"Dat" is a song by Jamaican singer Pluto Shervington, released as a single by him, on the Opal Records record label, in 1976.

The single reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart on 6 March 1976, staying in the charts for a total of eight weeks. It was Shervington's biggest hit in the UK.[1]

The song is about a Rastafarian, contrary to the faith, trying to buy pork without actually naming it to the butcher, within earshot of his "brethren", thereby saving enough money to be able to afford marijuana:

Rasta Ozzy, from up the hill
Decide fi check on 'im grocery bill
And when 'im add up de things 'im need
Di dooney done, weh him save fi buy little weed

Unable to get the butcher to take the hint, he asks for a pound of "Dat t'ing dere".[2][3]

Although released in the UK as a novelty song, it reflects on the financial situation faced by many people at the time in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica.[4]

On 19 February 1976 Shervington appeared on video, performing the song, on BBC's Top of the Pops[5] and appeared again in the video the following week on 4 March.[6] Trojan Records capitalized on this success by reissuing his first single, "Ram Goat Liver", which peaked just outside the top 40 in the UK.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "DAT". Official Charts. February 7, 1976.
  2. ^ Campbell, Joy L. (26 May 2017). "Seven of Jamaica's Funniest Songs". Jamaicans.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  3. ^ "'Ram Goat Liver' singer Pluto Shervington has died". The Gleaner. Jamaica. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Pluto Shervington". Trojanrecords.com.
  5. ^ "Top of the Pops – 19 February 1976". Thetvdb.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Top of the Pops – 4th March 1976". Thetvdb.com.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998), The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9
  8. ^ "Pluto Shervington | Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
Allikas: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dat_(song)
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