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| "Israelites" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Desmond Dekker & the Aces | ||||
| from the album The Israelites | ||||
| B-side | "My Precious World (The Man)" by Beverley's All Stars | |||
| Released | October 1968[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1968 | |||
| Genre | Ska, reggae | |||
| Length | 2:47 | |||
| Label | Pyramid Records - PYR 6058 (UK) Uni Records 55129 (USA) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong | |||
| Producer(s) | Leslie Kong | |||
| Desmond Dekker & the Aces singles chronology | ||||
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"Israelites" is a song written by Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong that became a hit for Dekker's group, Desmond Dekker & the Aces,[2] reaching 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.[3] Despite this, the single was the first UK reggae #1 and among the first to reach the US top ten (peaking at #9).[4] It combined the Rastafarian religion with rude boy concerns,[5] to make what has been described by Allmusic as a "timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries".[6]
- ^ "Israelites / The Man - Desmond Dekker & The Aces". rateyourmusic. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 126. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ Katz, David (27 May 2006). "Desmond Dekker". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 40. ISBN 0-85156-156-X.
- ^ Mark Phillips (2002), GCSE Music, ISBN 9780435813185, retrieved 2014-03-27
- ^ "Biography by Jo-Anne Green". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 23 November 2008.