THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

683-Max Romeo-Wet Dream.

1968-It didn’t chart in the UK until 1969, when it reached Number 10.

Best Bit-At 1.52. A rough guide to ‘the birds and the bees.’

Max Romeo was born Maxwell Livingston Smith, on November 22nd, 1944, in St. D’Acre, St. Ann, Jamaica. In 1962 at the age of 18, he won a local talent competition, which gave him the encouragement to move to Kingston, Jamaica, to embark on a career in music. He first found success as one third of ‘The Emotions,’ joining up with Kenneth Knight, and Lloyd Shakespeare, together the trio had several local hit singles between 1966-1968. Maxwell Smith who was now using the stage name ‘Max Romeo,’ left ‘The Emotions’ in 1968 in order to pursue a solo career. The discography of Max Romeo includes 28 Albums released between 1969-2020, and 74 singles issued between 1967-2022, there are also 10 official compilation Albums available. ‘Wet Dream’ remains his only international hit, but his 1976 song ‘I Chase the Devil,’ has been covered and sampled on many occasions, including by the British Electronic Dance Music group ‘The Prodigy,’ for their 1992 UK Number 5 hit single ‘Out of Space.’ In 1980 Max Romeo appeared as a backing vocalist on the track ‘Dance,’ from ‘The Rolling Stones’ Album ‘Emotional Rescue.’ In 1981 Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones returned the favour by co-producing, and playing on Max Romeo’s Album ‘Holding Out My Love to You,’ in an unsuccessful attempt to break into the North American market. More recently in 2014, Max Romeo released the Album ‘Father and Sons,’ which is a collaboration with his sons Ronaldo, and Romario, who perform under the stage name of ‘Rominal.’ Max Romeo’s daughter Azana Smith is also a recording artist, going by the name of Xana Romeo. Over the course of his career Max Romeo’s songs have covered the subjects of sex, politics, and religion.

‘Wet Dream’ was the first of two singles released from Max Romeo’s debut studio Album ‘A Dream,’ from 1969, with the production, according to the singles release, being by Harry Robinson, and Junior Smith, although those two receive no production credits on the Album, as the production there is credited to Bunny Lee, (1941-2020) Derrick Morgan, and Harry Dee. ‘Wet Dream’ was one of the first Reggae songs to come to the attention of the wider general public. Max Romeo originally offered the song to the Jamaican artist Derrick Morgan, but he shied away from the suggestive nature of the lyrics, as did fellow Reggae artists John Holt, (1947-2014) and Slim Smith (1948-1972.) Eventually Max Romeo recorded the song himself, while Derrick Morgan, who uses different lyrics, but the same melody, (riddim) released his version, which was called ‘Hold You Jack.’

‘Wet Dream’ was banned by the media due to it’s explicit sexual nature. In the UK it had been played twice by the national BBC Radio 1 music station, and after banning it, the stations DJ’s were instructed to refer to the song as ‘A record by Max Romeo,’ with no mention of the songs title, while broadcasting that weeks current top 40 countdown. Despite the ban, ‘Wet Dream’ still managed to reach Number 10 in the UK, the song was also a hit in the Netherlands, where it peaked at Number 11, under the title of ‘The Dream.’ Initially Max Romeo tried to con the media to try to get airplay, by claiming that the song was about a leaky roof, even so the lyrics contained the line,’Give the fanny to me,’ but in 2007 he more or less came clean by saying that he had started the ‘sexual revolution,’ and when asked why he wrote the song he replied,’The Devil made me do it.’

A ‘Wet Dream’ is a slang term for a ‘nocturnal emission,’ which happens after stressful dreams in ‘REM’ sleep, which activate the sympathetic nervous system, hence leading to ejaculation, which occurs in both male and females. ‘Nocturnal emissions’ generally start happening during the early teenage years, but as you age, they tend to become much more infrequent.

You in your small corner, I stand in mine, throw all the punch you want to, I can take them all. Lie down girl, let me push it up, push it up, lie down.’