A Message to You, Rudy

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"A Message to You, Rudy"
A Message to You, Rudy (Dutch release).jpg
Cover of the single released in the Netherlands
Single by The Specials featuring Rico
from the album The Specials
A-side "Nite Klub" (double A-side)
Released1979 (1979)
Format 7" vinyl
Genre Rocksteady, ska, 2-Tone
Length2:54
Label 2 Tone
Chrysalis
Songwriter(s) Dandy Livingstone
Producer(s) Elvis Costello
The Specialssingles chronology
"Gangsters"
(1979)
"A Message to You, Rudy"
(1979)
"Too Much Too Young"
(1980)

"A Message to You, Rudy" is a 1967 rocksteady song by Dandy Livingstone. Originally entitled "Rudy, A Message to You", the song later achieved broader success when, in 1979, The Specials' cover reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. [1]

Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish reggae. For example harmony groups such as The Techniques, The Righteous Flames and The Gaylads; singers such as Delroy Wilson, Phyllis Dillon and Roy Shirley; musicians such as Jackie Mittoo, Tommy McCook and Lynn Taitt. The term rocksteady comes from a popular (slower) dance style mentioned in the Alton Ellis song 'Rocksteady' that matched the new sound. Some rocksteady songs became hits outside Jamaica, as with ska, helping to secure the international base reggae music has today.

Dandy Livingstone is a British-Jamaican reggae musician and producer, best known for his 1972 hit, "Suzanne Beware of the Devil", and for his song, "Rudy, A Message to You", which was later a hit for The Specials. "Suzanne Beware of the Devil", reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Specials British 2-Tone Ska Band

The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 Tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation on guitars, Horace Panter on bass, Jerry Dammers on keyboards, John Bradbury on drums, and Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez on horns. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude". Lyrically, they present a "more focused and informed political and social stance".

Contents

Veteran trombone player Rico Rodriguez played on both Livingstone's and The Specials' versions. [2]

Rico Rodriguez (musician) Jamaican musician

Emmanuel "Rico" Rodriguez, also known as Rico, Reco or El Reco, was a Cuban-born Jamaican ska and reggae trombonist. He recorded with producers such as Karl Pitterson, Prince Buster, and Lloyd Daley. He was known as one of the first ska musicians. Beginning in the 1960s, he worked with The Members, the Specials, Jools Holland, and Paul Young.

Chart performance (Specials version)

Chart (1979)Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [3] 10
Chart (1980)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] 23
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [5] 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [6] 22
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [7] 29

Other cover versions

The song has also been covered by a number of artists, including The Specials, The Mescaleros, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Judge Dread, Barenaked Ladies, Dead Milkmen, Madness, Amy Winehouse, and Army of Juan. [8] The Specials performed the song on the BBC2 television show The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1979. [9]

The Mescaleros music band

The Mescaleros were the backing band for Joe Strummer, formed in 1999, which went on to make three albums prior to Strummer's death in 2002.

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs ska and rock band from Argentina

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs is an Argentine ska band from Buenos Aires.

Judge Dread English musician

Alexander Minto Hughes, better known as Judge Dread, was an English reggae and ska musician. He was the first white recording artist to have a reggae hit in Jamaica, and the BBC has banned more of his songs than those of any other recording artist, because of his frequent use of sexual innuendo and double entendres. Following his death, Rolling Stone reported, "He sold several million albums throughout his 25-plus year career and was second only to Bob Marley in U.K. reggae sales during the 1970s".

Sublime included a brief cover of "A Message to You, Rudy" at the end of their song "D.J.'s" off their 1992 debut album 40oz. to Freedom . Propagandhi, a Canadian punk band, used the melody and partial lyrics in their song "Ska Sucks", featured on their album How to Clean Everything (1993).

Sublime (band) American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988

Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell, Eric Wilson (bass), and Bud Gaugh (drums). Lou Dog, Nowell's dalmatian, was the mascot of the band. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, resulting in Sublime's breakup. In 1997, posthumous songs such as "What I Got", "Santeria", "Wrong Way", "Doin' Time", and "April 26, 1992 (Miami)" were released to U.S. radio.

<i>40oz. to Freedom</i> 1992 studio album by Sublime

40oz. to Freedom is the 1992 debut album by the Southern California ska-punk band Sublime released by Skunk Records and again by MCA. 40oz. to Freedom received mixed critical reviews upon its first release, but has earned an improved public perception since. Sublime would not achieve any mainstream success until the release of their eponymous album in 1996, two months after the death of their lead singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell. As of 2011, the album has certified sales of two million copies in the US, and is Sublime's second best-selling studio album there. Along with The Offspring's 1994 album Smash, 40oz. to Freedom is one of the highest-selling independently released albums of all time.

Propagandhi band

Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski and guitarist Sulynn Hago.

Pete Doherty, at the Eurockéennes de Belfort, also performed the song in 2009.[ citation needed ]

Pete Doherty English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist

Peter Doherty is an English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist. He is best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie band Babyshambles and Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres.

Eurockéennes French rock music festival in Belfort

Les Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving rock and européennes (Europeans), is a festival based in a nature reserve beside Lac de Malsaucy Belfort.

British hip hop band the Bogus MC's recorded an unofficial cover of the song for England ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. [10] Rather than "A Message to You, Rudy", the Bogus MC's sing, "A Message to You, Rooney".

British hip hop is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of urban music. British hip hop was originally influenced by the dub/toasting introduced to the United Kingdom by Jamaican migrants in the 1960s–70s, who eventually developed uniquely influenced rapping in order to match the rhythm of the ever-increasing pace and aggression of Jamaican-influenced dub in the UK and to describe street/gang violence, similar to that in the US. UK rap has also been heavily influenced by US hip-hop. British hip hop, particularly that originating from London, was commercially superseded by grime. It can also be referred to as "British Rap", "UK Hip Hop", "UK Rap", and is sometimes informally referred to as "Brit-Hop", a term coined and popularized mainly by British Vogue magazine and the BBC.

England national football team Mens association football team representing England

The England national football team represents England in senior men's international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England.

FIFA International governing body of association football

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association is an organization which describes itself as an international governing body of association football, fútsal, beach soccer, and efootball. FIFA is responsible for the organization of football's major international tournaments, notably the World Cup which commenced in 1930 and the Women's World Cup which commenced in 1991.

Crawley Town F.C. and musician Mike Dobie recorded a cover of the song ahead of their clash with Manchester United. [11] Rather than "A Message to You, Rudy", the Crawley Town fans sing, "A Message to You, Rooney" or "A Message to You, Fergie."

Dubmood created a chiptune cover of the song titled "A Message to You, Mom". The song was featured in the Razor 1911's keygen for Command and Conquer 3 . [12]

Sheffield based rock band Reverend and The Makers have also been known to cover the song live, outside after gigs.[ citation needed ]

In Austria, the Lottery company Österreichische Lotterien has been using the song as the tune for the commercials of their Break Opens called Brieflos since at least 1991. Some versions replaced the lyrics of "A message to you, rudy" with the pseudo-english "A Brieflos for you and me", while others are simply instrumental. [13] [14]

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References

  1. "A Message To You Rudy/Nite Klub", Chart Stats; retrieved 2010-08-26.
  2. "Rico Rodriguez". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  3. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  4. David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Austriancharts.at – The Specials – A Message To You Rudy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 5, 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  7. "Charts.nz – The Specials – A Message To You Rudy". Top 40 Singles.
  8. "Amy Winehouse - A Message to you Rudy..best pics". YouTube. 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
  9. The Old Grey Whistle Test (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003.
  10. "England World Cup Song 2010 Message to you Wayne Rooney!". YouTube. 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  11. "Mike Dobie - Crawley FA Cup Song - A Message From All Crawley". YouTube. 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  12. "[KeyGen Music] Dubmood - A Message to you, Mom". YouTube. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  13. "TV Werbung Österreich 1991: Brieflos, Humanic". YouTube. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
  14. "Brieflos Werbung Sommer 2015". Youtube. 2015-06-21. Retrieved 2018-12-14.