Throwback 45s: Pat Kelly – It’s A Good Day

ARTIST: Pat Kelly
TITLE: It’s A Good Day
LABEL: Black Swan JA
YEAR: 1978

It’s A Good Day

The Royals’ Pick Up The Pieces is a perfect example of how a great Jamaican bassline can live far beyond the original recording. Written by Roy Cousins, the group’s only constant member, the song was first recorded at Studio One in 1967 and recut around 1973.

The two versions are quite different, especially in the bass department. The 1973 cut uses a completely different bassline, but it’s the original that remains the essential version. Leroy Sibbles’ memorable 10-note bassline is the magic ingredient, and its influence can be heard in a long line of reggae recordings that followed.

Among the lesser-known versions built around the riddim is Pat Kelly’s It’s A Good Day. Released in Jamaica on the Black Swan label and produced by R. Lee and Kelly, it features The Revolutionaries’ superb relick of the original. This was the earliest version mixed at King Tubby’s, and the accompanying dub is every bit as strong.

The riddim hits hard, driven by a thumping drum-and-bass combination, a touch of syndrum and bright, majestic horns. Kelly’s vocal sits beautifully on top of it all. Later versions of the song, with different vocal and dub mixes, were released through Oswald “Ossie” Hibbert’s Ossie Records.

Lyrically, It’s A Good Day keeps things simple and positive. Kelly reminds us to appreciate life’s everyday blessings: “As long as you wake up and see the sun, it’s a good day.” Even having enough food on the table is reason to give thanks.

That message feels just as relevant today. And it’s delivered by a singer who deserves far more recognition. Pat Kelly was a gifted songwriter and a prolific, influential figure in Jamaican rocksteady and reggae. He was strongly influenced by Curtis Mayfield and had a wonderfully soulful voice, which first brought him widespread attention as the lead singer of The Techniques.