Jimmy Cliff celebrated his 80th birthday on July 30. The influential Jamaican singer/songwriter is considered one of the music artists who helped introduce reggae to the world.
Cliff was born James Chambers in St. James parish on the north coast of Jamaica. He began his music career as a teenager, recording songs in the reggae precursor style of ska. Cliff enjoyed his first international success in 1968 with “Vietnam,” which Bob Dylan called the greatest protest song ever written.
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The song appeared on Cliff’s self-titled 1969 album, which also featured his first U.S. chart hit, “Wonderful World, Beautiful People.”
Cliff’s most influential work included the songs featured on the soundtrack of the 1972 film The Harder They Come. They included the title track, “Many Rivers to Cross,” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want.” Jimmy starred in the acclaimed Jamaican movie, which is credited with raising awareness of reggae music across the globe.
In 1993, Cliff scored a Top-20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with a cover of Johnny Nash’s 1972 chart-topper “I Can See Clearly Now.” Jimmy’s version appeared in the movie Cool Runnings, a comedy about Jamaica’s Olympic bobsled team.
The Jamaican government bestowed on Cliff its prestigious Order of Merit award in 2003. In 2010, Jimmy became the second reggae artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The late Bob Marley was the first.
In honor of Cliff’s milestone birthday, here’s a look at four of the memorable songs he wrote and recorded:
“Wonderful World, Beautiful People” (1969)
“Wonderful World, Beautiful People” was an upbeat song that combined reggae and pop. The tune offers a positive message of universal unity and peace.
The song, which appeared on the album Jimmy Cliff, became Cliff’s first Top-40 hit in the U.S. and the U.K. It reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the U.K. singles chart.
The song later was featured on the soundtrack for The Harder They Come.
“Many Rivers to Cross” (1969)
“Many Rivers to Cross” was a soaring, soulful ballad that Cliff wrote at a time that he was lamenting that his music had yet to be accepted by a wide audience. The song also first appeared on the Jimmy Cliff album.
After The Harder They Come filmmaker Percy Henzell heard “Many Rivers to Cross,” he hired Cliff to play the lead in the movie.
The song has been covered by many other artists, including Harry Nilsson, Linda Ronstadt, UB40, Cher, and Joe Cocker.
“You Can Get It If You Really Want” (1970)
“You Can Get It If You Really Want” was a bouncy, upbeat reggae tune written by Cliff that he released as a single in July 1970. A few weeks later, fellow Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker released a cover of the song that became a big hit in the U.K., peaking at No. 2 on the singles chart there.
The tune’s lyrics encourage the listener to show perseverance when trying to achieve whatever they set out to do.
Cliff’s original version of “You Can Get It If You Really Want” is featured in the opening scene of The Harder They Come and is the first song on the soundtrack album.
“The Harder They Come” (1972)
After he was cast as the lead on The Harder They Come, Cliff was asked to write the film’s title song. In the movie, Cliff plays Ivanhoe Martin, a naïve young man from rural Jamaica who gets drawn into a life of crime while also pursuing a music career.
Reflect the film’s plot, the song’s lyrics are about how people need to be tough to get what they want in an uncaring world.
“The Harder They Come” is another Cliff tune that’s been covered by many other noteworthy artists. They include Keith Richards, Joe Jackson, Madness, Joe Strummer, the Jerry Garcia Band, and Willie Nelson.
“The Harder They Come” was ranked No. 361 on Rolling Stone’s latest list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
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