THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

590-Pluto Shervington-Dat.

1976-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 0.13. And you thought the trip to Tesco’s was stressful.

Pluto Shervington was born Leighton Keith Shervington, on August 13th, 1950, in Saint Andrew Parish, Kingston, Jamaica, he died on January 19th, 2024, from pneumonia-related complications, at the age of 73. Shervington who acquired the nickname ‘Pluto’ while at school, became involved in music at the age of 16, joining a band called ‘The Presidents,’ then leaving a year later to join ‘The Hurricanes.’ and then he then moved on to join the show-band ‘Tomorrow’s Children,’ which was where he developed his ‘heavy patois’ singing style. In 1972 after the split of ‘Tomorrow’s Children,’ Pluto started a business called ‘Sound Associates Limited,’ located in New Kingston, which was a recording studio, which provided radio and television services for advertising agencies, he also wrote and produced jingles for most of the major advertising agencies. Pluto was heavily inspired by the Jamaican Reggae singers Ernie Smith, and Tinga Stewart, who both sang in heavy Jamaican patois, in later years both Pluto and Smith would record together. In 1997 Pluto moved to Miami, Florida, where he continued to record, and tour periodically up until his death.

The discography of Pluto Shervington includes at least 10 Albums released between 1974-2012, and three UK top 75 singles, which were ‘Dat,’ (1976-Number 6) ‘Ram Goat Liver,’ (1976-Number 43) and ‘Your Honour’ (1982-Number 19.) Pluto also found success as a music producer, most notably in the UK for his Reggae production of the song ‘Midnight Rider,’ by Paul Davidson, which reached Number 10 in 1976.

‘Dat’ was written by Pluto Shervington, with the production credited to Paul Khouri, and was issued on the ‘Opal Records’ label, with ‘Dat (version) as the ‘B’ side. Paul Khouri is the son of the pioneering Jamaican record producer Ken Khouri, (1917-2003) who is credited with inventing the musical genre ‘Rocksteady’ in Jamaica, in the mid 1960’s. There are some who consider ‘Dat’ to be almost a novelty song, probably because of it’s subject matter, and ‘Jamaican patois’ delivery. The song is about a Rastafarian secretly buying pork, (pork is not allowed in the Rastafarian religion) instead of the more expensive meats, in order to keep his shopping bill down, so that he has enough money left ‘to buy a little weed,’ presumably Cannabis, The song is a humorous take on the lengths the narrator will go in order to keep what he is doing a secret. Speaking about ‘Dat’ Pluto Shervington has said,’Dat is a satire song, and the joke was on the Rastas at the time who claimed that they didn’t eat pork. But the truth is they did eat it, but they couldn’t tell anyone. So when they went to order it from the meat store, that didn’t say ‘pork’, they used to say ‘I want some of dat thing there!’

Jamaican Patois, known locally as ‘Patwah,’ and called ‘Jamaican Creole’ by linguists, is an English based creole language, with West African, Taíno, Irish, Spanish, Hindustani, Portuguese, Chinese, and German influences, spoken primarily in Jamaica, and among the Jamaican diaspora. The majority of non English words in ‘Patois’ derive from the West African ‘Akan’ language. It is spoken by the majority of Jamaicans as a native language. Patois first developed in the 17th Century, when enslaved people from West and Central Africa were exposed to the dialectal language spoken by the slaveholders of British English, Hiberno-English and Scottish descent. Jamaican Patois exists mainly as a spoken language, and is also heavily used for musical purposes, especially in ‘Reggae,’ and Dancehall,’ as well as other musical genres.

Instead of going in to the butchers and asking for Pork, the narrator in his embarrassment asks for ‘Dat.’ Pluto Shervington when asked if he had invented the word ‘Dat,’ that was now in the Jamaican dictionary, said,’It was already in there, I just used it. It was an existing expression that had probably only been in there about a year or so. I think I just popularised it.’

Rasta Ozzy, from up the hill, decide fi check pon him grocery bill, and when him add up the things him need, di dooney done, weh him save fi buy little weed. Him hand upon him jaw, Lord, red in eye, and just mediate. This time is so hard Lord, I man a think ’bout emigrate.’