Doors Of My Heart is a tune that hits all the classic ska/reggae themes: unity and love. It’s a shameless, pure declaration of love, plain and simple. It’s also got a great groovy beat, and the dance hall break in the middle by Ranking Roger really gives the song a flair of coolness.
From the Rolling Stone review:
“Doors of Your Heart” comes closest to blending sauciness and sage advice. Ranking Roger struts and strolls through the vocal, savoring the wickedly catchy chorus. His toast-rap break pitches for brotherly love by drawing sly parallels between eros and agape: everybody looks the same when the lights are out.
And of course, the lyrics:
Every story has to be about something, I suppose
This one says I lose my head
As the feeling starts to grow, you know
I can feel love thumping at the doors of my heart
Feel love thump as it tears me apart
Feel blood punp as the worrying starts
I can feel love thumping
At the doors of my heart again
At the doors of my heart again
I can feel love thump
Bom-bom, be bom-bom
Everybody needs someone
They can cling to now and then
No more defense, no more pretense
No reasons for explaining
You can feel love thumping at the doors of your heart
Feel love thump as it tears you apart
Feel blood pump as the worrying starts
You can feel love thumping
At the doors of your heart again
At the doors of your heart again
You can feel love thump, bom-bom, be bom-bom
Bom-bom, be bom-bom
This one, your unity rocker, Lord
Stick him in your living room and turn off the light, eh
Bet you wouldn’t know if he was black or white, boy
Say what’s the use in fighting?
Man say, I say you shouldn’t really fight
Take him to a discotheque
Take him to a pub, eh
Take him to a blues and then you play him rub a dub, eh
Say you shouldn’t really fight, man say
I say you shouldn’t really fight
Everytime it happens, seem to act a little touched
In this at least, you’re just like me
I think we think too much, why can’t we just
Feel love thumping at the doors of our heart
Feel love thump as it tears us apart
Feel blood pump as the worrying starts
I can feel love thumping
At the doors of my heart again
At the doors of my heart again
I can feel love thump, bom-bom, be bom-bom
I can feel love thump, bom-bom, be bom-bom
At the doors of my heart again
At the doors of my heart again
I can feel love thump, bom-bom, be bom-bom
Bom-bom, be bom-bom….
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A Party is a pretty cool song about Africa–and specifically South Africa–before the end of Apartheid. There are many references to colonization, the Boer War, the ineffectiveness of USA for Africa and the Sun City debacle, and the general conditions after years of domination by British and Dutch settlers taking over.
It’s also got a cool beat and a pretty neat dance hall bit towards the end.
You can listen to the song below.
And of course, the lyrics:
Li-li-lion, lion’s in a jungle
Jungle’s in a cage
Tra-tra-trouble, trouble in the homelands
Trouble in the homelands makes front page
Zu-zu-lu come out to play
Bongo drums said today
Front page caption read like this
Natives dress as terrorists
Tribal war a perfect plan for the one that damned the land
Since that ain’t you or me tribal war continually
Mountain milk for mount nutrition send us some more ammunition
Never buy me ivy trade, let’s go plug a hand granade
Thank you boss for Red Cross
Apreciate good will
No no no, stomach for our loss
Yeah yeah yeah, I feel quite ill
I-I-I`d rally round the flag
Rally round the flag, but we got so many
I guess that’s why, why you act
Like we ain’t got any
Tarzan has come home again, heard the news diamond vein
Had to split no room to swing, Sun City wanted him to sing
Easy to see no unity, masses ruled by minority
When these guys come on the scene, ruined a good blues party
“I know I’ve heard the tune before”
I thought as I was kicked through the door
Something ’bout admission fee
But I was sure, house belong to me
They told us to go in stereo
Machine guns ‘gainst spear and bow
Egged on by TV cameraman
Someone called the teargas van
White knight write our wrongs, lyrics for the protest song
Number one top of the charts, rock ‘n’ roll bleeding hearts
They offer us a special patch, knew there had to be a catch
Family tree pulled at the root, they still bear that old strange fruit
Plenty reason, plenty reason to be glum
Living by the gun down in a slum
Stake your claim blow by blow
Saw my pals go flying through the window
Li-li-lion, lion’s in a jungle
Jungle’s in a cage
Tra-tra-trouble, trouble in the homelands
Trouble in the homelands, bosses in a rage
I know mister if it was you, it would be cut down like a flower
Some things never change, corporate crime gets free range
Only out for personal gain, grab the land and sieze the power
What’s all this about big game, don`t you know the lions tame?