Pass the Dutchie

"Pass the Dutchie" is a 1982 song performed by British-Jamaican band Musical Youth, taken from their debut studio album, The Youth of Today. It was produced by Toney Owens from Kingston, Jamaica. The song was a major hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart, and at least five other countries. It peaked at 10 in the United States and sold over 5 million copies[2] worldwide.

For the EP by Buck-O-Nine, see Pass the Dutchie (EP).

"Pass The Dutchie"
Single by Musical Youth
from the album The Youth of Today
B-side"Please Give Love a Chance"
Released17 September 1982
RecordedAugust 1982
Genre
Length3:25[1]
6:05 (12" single version)
LabelMCA Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Musical Youth singles chronology
"Generals" / "Political"
(1981)		 "Pass The Dutchie"
(1982)		 "Youth of Today"
(1982)
Music video
"Pass the Dutchie" on YouTube

Background

The song was the band's first release on a major label. Following a shouted intro taken from U Roy's "Rule the Nation" with words slightly altered, the track combined two songs: "Gimme the Music" by U Brown, and "Pass the Kouchie" by Mighty Diamonds, which deals with the recreational use of cannabis (kouchie being slang for a cannabis pipe).[3] For the cover version, the song's title was bowdlerised to "Pass the Dutchie", the new word being a patois term for a Dutch oven, a type of cooking pot.[4] All obvious drug references were removed from the lyrics; e.g., instead of the original "How does it feel when you got no herb?", the cover version refers to "food" instead. The song was commissioned by the record company to turn "Pass the Kouchie" into a radio friendly hit for a wider audience. Tony Owens came up with the modified lyrics after coming home one night on an empty stomach.[5]

The song was first championed by radio DJ Zach Diezel and became 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.[3] In February 1983, it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the USA.[6] Though they would have subsequent Top 40 hits in other countries, "Pass the Dutchie" remains their only hit in the US. The song also scored the #1 position in at least five other countries, eventually selling more than five million copies worldwide.[2][7] After the song was featured in the Netflix series Stranger Things in 2022, it experienced a resurgence of popularity, re-entering a number of international charts.[8]

Music video

The video, directed by Don Letts,[9] was shot partly on the southern banks of the River Thames in London, by Lambeth Bridge. It depicts the band performing the song and playing instruments. At the same time, a school official appears to arrest them, wherein he ends up falling down and breaking his arm.[10] This footage is interspersed with courtroom scenes (featuring Julian Firth), where the band is put on trial. The trial ends with the jury finding the band not guilty, leading them to celebrate in the courtroom.

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Cover versions
  • The song was parodied by a band from the Seychelles Islands Dezil' under the title "Laisse tomber les filles (qui se maquillent)", and peaked at #13 in France and #47 in Switzerland in 2006.[55]
  • The single "The young MC" by French disco house band Superfunk uses the sentence "This generation rules the nation" from "Pass the dutchie" as a sample.

References
  1. Pass The Dutchie. Musical Youth. 14 December 2018 – via YouTube.
  2. Alexis Petridis (21 March 2003). "Famous for 15 months". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  3. "Musical Youth lose legal battle over Pass The Dutchie". The Guardian. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  4. Christgau, Robert (25 January 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017.
  5. Sasha Van Der Speeten (12 February 2022). "Geen joint, wel een kookpot". DM.magazine. No. 446. DPG Media. p. 54.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Publications.
  7. Simpson, Paul (2003). The rough guide to cult pop. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843532293. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  8. Kevin Jackson (13 June 2022). "'Dutchie' gets hot again". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  9. "Musical Youth - "Pass the Dutchie"". www.mvdbase.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  10. "Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie". YouTube. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  11. "Discography - Musical Youth". musicalyouth.net. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  12. "Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  13. "Pass The Dutchie (Exclusive Version)". Spotify. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  14. "Pass The Dutchie by Musical Youth on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  15. "Pass The Dutchie (Odjbox Remix) by Musical Youth on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  16. "Pass The Dutchie (Star Slinger Remix) by Musical Youth on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  17. "Pass The Dutchie 21 by Musical Youth on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  18. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 212. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. "Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  20. "Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  21. Nanda Lwin (1999). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  22. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6194." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  23. "Topp 10 vinsælustu lögin". DV (in Icelandic). 29 October 1982. p. 37. ISSN 1021-8254. Retrieved 12 December 2020 – via Timarit.is.
  24. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pass the Dutchie". Irish Singles Chart.
  25. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  26. "Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  27. "Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie". Top 40 Singles.
  28. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  29. "Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie". Singles Top 100.
  30. "Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie". Swiss Singles Chart.
  31. "Musical Youth: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  32. "Musical Youth Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  33. "Musical Youth Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  34. "Musical Youth Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  35. "Offiziellecharts.de – Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  36. "Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie" (in French). Les classement single.
  37. "Billboard Global 200: Week of June 25, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  38. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  39. "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  40. "2022 24-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  41. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  42. "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 10 June 2022 - 16 June 2022". OCC. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  43. "Kent Music Report No 445 – 3 January 1983 > National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 4 June 2022 – via Imgur.
  44. "Jaaroverzichten 1982". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  45. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  46. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  47. "Top Selling Singles of 1982". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  48. "Kent Music Report No 497 – 2 January 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 4 June 2022 – via Imgur.
  49. "Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52. 24 December 1983. p. TA-18.
  50. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  51. "Canadian single certifications – Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie". Music Canada.
  52. "Dutch album certifications – Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 16 July 2022. Enter Pass the Dutchie in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1982 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  53. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  54. "British single certifications – Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie". British Phonographic Industry.
  55. "Dezil' - Laisse tomber les filles (qui se maquillent)". lescharts.com (in French). Retrieved 2 October 2008.
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