Not so long ago, the Jamaica Festival Song Competition was one of the most highly anticipated events of the calendar year. The songs were widely known and could be heard pouring into streets from radios in homes, business places and vehicles.

The Jamaica Festival Song Competition, once known as the Popular Song Contest, began in 1966 as one of the highlights of Independence celebrations. And each year many who wanted to brag about Jamaica would write songs celebrating the island’s history and culture with one song being named the winner on Independence Day.

In the competition’s long history, it was suspended three times— 2013, 2017 and 2022— however, each time the contest returned, it was usually highly welcomed by those who can remember some of the popular songs they used to dance to back in the day.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane as we review some of the most popular Festival Songs over the past 57 years, in no particular order.

1. Bam Bam by Toots & The Maytals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy26FHXFf7o

This was the first song to win the Jamaica Festival Song Competition when the contest began in 1966. From the first “Ahh Ahh” adults and children alike would start dancing to the Rock Steady beat as Toots describes the man he’s supposed to be with the Maytals repeating “bam bam, what a bam bam” in the background.

2. Intensified by Desmond Dekker and The Aces

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZp6bhOnkfM

‘Intensified’ won the Jamaica Festival Song Competition in 1968. It was a song with simple, catchy and repetitive lyrics describing a typical dance session with “girls like sand to match every man”. This song has often been used in stage plays during a party scene.

3. Sweet and Dandy by Toots & The Maytals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvXAn8Tuz4k

This was the second Festival Song Competition victory for Toots and The Maytals in 1969. The song describes the nerves being felt by a bride and groom on their wedding day and the family comforting them as only Jamaicans can by telling the bride not to behave “Like she never been to school at all”. It is a big party as everyone has come out dressed in white to celebrate with the couple.

4. Cherry Oh Baby by Eric Donaldson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ8dUa0F2Fo

Cherry Oh Baby won the competition in 1971 and was a big hit with a number of people singing covers of the song including British Reggae and Pop band UB40 and the Rolling Stones. In the song, Donaldson is convincing Cherry, his love interest, that he is in love with her and needs her.

5. Play de music by Tinga Stewart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n54U-PvS9_4

The song ‘Play De Music’ was the first of three wins in the Festival Song Competition for Tinga Stewart. The first win came in 1974 and in the song, Tinga Stewart described different situations where music and its impact brought people together.

6. Dance This Yah Festival by Freddie McKay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMWNbQ_oiBA

Freddie McKay won in 1976 with ‘Dance This Yah Festival’. In the song, he describes popular modes of dress— big-heel boots, bell-foot pants, suede bootie and calico shirts— to go out and dance for festival. He also sings about the tourists and the pretty girls he would dance with, while inviting “natty-dreads and bald heads” to join in and dance at the festival.

7. Land Of My Birth by Eric Donaldson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgk0yj_rFdc

‘Land Of My Birth’ is probably one of the most patriotic and uplifting songs ever created, where Donaldson lists the strength of the people of Jamaica and why, even though we are often considered poor, we continue to make progress. This song grew in popularity, far outside of when it won the competition in 1978, and has been used in advertisements to highlight and showcase Jamaica’s culture and strength. Even now, ‘Land Of My Birth’ is played almost every Independence Day.

8. Nuh Wey Nuh Betta Dan Yard by Tinga Stewart 1981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i1dvY2qDwM

‘Nuh Wey Nuh Betta Dan Yard’ was the second festival song victory for Tinga Stewart which came in 1981. In it he highlights that all nations have things to celebrate and things they are not quite proud of, and while Jamaica has its own issues, there is still nowhere that is better than yard. He goes on to call on everyone to enjoy what the country has to offer and not to fight as Independence is a time of celebration that even allows enemies to come together.

9. Give Thanks and Praises by Roy Rayon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFacTzoeg0s

Jamaica’s 25th year of Independence was celebrated with the song, ‘Give Thanks and Praises’. He won the Jamaica Festival Song Competition in 1987 with a song giving thanks to God for bringing Jamaicans through the ups and downs of the two and a half decades of being an independent nation.

10. Fi We Island a Boom by Stanley Beckford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPiZ7GCd-FY

‘Fi We Island a Boom’ won the Festival Song Competition in 2000 and was a bop even then! Stanley Beckford in explaining why Jamaica is number one listed reasons from the people to the culture and food, and the natural beauty of the island.