When people talk nostalgically about music in the 1990s, they most frequently reference the rise of grunge, pop/punk or hip-hop, the Britpop battles between Blur and Oasis, or the pure pop explosion later in the decade. But there’s one musical trend that doesn’t get paid much retrospective attention – the resurgence of reggae as a major mainstream genre. In 1993, a series of massive hits that fell under the general umbrella of reggae music infiltrated the upper reaches of the Australian singles chart as the country were entranced by the sounds of Jamaica.
"Informer" by Snow
Chart entry: May 9, 1993
Peak: #1
Or the sounds of Toronto, as the case may be. Canadian rapper Snow’s globe-conquering hit, "Informer," was inspired by his experience behind bars dealing with jailhouse snitches. With lyrics that were at times incomprehensible – the video was subtitled by MTV in the US – “Informer” blended hip-hop with the reggae music to which the performer born Darrin O’Brien had been introduced by Jamaican neighbours.
"Oh Carolina" by Shaggy
Chart entry: May 30, 1993
Peak: #5
Like "Informer," Shaggy’s remake of "Oh Carolina" was a debut single – in this case by the artist born Orville Burrell, who was a vocal critic of Snow at the time. The gravelly voiced Jamaican star stayed fairly faithful to the original Folkes Brothers version of "Oh Carolina," with his update becoming the first of several major hits he would enjoy on regular returns to the ARIA chart over the ensuing decade.
"(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You" by UB40
Chart entry: June 20, 1993
Peak: #1
It would hardly have been a reggae resurgence without the return of the genre’s most consistently successful act, now would it? British band UB40 were no strangers to the Australian top 10, having notched up four visits there since their 1980 debut. Like most of their hits, their 1993 smash was a remake – of the Elvis Presley classic – and was taken from the Sharon Stone film, Sliver.
"Sweat (A La La La La Long)" by Inner Circle
Chart entry: July 18, 1993
Peak: #2
Inner Circle had been a going concern for decades, but it was this insanely catchy/irritating (depending on your viewpoint) single that turned the Jamaican band briefly into charts stars, with older single and Cops theme "Bad Boys" also make the top 50 in its wake. On the top 50 for half a year, the sing-a la la la la long nature of "Sweat" distracted from what are some rather inappropriate lyrics.
"Tease Me" by Chaka Demus & Pliers
Chart entry: August 22, 1993
Peak: #5
The Jamaican duo comprised of John Taylor and Everton Bonner worked on their debut album of the same name with Sly & Robbie, who co-wrote and produced the majority of Tease Me. Chaka Demus & Pliers returned to the top 40 in 1994 with two more singles from the album: remakes of "She Don’t Let Nobody" and "Twist And Shout."
"All That She Wants" by Ace Of Base
Chart entry: September 12, 1993
Peak: #1
Just as The Police had worked reggae into their sound in the late '70s to great commercial effect, so too did a number of Eurodance acts in the 1990s (see also: "Coco Jamboo" by Mr President, "It’s My Life" by Dr Alban). And none more successfully than Swedish quartet Ace Of Base, whose debut single, "All That She Wants" could not have come at a better time given the public’s seemingly insatiable appetite for Caribbean sounds.
"Boom Shack-A-Lak" by Apache Indian
Chart entry: October 31, 1993
Peak: #34
When this UK top 5 hit (which appeared on the Nuff Vibes EP) was only a minor chart entry in Australia, and Bitty McLean’s cover of "It Keeps Rainin’ (Tears From My Eyes)" – another international success – missed the top 50 entirely, it seemed like the reggae bubble had burst in Australia. But the genre rallied, and in 1994, Pato Banton, Big Mountain, Jimmy Cliff and Red Dragon all enjoyed significant top 50 action locally, keeping reggae going strong into the next year.
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