Rivers of Babylon

Rivers of Babylon is becoming known by the German disco group Boney M. in 1978 song, who came originally from the rocksteady group Melodians in 1970 and is based on texts of the Old Testament of the Bible. The title was a long time the best-selling productions in the German music industry.

Genesis

The original comes from the Melodians, who presented the song in a rock steady version. The band members Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton were guided in their composition the content of Psalm 137 (Psalm 137.1-9 EU) and also of Psalm 19:14 EU. Thus, one of the oldest text sources has been revived in a pop song. At the same time, the basic substance of the melody with a small deviation is pentatonic, thus taking up one of the oldest musical sources.

The end of 1969 gathered reggae producer Leslie Kong consisting of Brent Dowe, Tony Brevett, Trevor McNaughton and Renford Cogle Melodians at Studio One, Kingston / Jamaica. Supplemented by the deliberately weakened guitar playing of Ernest Ranglin and the percussion work of Larry McDonald, they played Rivers of Babylon / Babylon Version ( the B-side was from the Beverley 's All Stars ) a. The copyright registration has been issued on 31 December 1969. Published on Summit # 8508 in November 1970, the record sold due to lack of global distribution partners only in Jamaica and the UK. Although Summit was a sub-label of the British Trojan Records, but in England the Melodians were only weakly their published in January 1970 previous single Sweet Sensation Sale ( UK pop charts rank 41).

Boney M.

Producer Frank Farian and his fellow Hans -Jörg Mayer ( who appeared under the pseudonym George Reyam ) had the song changed slightly and Boney M offered. Was published Rivers of Babylon / Brown Girl in the Ring ( # Hansa 11 999 AT) on 3 April 1978. Already on April 17, 1978 got the title in the German charts, where he was catapulted after a week on the number one and remained there for 17 weeks to 7 August 1978. As of May 13, 1978, he remained in the UK for five weeks at number one, who is also in Switzerland, Austria, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Israel, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya or South Africa could be proved. Only in the USA Boney M never made ​​the breakthrough; their records took a middle position in the charts. In Germany, a million sold in France and 500,000 in the United Kingdom 1,985,000 plates, worldwide, there were 4.035 million. On 1 July 1978, Boney M- LP Nightflight to Venus appeared, is included on the Rivers of Babylon.

The B-side Brown Girl In The Ring was the subject of a plagiarism process that began with action on July 9, 1979 before the Regional Court of Hamburg. The plaintiff Peter Herbolzheimer have the Folk Song Brown Girl In The Ring for ten musicians arranged at the request of the originating from the Caribbean musician Malcolm Magaron for the group Malcolm's Locks. This so- machined piece was published in 1975 on the Caribbean plate skirt. Most musicological experts have confirmed Herbolzheimers view that Farian has infringe a copyright. So then, finally, the Federal Court ruled in January 1991 that Herbolzheimers arrangement a "personal intellectual creation " and performing Farian's version, largely agree with this arrangement. By chance, these similarities are not to explain. The case was remanded to the district court of Hamburg for further clarification of questions.

Textual basis

Psalm 137 is a dirge, the BC, the longing of the Jews in exile expresses after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in 586. The Psalm is of great importance in the history of Jewish music. The rivers of Babylon are the Euphrates and its tributaries and the river Khabur.

On the whole Psalm 137 reflects both the Babylonian exile after the carryover into arisen yearning for Jerusalem, but also the hatred of the Babylonians, with sometimes very violent images and metaphors. The Hateful last verses of the Psalms are omitted in the song of the Melodians and in other musical settings.

The Old Testament describes in this Psalm the enslavement of the Hebrews that followed the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The Melodians and other reggae artists related the concepts of " Babylon" or "Zion" as a metaphor to describe their Caribbean life circumstances. In reggae songs are often biblical content has been used ( for example in Desmond Dekker The Israelites ). The Rastas in turn often rely on the Old Testament. Babylon is a metaphor "for the godless Western world and their culture, and even more specifically for those who are getting them through concrete - the police."

The quotes

The original text uses only three verses that actually come from the Psalms, but these are repeated several times.

Psalm 137.1 KJV:

"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down Yea, we wept, When we remembered Zion. When the wicked Carried us away in captivity Requiring from us a song Now how shall we sing the lord 's song in a strange land? "

German:

" By the rivers of Babylon we sat down yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion When the wicked us as prisoners deported they demanded of us songs But how can we sing the songs of the Lord in a strange land? "

Psalm 19:14 KJV:

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, here tonight. "

German:

"The words of my mouth like you like it; What I'm Pondering in the heart, stand you in mind here this evening. "

More versions

Other known interpretations in addition to the original version of the Melodians originate among others, The Busters, Bob Marley and the group Sublime by Sinead O'Connor as well.

1978 Bruce Low sang to the same tune a German text with a different theme. His single The Legend of Babylon tells the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which is historically at least 1,000 years before the Babylonian exile. The single reached number 6 in the German music charts.

Rivers of Babylon in the version of the Melodians is included in the soundtrack to the Jamaican film The Harder They Come in 1972.

The North American Federation of Temple Youth ( NFTY ), the youth organization of the Union for Reformed Judaism in North America has included this song in their official list of songs; this means that the song can be used instead of a prayer.

In 1978, the British pop group The Barron Knights is a parody of this song, from By the rivers of Babylon There's a dentist was in Birmingham.