Murder She Wrote (song)

"Murder She Wrote" is a song by Jamaican reggae duo Chaka Demus & Pliers, from their 1993 album Tease Me. It was first released as a single in 1992 and again in late 1993, reaching number 27 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1994,[3] and number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100, spending 17 weeks there. The song was certified gold in the UK in 2022.[4] The music to the song is based on the Maytals' 1966 song "Bam Bam", while the lyrics discuss abortion (as revealed in the third verse).[5]

"Murder She Wrote"
Single by Chaka Demus & Pliers
from the album Tease Me
Released1992
Studio
Genre
Length4:04
LabelMango, Taxi
Songwriter(s)John Taylor, Everton Bonner, Lloyd "Gitsy" Willis, Sly Dunbar
Producer(s)Sly & Robbie, Lloyd "Gitsy" Willis
Chaka Demus & Pliers UK singles chronology
"Twist and Shout"
(1993)		 "Murder She Wrote"
(1993)		 "I Wanna Be Your Man"
(1994)

The song became a staple for weddings, BBQs, and clubs[2] and has been called one of the best and most important dancehall tracks of all time.[6][7] The tag team effort of call and response verses with melodic choruses introduced a new format of toasting from Jamaica, influencing pan-Caribbean culture[8] and crossing over globally. It went on to impact other stars of the genre like Shaggy[9] and Sean 'YoungPow' Diedrick.[10]

Sampling wise, the song was included in Billboard's list of the "Best Song Interpolations of the 21st Century", having been interpolated in Omarion's "Post to Be",[11] and in XXL's list of "20 of the Most Iconic Reggae Samples in Hip-Hop", being sampled in French Montana's "Freaks".[12] The song was also interpolated in Pitbull's "El Taxi",[13] in Jason Derulo's "Too Hot",[2] and in the remix version of Black Eyed Peas' "Ritmo" featuring Jaden Smith, as well as having been sampled and interpolated in many other songs.[14]

Writing and composition

The song is about abortion, as revealed in the third verse.[5] Pliers wrote the song reflecting on being the age of 19. At the time, he was dating a girl named Maxine who told him she was pregnant, but after 6 months there was no sign of the pregnancy,[15] waiting until 9 months and 10 months without any result of a child. The song title came from the detective series Murder, She Wrote which was a TV show Pliers used to watch and was a fan of.[16]

The song was recorded over a 5 year span starting in 1987 with attempts from 6-7 different producers. The first version was released in 1987 by Pliers under his real name Everton Bonner, using the "Fresh" riddim sampled from Shabba Ranks' "(Original) Fresh",[17] which was produced by Harry J for Harry J Records. A second Pliers version was released in 1988, titled "Murder We Wrote", produced by Clifton "Specialist" Dillon. Another version was then released with Jack Scorpio, and then in a separate attempt with a different group from England.[5]

In 1992, Pliers then went to Sonic Sounds, where engineer Jason Lee was recording Sly on drums and Lloyd 'Gitzy' Willis on guitar.[14] Chaka had recorded his part for a different song with Bobby Digital, after which the songs were combined to make "Murder She Wrote".[16] Instead of the duo going into the recording booth, they stood over the mixing board and passed the microphone to each other;[5] vocally it offered a new fusion with toasting on verses and melodic vocals for the hooks. The production duo Sly & Robbie had mainly been in the analog sphere of reggae, recording live instruments in more relaxed dub stylings, and entering dancehall music had them offer a digitized and energized sound with their final version of the song[2] having been produced over a simple four-bar loop known as the "Bam Bam" riddim.[18]

Two music videos were made, one with Dancehall Queen Carlene Smith, and one without.[19] The videos cost $50,000 and $2,500 respectively to produce.[5]

Critical reception

Neil Spencer from The Observer complimented "the metronomic pulse" of "Murder She Wrote".[20] Tom Doyle from Smash Hits gave the song three out of five, saying, "Chaka and his pal go for some proper ragga with this dancehall rocker like the make 'em in ole Kingston town. It's about some girl called Maxine who bubble-bubble-ribbit-bubble-wiggle-and-wriggle. Or something. Not a bad tune, especially since it might have been inspired by some ropey TV whodunnit with Angela Lansbury."[21]

Legacy

In 2007, the group performed the song alongside Alicia Keys at the 2007 American Music Awards, and 6 years later at the 2013 BET Awards alongside Elephant Man.[15] In 2022, DJ Cassidy's Pass the Mic series had the duo perform a rendition of the song.[22]

The song was interpolated in Rihanna's second medley performance at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, as part of her Video Vanguard Award win.[23]

Actress Angela Lansbury (who starred in the TV series of which the song was named after), after hearing the song finally in 2019 at the age of 93 commented "Oh, reggae! Oh, I'm thrilled to be part of reggae. Of course."[1]

Charts
Chart (1992–1994) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[24] 72
UK Singles (OCC) 27
UK Dance (Music Week)[25] 18
US Billboard Hot 100 57
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) 39
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard) 5

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[26]
Sales since 2011 		Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. ""I'm thrilled!": Angela Lansbury has finally heard Chaka Demus & Pliers' 'Murder She Wrote'". NME. 1 October 2019.
  2. Gracie, Bianca (23 September 2020). "'Murder She Wrote': The Story Behind Chaka Demus & Pliers' Anthem".
  3. "CHAKA DEMUS & PLIERS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
  4. "Chaka Demus & Pliers' 'Murder She Wrote' Certified Gold In The UK". June 8, 2022.
  5. Cooke, Mel (25 November 2007). "Story of the Song - 'Murder She Wrote' combines old songs". Jamaica Daily Gleaner. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  6. "The 100 most important dancehall tracks of all time". DJMag.com. November 3, 2021.
  7. "The 50 Best Dancehall Songs of All Time - Page 5". Pitchfork.
  8. "25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music is Going". The New York Times. 10 March 2016.
  9. "Shaggy's Top Reggae Tracks". July 9, 2015.
  10. "Producer YoungPow's List of 5 of the most ICONIC Reggae/Dancehall Songs". Red Bull.
  11. Billboard Staff (October 28, 2021). "The 50 Best Song Interpolations of the 21st Century: Staff Picks". Billboard.
  12. XXL Staff. "20 of the Most Iconic Reggae Samples in Hip-Hop". XXL Mag.
  13. "Pitbull bites into a dancehall classic". Jamaica Observer. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  14. "The story behind 'Murder She Wrote'". Loop News. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  15. Jackson, Kevin. "Murder She Wrote, 30 years later". Jamaica Observer.
  16. "Chaka Demus thrilled 'Murder She Wrote' gets new recognition". jamaica-star.com. October 30, 2019.
  17. "Riddimguide - Tunes - Fresh riddim".
  18. "Riddimguide - Tunes - Bam Bam riddim".
  19. "The Essential Guide to Dancehall". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com.
  20. Spencer, Neil (June 20, 1993). "Pop Releases". The Observer.
  21. Doyle, Tom (16 February 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 41. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  22. "DJ Cassidy's 'Pass The Mic' Reggae Edition 2022 A Hit: Watch". February 27, 2022.
  23. Jefferson, na (2016-08-29). "Vanguard Recipient Rihanna Performs Four Times At MTV VMAs". VIBE.com. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  24. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. 19 March 1994. p. 17. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  25. "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 19 March 1994. p. 22. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  26. "British single certifications – Chaka Demus & Pliers – Murder She Wrote". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
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