One-Hit Wonders: Musical Youth’s “Pass The Dutchie”
Musical Youth, 1983 (YouTube)
Way back in 2009, we touted Musical Youth‘s “Pass the Dutchie” as one of the Top 10 One-Hit Wonders of 1984. Let’s pass the Dutchie around one more time and give the Youth their props.
We also gave some love to the Youth back in December when we talked about how these kids from Birmingham, England were, in fact, Big in Britain. That’s where Frederick Waite of the Techniques teamed with his sons Patrick and Junior and the brothers Michael and Kelvin Grant to form Musical Youth.
The elder Waite stepped aside as the band evolved, replaced by the younger Dennis Seaton. He sang lead on their biggest hit in Britain and their lone hit in the US, “Pass the Dutchie.” A revisionist reading of the Mighty Diamonds‘ “Pass the Kouchie,” the song that was originally about smoking dope was changed into a commentary on poverty and ecomonic struggles (the “dutchie” actually being a pot with which you cook).
A #1 in the UK, it was a #10 hit for the band in February 1983.
Music happen to be the food of love
Sounds to really make you rub and scrub
I say, pass the Dutchie pon the left hand side
Pass the Dutchie pon the left hand side
Gone but not forgotten, at least not at WNEW, find more tales of One-Hit Wonders here …
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