THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

518-Eddy Grant-Living on the Frontline.

1979-Number 11 single.

Best Bit-At 3.26. A listen to this will change your mind, ‘I DO WANNA DANCE.’

Eddy Grant was born Edmond Montague Grant, on March 5th, 1948, in Plaisance, British Guiana, which is now Guyana, while at school his parents lived in the United Kingdom, and they would send money home for his education, in 1960 he emigrated to join them in London. It was while at school in London that he learned to read and write music, and it was after seeing Chuck Berry (1926-2017) (see also best songs 548-308 and 30) play live that he decided to pursue a career in music.

In 1965 Eddy Grant, along with four others who all knew each other from living around the ‘Hornsey Rise’ council estate, in North London, formed the group ‘The Equals,’ who would go on to become the first major interracial Rock group in the UK, and one of the few racially mixed bands of the era. Eddy Grant initially played guitar, and sang backing vocals with ‘The Equals,’ but would later become their main songwriter. With ‘The Equals’ Eddy Grant appeared on all of their first six studio Albums released between 1967-1970, and also their first 14 singles, released between 1966-1971, of which six of those tracks reached the UK top 40, with the Eddy Grant written ‘Baby, Come Back,’ making the Number 1 spot. In 1994 a cover version of ‘Baby, Come Back,’ by Pato Banton, featuring Ali and Robin Campbell, also reached Number 1 in the UK. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, the only charting song by The Equals is ‘Baby, Come Back,’ which reached Number 32 in 1968. In September 1969 all five group members of The Equals were injured in a motorway car accident in Germany while on tour, with Eddy Grant being the most severely injured, suffering a collapsed lung and heart infection. On January 1st, 1971, he then suffered a heart attack and collapsed lung, which led to his departure from The Equals to concentrate on production, and giving up touring.

After his departure from The Equals, Eddy Grant set up his own record label called ‘Ice Records.’ His solo career was slow to take off, and it wasn’t until this song, and it’s parent Album, his third Album release, ‘Walking on Sunshine’ in 1979, that Eddy Grant finally found himself back in the charts again, eight years after leaving The Equals. The solo discography of Eddy Grant includes 15 studio Albums released between 1975-2015, and 19 singles released between 1979-2001, there are also 13 official compilation Albums, and one live Album available. In the UK, eight of his singles have reached the top 40, with ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance’ from 1982, making the Number 1 spot, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, he has had two top 40 hits, with ‘Electric Avenue’ peaking the highest at Number 2 in 1983, while ‘Living on the Frontline’ failed to chart. Eddy Grant is noted for recording in many different musical genres, including ‘Soul,’ ‘Funk,’ ‘Reggae, ‘Electronic’ music, ‘African poly-rhythms,’ and ‘Latin’ music genres such as ‘Samba, among many others. He is also known for creating the musical genre ‘Ringbang,’ in the mid 1990’s, which is a Caribbean fusion of music genres, including ‘Calypso,’ ‘reggae,’ and ‘Soca.’ Eddy Grant has said, ‘Ringbang is the thing that makes the soul quiet. That in a musical concept is rhythm. A child is given Ringbang when a mother rocks it in her arms. Ringbang allowed the slaves to communicate. Ringbang is a bridge that allows us to stop being insular; it is a concept predicated on our being able to communicate with one another.’ In 2016 Eddy Grant received a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from the government of Guyana. He had been previously honoured with a postage stamp featuring his likeness and Ringbang logo by the Guyana Post Office Corporation in 2005.

‘Living on the Frontline’ was the first of two singles released from Eddy Grant’s third solo studio Album ‘Walking on Sunshine,’ from 1978, the song was written, produced, and arranged by Eddy Grant, and released on his own ‘Ice Records’ label. He also played all of the instruments on the track, and on it’s parent Album, with the exception of congas, the drums on two songs, and the piano on another. The Album is an eclectic mix of many of the aforementioned musical genres stated above. and was re-issued in 2008 as a Deluxe Edition, with three bonus tracks.

‘Living on the Frontline’ is a call for peace, unity, and understanding, with Eddy Grant reminding us that we are all brothers who should choose the right path in life.

‘Ooh, what kind of man could I be if I can’t talk about what I see. Oh, they tell me got to beware, take the little money and go. Me no want no dirty money, no, me no want no dirty money, oh, mama, mama, you got me living on the frontline.’