CELEBRATING Independence from Great Britain on August 6, 1962 is an annual ritual for Jamaicans, at home and abroad. And outside of Jamaica’s National Anthem, there are several songs marking this milestone. Below is a list compiled by the Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment Desk.

1. Land of My Birth (Eric Donaldson)

Often touted as Jamaica’s unofficial National Anthem, Land of My Birth was the 1978 Festival Song Competition winner by Donaldson, a St Catherine-born painter-cum-singer. No national gathering is complete without this timeless song.

2. Sweet Jamaica (Tony Rebel)

Singjay and festival promoter Tony Rebel gave a fitting tribute to the land of his birth with this Bobby Digitalproduced song from 1991. It is immortalised by the lines: ‘What a nice place fi live, Sweet Jamdown; the only problem is, dollars nah run’.

3. Nah Lef Yah (Josey Wales)

The deejay expressed his love for country in Nah Lef Yah, released in 1998 by producer Lloyd “King Jammy’s” James’ Jammy’s Records. The song topped local charts and is still a favourite for many.

4. I Saw My Land in The Morning (MG Smith)

With lyrics written by MG Smith and music by Mappletoft Poulle, this is a classic ode to Jamaica. Smith, one of the world’s distinguished social anthropologists and a respected poet, (who died in 1993) went into his soul for this somber salute. In 1989, Jimmy Tucker did a rendition of the song which remains popular.

5. Nuh wey Nuh Better Dan Yard (Tinga Stewart)

Jamaica was still recovering from a near-decade of political violence when Tinga Stewart won the Festival Song Contest in 1981 with this Sangie Davis-written number.

6. Forward March (Derrick Morgan)

In 1962, the visually- challenged Morgan recorded Forward March for producer Leslie Kong as Jamaicans celebrated Independence from Great Britain.

7. Give Thanks and Praise (Roy Rayon)

At 25, Jamaica was all grown-up and Rayon’s exuberant mento/revival salute helped the nation celebrate its silver anniversary. Won the 1987 Festival Song Contest.