How ‘love found its away’
Dennis Brown's widow journeys back to the duo songwriting
Of the countless songs he recorded, Love Has Found Its Way ranks high on Dennis Brown’s hit parade.
Released in 1982 from his album of the same name for A&M Records, it is one of the tracks that defines the lovers’ rock genre.
Love Has Found Its Way was co-written by the Crown Prince of Reggae and his now-widow Yvonne.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, she said the song came together while they were relaxing at home in London.
“Dennis was doing an album for A&M Records, and he was just trying to get some melodies and some lyrics. He was strumming his guitar and came up with a verse, ‘Love has found its way in our hearts today. When your love is beautiful, nothing can go wrong.’
“He asked me if I can add some lyrics to the song, and it came out of the blue, because I was looking out the window at the moon, and I said: ‘The moon shines bright over yonder, and it makes me feel so fine. I’m so thankful that Jah has made you mine,’” she recalled. “It was just something that he did a line, I did a line, he did a verse, I did a verse, and it fit together nicely.”
Yvonne said Brown recorded a rough cut of the song on his tape recorder and presented it to Joe Gibbs, the producer with whom he had worked since the mid-1970s.
Bass player Lloyd Parkes and saxophonist Dean Fraser were among the musicians who played on Love Has Found Its Way, which Yvonne recalls the record company having a particular direction for.
“A&M didn’t want to go too rootsy with it. I loved it; I’m so astonished that so many people love it, some people get married to the song, it’s still overwhelming,” she said.
Born Yvonne Hoshue in London to Jamaican parents, she first met Brown there in 1974. Her knowledge of the 17-year-old artiste was limited, but they began a relationship that resulted in marriage two years later and produced five children.
Yvonne says she wrote several of her husband’s songs including Words of Wisdom, Rasta Children and Creator, but Gibbs took credit for them.
When Brown recorded Love Has Found Its Way, Yvonne told the Observer that she warned him: “I said, ‘Make sure my name is on this one.’ ”
Dennis Brown, who would have been 67 today, died in July 1999 at age 42.
He remains the gold standard for reggae singers, thanks to songs like Love Has Found Its Way.
His widow lists Words of Wisdom, Funny Feeling, Halfway Up, Halfway Down, Ray of Light, and Promised Land as her favourite “D Brown” songs.
