Mr. Brown (1970) – Bob Marley and the Wailers

My original reason for including today’s song Mr. Brown in the Music Library Project was for nostalgic purposes. But having heard it again for the first time in decades I cannot help but fancy its catchy rhythm and vibe which creates such an infectious groove. Also it’s lovely sung by Mr. Marley. Mr. Brown holds a significant place in Marley’s discography because it acts as a prelude of what would become the modern day Reggae Revolution. Marley was a true pioneer in that regard. Also, this is one the earliest songs recorded by the original Wailers.

When I was in recess from my studies at the Academy as a late teen, I visited friends who lived in Coogee, a beach side suburb in Sydney. These were what you might call our freewheelin’ years when we unashamedly partook in almost everything frowned upon by ‘the establishment’. The beginning of today’s song acts as a ‘portal’ to one such activity we participated.
Our mutual friend Paul was a charismatic lad who had this uncanny ability to make me cackle at the drop of a hat. This wasn’t more evident than when Paul sang the following lines from today’s featured song Mr. Brown:

Mr. Brown is a clown
Who rides through town in a coffin

and this……

Is Mr. Brown controlled by remote?

Mr. Brown was originally released as a single in Jamaica and sold 15,000 copies. It has since appeared on various compilations such as Songs of Freedom.

Background (according to the Wikipedia article below):

The theme of the song relates to a rumor that was spreading through Jamaica that a duppy, or ghost, had been spotted in numerous locations speeding through the land on a three-wheeled coffin, perched upon which were three John crows, or buzzards, one of which could talk and was asking for a Mr. Brown. Glen Adams wrote the lyrics after hearing the story, and after Lee Perry’s suggestion, was sung by The Wailers.
To go with the terror theme, the song has spooky elements such as evil laughter. The song has been featured on a few Halloween albums.

[Verse 1]
(Who is Mr. Brown?)
Mr. Brown is a clown
Who rides through town in a coffin
(Where can he be found?)
In the coffin where there is three crows on top
And two is laughing

[Verse 2]
Oh, what a confusion, ooh, yeah, yeah
What a botheration, ooh, now, now
Who is Mr. Brown? I wanna know now
He is nowhere to be found

[Chorus]
From Mandeville to Sligoville
Coffin runnin’ around
Upsetting, upsetting, upsetting the town
Asking for Mr. Brown
From Mandeville to Sligoville
Coffin runnin’ around
Upsetting, upsetting, upsetting the town
Asking for Mr. Brown (Read the remainder here)

References:
1. Mr. Brown (song) – Wikipedia
2. The Meaning Behind The Song: Mr Brown by Bob Marley – old time music

About observationblogger

“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand