The National Festival Song Competition has produced five decades worth of timeless hits. Jamaicans, inherently patriotic and born with music practically flowing through their veins, take the independence-time contest and the nationalistic music it produces in earnest.
Known for launching careers, the festival song competition attracts the interest of established artists as well as rising acts in the music industry. All submit in hopes of earning the winning single and a chance of joining the list of songs that continue to be played by Jamaicans years after release.
The competition entered its 56th year in 2024, and to commemorate this milestone, we have compiled a list of our top ten most iconic festival songs in no particular order.
Honorary Mention – ‘Chiquitita’
No festival song list is complete without this absolute banger by the enigmatic Clive ‘Snowball’ Brown. A runner-up in the 1994 National Festival Song Contest, it quickly grew legs outside the competition and became the people’s favorite.
The infectious chorus and Clive’s unique style of delivery are perhaps what make this classic so iconic and memorable.
This was Clive’s only hit song, and it has since been reported that he has tragically fallen on hard times, but “Chiquitita” continues to be a crowd-pleaser at any Emancipation/Independence Day celebrations.
‘Bam Bam’ – Toots and The Maytals, 1966
The song that started it all set a seriously high bar for winning entries in the competition, and that has spawned countless hits from sampling over the years.
Not much more needs to be said about this renowned track featuring the legendary Toots Hibbert‘s signature scat as he declares himself an activist for good and encourages his compatriots to practice the same.
Despite its 1966 release, ‘Bam Bam’ is still so poignant that it is still received with the same appreciation as if it had just dropped.
‘Ba Ba Boom’ – The Jamaicans, 1967
An easy-going rocksteady anthem, ‘Ba Ba Boom’ was purely about partying and the joy found in celebration.
The lyrics describe the scene of a freshly independent Jamaica and the unity and happiness experienced by locals enjoying themselves.
Not only is the song undeniably groovy but a reminder of what true togetherness looks like on a tropical island.
‘Music Like Dirt’ – Desmond Dekkers, 1968
If you close your eyes, you can imagine the high energy present in a scene that would have Desmond Dekkers describing music ‘like dirt’ and the sheer amount of women for every man ‘like sand’.
‘Music Like Dirt’, alternatively ‘Intensified’, was a party anthem in 1968 when it won the Jamaica Festival Song but still has both the old and the young moving when it plays during the independence season today.
With its infectious chorus ‘ram ba ba do bam’ followed by the deep ‘intensified’, Dekkers’ classic 1st place tune is still a fun and energetic tune to drop foot to and continues to enjoy significant airplay.
‘Play De Music’ – Tinga Stewart, 1974
The song encourages listeners to not just ‘play de music’ but ‘jump like leggo beasts’ because ‘No matter what you do. You can’t get through unless you play de music’.
Stewart’s lyrics aptly define the indomitable spirit of Jamaicans, who no matter what will gather, play music, and dance away their troubles.
‘Play De Music’ is timeless and still very much a crowd favourite festival song.
‘Land Of My Birth’ – Eric Donaldson, 1978
Born in Kent Village, Jamaica, on June 11, 1947 Reggae singer Eric Donaldson was only 27 years of age when he wrote ‘Land of My Birth’ in 1974. He was fresh off his first winning festival song entry and 1st hit song ‘Cherry oh Baby’ in 1971.
A successful singer, Donaldson has seemingly found the formula for winning songs and patriotic hits, racking up six competition wins to date.
46 years later, ‘Land of My Birth’ is the unofficial official national anthem and has become the definitive soundtrack for independence celebrations.
Sung over a joyous track, Donaldson expresses love for his beautiful island home and its culture and asserts that he would never leave.
‘Give Thanks and Praises’ – Roy Rayon, 1987
Roy Rayon’s ‘Give Thanks and Praises’ is essentially a prayer of gratitude to God for 25 years of independence, for continued blessings on our ‘prettly likkle island’ and remembers the heroes who fought for our freedom from colonial rule.
The gospel-leaning musicality of Rayon’s song makes it ideal for church folk, and the upbeat patriotism appeals to the celebrating Jamaican everyman.
‘Give Thanks and Praises’, though some may say its theme isolates it to a particular subset of people, the message and sentiment is loved and appreciated by all.
‘Jamaica Woah’ – Neville Martin, 1998
Sung from the perspective of the island ‘Jamaica,’ it is as if Martin was channelling the spirit of the island in delivering this powerful message.
With the lyric “Let us share the bitter and the sweet,” the ‘island’ sings of its struggles, triumphs, and failures. It also highlights monumental achievements to include a line about the ‘Reggae Boyz’ football team that had historically qualified for the World Cup the year the song was released.
Martin is a skillful storyteller and somewhat historian who delivered a novel song that stands as a testament to our strength as a nation.
‘Fi Wi Island A Boom’ – Stanley Beckford, 2000
Stanley Beckford’s 2000 uptempo mento hit ‘Fi Wi Island A Boom’ perfectly encapsulates the fierce pride Jamaicans feel, especially during independence and sports season.
The lyrics are reminiscent of the schoolyard remixing of the national anthem, where a firm “Boom!” was added in between the sweetly sung ‘Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love.”.
‘Fi Wi Island A Boom’, despite its 21st century release, retains a classic feel largely due to the voice of the renowned mento legend, who for many years had single-handedly kept that genre of music alive.
A veteran singer and prolific band jumper, Beckford has four winning Festival Song entries under his belt, once as a solo act, once with The Astronauts, twice with The Turbines, and once with The Astronauts.
‘Poverty’ – Khalil N Pure, 2005
Contrary to the major common themes of celebration and pride in festival songs over the years, the lead singer personifies the strained financial situation of many Jamaicans delivered in a spoken word style and accompanied by sweet female vocals on the chorus.
‘Poverty’ firmly denounces the condition, telling it to get out and leave the country and its people to prosper the way that it can. On its surface, Khalil N Pure’s song can be seen as dark for a celebration song, but further listening reveals the passion it expresses for the well-being of the nation it discusses.
‘I Am a Jamaican’ – Buju Banton, 2020
Two years after his release from prison, legendary reggae artist Buju Banton gave the world ‘I Am a Jamaican.’
The lyrics “No matter where in the world I go, I am a Jamaican. No birth papers I have to show, I am a Jamaican” ring true for natives of the island, especially those who have settled elsewhere across the world.
In Banton’s song, which took first place in 2020, the pride for his country is evident in the words and his quintessential cadence.
The rootsy reggae song is not only incredibly enjoyable but also marked the beginning of a new era for the artist, uniting his old and new audience and sound.
Still going strong
The National Festival Song Competition, despite missing two years in 2013 and 2017, is still going strong and is one of the island’s longest-standing calendar events.
This year the festival crowned ‘One Jamaica’ as the winning entry and welcomed Kimiela ‘Candy’ Isaacs as its first visually impaired winner. This achievement by Isaacs will no doubt encourage other disabled acts to enter as well.
We look forward to more hits.
