Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Pass the Dutchie

First recorded (as “Pass the Kuchie”) by The Mighty Diamonds (1982).
Also (as “Gimme the Music”) by U Brown (1982).
Hit version by Musical Youth (UK #1 1982 |US#10/R&B #8/CAN #1/AUS #1/NZ #1/IRE #1/BEL #1/GER #2 1983).

From the wiki: “‘Pass the Dutchie’ was a cover version of two songs: ‘Pass the Kuchie’ by The Mighty Diamonds, which deals with the recreational use of cannabis (‘kouchie’ being slang for a cannabis pipe), and ‘Gimme the Music’ by U Brown.

“For the cover version by Musical Youth, ‘Pass the Kuchie’ was bowdlerized to ‘Pass the Dutchie’, and all obvious drug references were removed from the lyrics (e.g., when the original croons ‘How does it feel when you got no herb?’, the cover version refers instead to ‘food’. ‘Dutchie’ is used as a patois term to refer to a food cooking pot such as a Dutch oven in Jamaica and the Caribbean.) However, ‘Pass the Dutchie’ has since entered into the language itself, denoting a blunt stuffed with marijuana and rolled in a wrapper from a Dutch Masters cigar.

“‘Pass the Dutchie’ was first championed by radio disc-jockey Zach Diezel, and went on to become an instant ‘hit’ when it was picked up by MCA Records in September 1982. It debuted at #26 on the UK chart and rose to #1 the following week. The song also topped music sales charts around the world. In February 1983, it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.”

U Brown, “Gimme the Music” (1982):

Musical Youth, “Pass the Dutchie” (1982):

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