Monkey Man (Toots & the Maytals song)

"Monkey Man"
Single by The Maytals
Released1969
RecordedDynamic Studios, Kingston, Jamaica
GenreReggae
Length3:29
LabelBeverley's in Jamaica, Trojan Records in UK
Songwriter(s)Toots Hibbert
Producer(s)Leslie Kong

"Monkey Man" is a 1969 song by the ska and reggae group Toots & the Maytals which reached number 47 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song is about a girl choosing another man over Toots.[2] Toots & the Maytals re-recorded the song on True Love with third wave ska band No Doubt.

Other versions

The song has been frequently covered by other artists, most famously by British ska group the Specials and British singer Amy Winehouse. Versions by British reggae MC General Levy and American ska punk band Reel Big Fish charted on the UK Singles Chart, in 1993 and 2003 respectively.[1] Japanese experimental rock band Melt-Banana, South-London ska group the Dualers and Argentinian band Los Pericos also covered the song.

In 2009, Australian singer Kylie Minogue and the Wiggles recorded a version of the song to raise funds for UNICEF.

Chart performance

Date Artist UK Singles Chart peak[1]
25 April 1970 The Maytals 47
4 September 1993 General Levy 75
22 February 2003 Reel Big Fish 86

References

  1. ^ a b c "Monkey Man | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
  2. ^ Lizz. "Toots and the Maytals". Outline Online. Archived from the original on 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-07-15. Well Monkeyman is all about a girl, a very good looking girl like you! I fell in love with her and then a monkey-looking man took her away from me but I thought she was in love with me. The guy was ugly and not good looking like me, ha ha!
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