offbeat and move through the tonic chord [B flat], the subdominant [E flat], the dominant [F], and the occasional [D flat],
Impact
Despite "Israelites" being recorded and released in 1968, the Uni 45 discography shows its copyright as 1969. In June 1969, the record reached the Top Ten in the United States, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. "Israelites" hit #1 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Jamaica and West Germany.
"Israelites" brought a Jamaican beat to the British top 40 for the first time since Dekker's #14 hit "007 (Shanty Town)" in 1967.
A global million sales was reported in June 1969. including the soundtracks of the 1989 American film Drugstore Cowboy and the 2010 British film Made in Dagenham.
On November 3, 2019, "Israelites" was prominently featured in the third episode of HBO's Watchmen. The song charted again, entering the Billboard Digital Reggae Song Sales Chart at #2.
In 1989 the song was used as part of an advertising campaign by Hitachi’s Maxell tapes brand. The concept for the campaign was based on the tendency for pop lyrics to be unintelligible and comically misunderstood. A reggae fan holds up a number of boards as the music plays, upon which the misheard lyrics are written. For example, the line in the chorus "The Israelites" the handwritten board reads "Me ears are alight".
The final two cards read "At least I think that's what he said – but I need to hear it on a Maxell."
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Chart (1969)
! Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (Go-Set)
|3
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)
|5
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand (Listener)
|7
|-
!scope="row"|South Africa (Springbok Radio)
|12
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden (Kvällstoppen)
|align="center"|2
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100
|8
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Chart (1975)
! Peak<br />position
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1969)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)
|60
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)
|21
|}
Certifications
See also
- UK No.1 Hits of 1969
- List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)
- Number-one hits of 1969 (Germany)
- List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States
- Dutch Top 40 number-one hits of 1969
References
Bibliography
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 -