The Harder They Come

Jimmy Cliff

album cover

Reggae Rises Here

Jimmy Cliff was already established as a singer and songwriter in Jamaica when filmmaker Perry Henzell heard his 1969 hymn to perseverance, "Many Rivers to Cross." Sensing that Cliff's song was the perfect anthem for his tale about the class and socioeconomic struggles of a rural roustabout in the city of Kingston, Henzell invited him to contribute other songs that advanced the narrative, and soon after cast Cliff as the film's leading man. The movie and its stirring soundtrack gave much of the world its first taste of reggae music, and it made Cliff an international star and the first reggae cross-over artist.

Cliff's songs prove ideal for export: They're built on the effortless push-pull of reggae rhythm, while embracing the upbeat exuberance of American soul music (especially "You Can Get It if You Really Want It," which echoes the vocal intensity of early Stax-Volt). Other compositions hint at Southern gospel: "Many Rivers" and "Sitting in Limbo" are solemn, hymnlike expressions of faith. And though the lyrics are simple, they are powerfully inspirational. Several of the songs have culture-specific meanings: Though "Many Rivers" sounds like a plainspoken sermon of persistence, it was heard in Jamaica as a rallying cry of rude-boy culture, a bold street kid talking openly about grabbing what he could.

The soundtrack includes other shining early-reggae moments: The frenetic "Pressure Drop," which was the first Toots and the Maytals hit; the Melodians' "Rivers of Babylon"; the Desmond Dekker hit "007 (Shanty Town)." Disc 2 of the 2003 Deluxe Edition collects other notable reggae crossover attempts from the fertile moment, roughly from 1968–1972, before Bob Marley exploded on the scene. Among these are Cliff's disillusioned war cry "Viet Nam," the Johnny Nash classic "I Can See Clearly Now," and the Maytals' "54-46 (That's My Number)."

Genre: World, Jamaica
Released: 1972, Island (Reissued 2003)
Key Tracks: "Sitting in Limbo," "Many Rivers to Cross"
Catalog Choice: Struggling Man
Next Stop: Toots and the Maytals: Live
Book Pages: 174–175

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About 1,000 Recordings

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