Are these songs related to homosexuality?
Did the first generation of reggae legends ever talk about homosexuality in their texts outside of using biblical references like Sodom & Gomorrah? Music can sometimes be interpreated in various ways. Listed below are a few songs that I'm not sure at all as if they are indeed related to homosexuality. Your imput is welcome. (e-mail: irieites72 (at) yahoo (dot) ca)



Funny Man (1970) – The Maytones
.....Album: Reggae Flight 404 (Various Artists) (1970) (Trojan Records)
.....Album: Brown Girl In The Ring (compilation) (October 24, 1995) (Trojan Records)
.....Album: Tighten Up vol. 3 (Various Artists) (2002) (Trojan Records) *
.....Single: Funny Man (1970) (G.G.'s Records) (Jamaica label)
.....Single: Funny Man (1970) (Champion Records) (UK label)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....Notes: I really like this band. This is the earliest song that I found in Jamaican music that seems to deals with homosexuality. Although it's not mentioned explicitly, I think it's about this subject. The songs start with: "what a funny man, he wants to live for himself alone. Ho no, that's not the right way. We all should live in unity.... if you don't straighten up, you will get a blow (meaning a correction – at least that's my interpretation)" I maybe wrong... But as the term 'Funny Man' was associatyed with Gay men in Jamaica, that's what got my attention when listening to the song. Another aspect, in 1999, Heartbeat Records released a compilation name The Maytones: Their Greatest Hits. Included are the group best songs and the song ain't featured on it. The song 'Funny Man' is one of the biggest hits of the band. The Heartbeat collection is considered the best compilation on the market. Maybe that was a conscious choice not to include that song for that reason... Just my mind racing...

This song is among the hits of the group, therefore it is also featured among several Maytones compilation such as: Funny Man (Jamaican Gold, 1993), Loving Reggae (Charly Reggae, 2001), Reggae And Ska Twin Pack (Dress To Kill, 2001), Boat To Zion (Dress To Kill, 2001). It seems it was also re-recorded in 1976 for their album Madness. *The song 'Funny Man' appeares on the 2002 re-edition of the compilation Tighten Up vol.3, but it wasn't featured on the original vinyl, released in 1970.


Midnight Ravers (1972) – Bob Marley & The Wailers
.....Album: Catch A Fire (April 13, 1973) (Island Records)
.....Single: Midnight Ravers (November 1972) (Tuff Gong Records)
.....Lyrics: Found
.....Notes: Always wondered if 'Midnight Ravers' was about homosexuality. I think it is. Bob sings in it: "Can't tell the woman from the man, cause they're dress in the same pollution. Their mind is confused with confusion. With their problems, seems there's no solution" and at one point, he even says 'to my problem, seems there's never never no solution'. So he realised that the fact that he (might) have problem to deal with homosexuality, there is no solution but to accept that it's part of creation. Again, that's only my interpretation of the song. This song has to be taken in it's context, it was written in 1972, the same year that Bob has spent several months living in Europe. Maybe he had people that were openly gays or lesbians living in his close neigbourhood. He was starting to tour ouside of Jamaica and he was being expose to different cultures (read: cultures that deals better with homosexuality). Again this song was written in the middle of his career and I would think that his overstanding of homosexuality might have even evolve in the years that followed. I'd like to think of him as an open minded person and when he sang 'One Love', he really meant it. I feel so connected to his musical legacy that I know he is fully happy when we sing his music, regardless of the oppression we are going through, his music can be associate to ANY social cause, specially when it's fighting against oppression. Anyone who know my main website, knows how much I love The Wailers music. If you have a different interpretation of that song, please email it to me and I will include it here.

Trainer (1982) – Michael Smith
.....Album: Mi C-Yann Believe It (1982) (Island Records)
.....Single: none
.....Lyrics: Found
.....Notes: This one is a little more left to interpretation. Probably only address the problem of pedophily, but the artist choose to take a teenager instead of a kid to tell his story. German reggae arhivist Werner Kajnath wrote: The song paints a couple of pictures in patois. not that easy to understand. One is of a helpless homeless boy of 14 who is "helped" by a 29 year old at night. A later picture is one of a slaying. I think it is the boy slaying the man. I always had the impression from listening that this track is about what the whole batty man thing started. Older men seeking for little boys in the ghetto. There have been stories that such boys were killed. Sure for a fundamentalistic people such is a a call for reaction. Obviously preacher all over the country had sent such men into hell. and sure artists picked up the theme..

LET'S WELCOME PEOPLE'S OPINION – FUNNY MAN
Cecil Gutzmore (Lecturer at the Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of the West Indies): It seems to me 'Funny Man' is not about homosexuality although, arguably, the image of the social type and behavior addressed could derive its condemnatory power from the meaning of the notion 'Funny Man' (=homosexual) in current Jamaican popular. But I have no idea how old this usage is. The Bob Marley 'Midnight Ravers' is less clear, more ambivalent. But I don't think it refers to homosexuality. There is in Jamaican popular culture - especially in its Rastafari influenced section (large therefore) - a strong objection to the wearing of men's clothing by women. A far-reaching example of this can be heard in Mitchigan and Smiley's 'Diseases' where the claim is that it is something that the Almighty her/himself deals with very harshly. However, I must listen further to this Marley song so that I can check the lyrics properly... Cecil Gutzmore is the author of the 17-page essay Casting The First Stone!, an important study on the representation of homosexuality in Jamaican popular music.

Lindford (Jamaican LGBT activist): About the song 'Midnight Ravers': In my opinion the song is in context to talking about hypocrites (wolf in sheep clothing). I would not say that it is homophobic or is talking about transgender issues. I have often found Bob's songs to be more like "throwing words" so in the context of what he sings he is "throwing words" on say someone who is an hypocrite. About the song 'Funny Man': The funnyman song I say the same thing about Bob's lyrics. A song to me is hurtful when you look at context and how it is interpreted by the listenener...it is the first I heard this song and I am sure it was never song to bring or cause me harm.






LET'S WELCOME PEOPLE'S OPINION – MIDNIGHT RAVERS
Cecil Gutzmore (Lecturer at the Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of the West Indies): It seems to me 'Funny Man' is not about homosexuality although, arguably, the image of the social type and behavior addressed could derive its condemnatory power from the meaning of the notion 'Funny Man' (=homosexual) in current Jamaican popular. But I have no idea how old this usage is. The Bob Marley 'Midnight Ravers' is less clear, more ambivalent. But I don't think it refers to homosexuality. There is in Jamaican popular culture - especially in its Rastafari influenced section (large therefore) - a strong objection to the wearing of men's clothing by women. A far-reaching example of this can be heard in Mitchigan and Smiley's 'Diseases' where the claim is that it is something that the Almighty her/himself deals with very harshly. However, I must listen further to this Marley song so that I can check the lyrics properly... Cecil Gutzmore is the author of the 17-page essay Casting The First Stone!, an important study on the representation of homosexuality in Jamaican popular music.

Werner Kajnath (reggae collector from Germany): About the song'Midnight Ravers': From the whole athmosphere painted a picture of a racial ku klux klan riot in my mind. might be so that used such picture to express what he feels when people hide their true faces and man and woman with bad mind do bad things towards others. Might be only my opinion. A bit mysterious. At the start the ravers are the others. Led to rave by thinking to much about problems and too less about solutions. Later he became a raver too. in times of troubles we are tempted also to follow evil just be overseeing others. Well. Pretty free interpretation. But i think one of Bob´s secrets is to sing a song a bit open for interpretation. Like a artistic painting. You can watch it often but it might tell you a thing different each time you look at it.

Lindford (Jamaican LGBT activist): About the song 'Midnight Ravers': In my opinion the song is in context to talking about hypocrites (wolf in sheep clothing). I would not say that it is homophobic or is talking about transgender issues. I have often found Bob's songs to be more like "throwing words" so in the context of what he sings he is "throwing words" on say someone who is an hypocrite. About the song 'Funny Man': The funnyman song I say the same thing about Bob's lyrics. A song to me is hurtful when you look at context and how it is interpreted by the listenener...it is the first I heard this song and I am sure it was never song to bring or cause me harm.

Joe Jurgensen (Bob Marley archivist and author of the book Bob Marley: The Complete Annoted Bibliography)
About the song 'Midnight Ravers': I don't think it deals with homosexuality. I just think it has to do with the crazy London nightlife scene in Picadilly Circus etc... Everybody is dressed wild and acting wild.This has always been a song that people really don't know exactly what he means and I don't know of any interview where he talks about it. That's my interpretation.

Ian McCan (author of Bob Marley: The Complete Guide to his music): About the song 'Midnight Ravers': A rootsy one to close the album with the sort of raw usually found on Tuff Gong 45 rather than the album. As indeed it was (1972), with a magnificient instrumental version with a strange flanged mix (which tips over into feedback) for the flip. Glorious harmonies on this version and apocalyptic version of confused sexes and 10,000 horseless chariots must have seemed baffling to first-time Marley buyers not used to his Book Of Revelations imagery. A remarkable record any way you look at it.