Brown Girl in the Ring (song)

"Brown Girl in the Ring" is a traditional children's song in the West Indies. It was originally featured in the game of the same name, thought to have originated in Jamaica.^[1]

The song became internationally known when it was recorded by the group Boney M. in 1978. Originally it was the B-side of their hit "Rivers of Babylon", but became a hit in its own right.

The song had previously been recorded by the group Malcolm's Locks, leading to a dispute over royalties. The song had also been recorded in 1972 by the group Exuma.

Origin

Boys and girls play ring games in many parts of the world, especially during their pre-teen years. In There's a Brown Girl in the Ring, an anthology of Eastern Caribbean song games by Alan Lomax, J.D. Elder and Bess Lomax Hawes, it is suggested that ring games are a children's precursor to adult courtship.

Players form a ring by holding hands, then one girl or boy goes into the middle of the ring and starts skipping or walking around to the song. The girl or boy is then asked, "Show me your motion." At this point the child in the center does his or her favorite dance. If asked "Show me your partner," he or she picks a friend to join him or her in the circle. It has been played for many centuries in all of Jamaica.

Boney M. recording

Arguably the most popular version of the song, Boney M.'s version was originally a single B-side to the group's #1 hit single "Rivers of Babylon" (1978). When "Rivers of Babylon" had slipped to #20 in the UK charts, radio stations suddenly flipped the single, seeing "Brown Girl in the Ring" going all the way to #2 and becoming a hit in its own right. Liz Mitchell had previously recorded the song in 1975 with the group Malcolm's Locks, as the B-side of their single "Caribbean Rock". Mitchell's ex-boyfriend Malcolm Magaron was the group's lead singer. Arranger Peter Herbolzheimer accused Frank Farian of stealing his arrangement for the song, for which Farian claimed credit on the single.^[2] The court case ran for more than 20 years in Germany.

The early single pressing features the full-length 4:18 version with a chorus bit being edited out. The single mix is also slightly different from the album version which features steel drums on the outro riff of the song, the single mix doesn't. The single mix has yet to appear on CD (as at May 2014). Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring single is the sixth best-selling single of all time in the UK with sales of 2 million.^[3]

1993 Remix

Following the successful sales of the compilation album Gold - 20 Super Hits, Frank Farian remixed "Brown Girl in the Ring" for a single release, April 1993. The remix featured new lead vocals by Liz Mitchell and reached #6 in Denmark, #38 in the UK charts while failing to chart in Germany. The single also included a new remix of "The Calendar Song".

Releases

12" Single

"Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix '93)" (MCI/BMG 74321 13705 1, 1993)

Side A

"Brown Girl in the Ring" (Funny Girl Club Mix) - 5:35
"The Calendar Song (January, February, March...)" (Remix '93) - 3:14

Side B

"Brown Girl in the Ring" (Club Mix - Rap Version) - 5:35
"Brown Girl in the Ring" (Radio Version) - 3:58

CD
"Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix '93)" (MCI/BMG 74321 13705 2, 1993

1. "Brown Girl in the Ring" (Radio Version) - 3:58
2. "Brown Girl in the Ring" (Funny Girl Club Mix) - 5:35
3. "Brown Girl in the Ring" (Club Mix - Rap Version) - 5:35
4. "The Calendar Song (January, February, March...)" (Remix '93) - 3:14

Other recordings

Jamaican poet, actress and singer Louise Bennett recorded the song in 1957 on an album of Children's Jamaican Songs and Games, re-released by Smithsonian Folkways (2007)
The Belize-born actress and singer Nadia Cattouse performed the song on her eponymous album, released in Britain in 1966.
Austrian Waterloo & Robinson covered the song in German, using Boney M.'s original backing track and backing vocals.
Other versions have been done by Brotherhood of Man, Raffi, Dan Zanes, the Minipops and The Maytones.
Jurassic 5, a Southern California based hip-hop group, has a song titled "Brown Girl" which refers to the original song in its chorus.
The song is featured in the film Touching the Void when mountaineer Joe Simpson worries he is succumbing to madness or death. He recalls: "I remember thinking, bloody hell, I'm going to die to Boney M".
The Wiggles in Big Red Car, 1995.^[4]
Lord Invader, a calypsonian from Trinidad, recorded a version circa 1946-1947 in New York. The recording is now part of the Smithsonian Folkways collection and was only released in 2000 on Lord Invader Calypso in New York CD.
Exuma recorded "Brown Girl" on his second album "Reincarnation" in 1972. Exuma claims to be the original artist to have recorded Brown Girl in the Ring. He claims that his version of Brown Girl in the Ring was re-recorded by Boney M without the permission of Exuma. The lawsuit has gone on for over 20 years.
Eric Monty Morris' 'Cinderella' incorporates the tune and rhyme.
Taj Mahal recorded "brown girl in the ring" on his audio cd "Shake Sugaree: Taj Mahal sings and plays for children" 1992
Australian rapper Iggy Azalea sampled elements for the song "Goddess" on her debut album The New Classic in 2014.

Bibliography

There's a Brown Girl in the Ring - Alan Lomax, J.D. Elder and Bess Lomax Hawe, Random House, New York, 1997

Charts

Original version

Chart (1978)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary^[5]	8
Canadian RPM Top Singles^[6]	79
Eurochart Hot 100	1

Brown girl in the ring (Remix '93)

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[7]	46
Irish Singles Chart^[8]	25
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[9]	20
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)^[10]	38

References

↑ Brown Girl in the Ring (Jamaican Circle Game)
↑
↑ Ami Sedghi (4 November 2012). "UK's million-selling singles: the full list". Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/44672707
↑ "Brown girl in the ring in Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
↑ "Brown girl in the ring in Canadian Top Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Boney M. – Brown Girl In The Ring (Remix '93)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
↑ "in Irish Chart". IRMA. Retrieved 10 July 2013. 1st result when searching "Brown girl in the ring "
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Boney M. – Brown Girl In The Ring (Remix '93)". Top 40 Singles.
↑ "1993 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 17th April 1993". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2013.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Boney M.

Liz Mitchell Marcia Barrett Maizie Williams Bobby Farrell Reggie Tsiboe

Studio albums and main compilations (1976–1985)	Take the Heat off Me (1976) Love for Sale (1977) Nightflight to Venus (1978) Oceans of Fantasy (1979) The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits (1980) Children of Paradise - The Greatest Hits of Boney M. - Vol. 2 (1981) Boonoonoonoos (1981) Christmas Album (1981) Ten Thousand Lightyears (1984) Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs (1984) Fantastic Boney M. (1984) Christmas with Boney M. (1984) Eye Dance (1985)

Main compilations and remix albums (1986–present)	The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits (1986) The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs (1986) Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 (1988) Ma Baker (1989) Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '89 - Volume II (1989) The Collection (1991) Daddy Cool - Star Collection (1991) The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World (1992) Gold - 20 Super Hits (1992) The Greatest Hits (1993) More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II (1993) Hit Collection (1996) Best in Spain (1996) The Best of Boney M. (1997) Norske Hits (1998) Ultimate (1999) 20th Century Hits (1999) 25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool (2000) The Complete Collection (2000) Their Most Beautiful Ballads (2000) The Greatest Hits (2001) The Magic of Boney M. (2006) Hit Collection (2007) Christmas With Boney M. (2007) The Collection (2008) Rivers of Babylon (A Best of Collection) (2008) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 1 (2008) Christmas Time (2008) The Complete Boney M. (2008) In the Mix (2008) The Magic of Boney M. - The Danish Collection (2008) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 2 (2009) Let It All Be Music - The Party Album (2009) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 3 (2009)

Main single discography	"Baby Do You Wanna Bump" (1975) "Daddy Cool" (1976) "Sunny" (1976) "Ma Baker" (1977) "Belfast" (1977) "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" (1978) "Rasputin" (1978) "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" (1978) "Painter Man" (1979) "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (1979) "El Lute"/"Gotta Go Home" (1979) "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama" (1979) "I See a Boat on the River"/"My Friend Jack" (1980) "Children of Paradise"/"Gadda-Da-Vida" (1980) "Felicidad (Margherita)" (1980) "Malaika"/"Consuela Biaz" (1981) "We Kill the World"/"Boonoonoonoos" (1981) "The Little Drummer Boy"/"6 Years of Boney M. Hits" (1981) "The Carnival Is Over"/"Going Back West" (1982) "Zion's Daughter" (1982) "Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" (1983) "Somewhere in the World" (1984) "Kalimba de Luna" (1984) "Happy Song" (1984) "My Cherie Amour" (1985) "Young, Free and Single" (1985) "Daddy Cool (Anniversary Recording '86)" (1986) "Bang Bang Lulu" (1986) "Rivers of Babylon (Remix)"/"Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord (Remix)" (1988) "Megamix" (1988) "The Summer Mega Mix" (1989) "Malaika (Lambada Remix)" (1989) "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker" (1989) "Stories" (1990) "Christmas Mega Mix" (1992) "Megamix" (1992) "Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix)" (1993) "Ma Baker (Remix)" (1993) "Papa Chico" (1994) "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" (1998) "Daddy Cool '99" (1999) "Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)" (1999) "Sunny (Remix)" (2000) "Daddy Cool 2001" (2001) "Sunny (Mousse T. Remix)" (2006) "Felicidad America (Obama-Obama)" (2009)

Book

Best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom

1952–1969	1952: "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" – Vera Lynn 1953: "I Believe" – Frankie Laine 1954: "Secret Love" – Doris Day 1955: "Rose Marie" – Slim Whitman 1956: "I'll Be Home" – Pat Boone 1957: "Diana" – Paul Anka 1958: "Jailhouse Rock" – Elvis Presley 1959: "Living Doll" – Cliff Richard 1960: "It's Now or Never" – Elvis Presley 1961: "Wooden Heart" – Elvis Presley 1962: "I Remember You" – Frank Ifield 1963: "She Loves You" – The Beatles 1964: "Can't Buy Me Love" – The Beatles 1965: "Tears" – Ken Dodd 1966: "Green, Green Grass of Home" – Tom Jones 1967: "Release Me" – Engelbert Humperdinck 1968: "Hey Jude" – The Beatles 1969: "Sugar, Sugar" – The Archies

1970–1989	1970: "The Wonder of You" – Elvis Presley 1971: "My Sweet Lord" – George Harrison 1972: "Amazing Grace" – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Band 1973: "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Tony Orlando and Dawn 1974: "Tiger Feet" – Mud 1975: "Bye Bye Baby" – Bay City Rollers 1976: "Save Your Kisses for Me" – Brotherhood of Man 1977: "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" – Wings 1978: "Rivers of Babylon" / "Brown Girl in the Ring" – Boney M. 1979: "Bright Eyes" – Art Garfunkel 1980: "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – The Police 1981: "Don't You Want Me" – The Human League 1982: "Come On Eileen" – Dexys Midnight Runners 1983: "Karma Chameleon" – Culture Club 1984: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid 1985: "The Power of Love" – Jennifer Rush 1986: "Don't Leave Me This Way" – The Communards 1987: "Never Gonna Give You Up" – Rick Astley 1988: "Mistletoe and Wine" – Cliff Richard 1989: "Ride On Time" – Black Box

1990–2009	1990: "Unchained Melody" – The Righteous Brothers 1991: "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" – Bryan Adams 1992: "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston 1993: "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" – Meat Loaf 1994: "Love Is All Around" – Wet Wet Wet 1995: "Unchained Melody" – Robson & Jerome 1996: "Killing Me Softly" – Fugees 1997: "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" / "Candle in the Wind 1997" – Elton John 1998: "Believe" – Cher 1999: "...Baby One More Time" – Britney Spears 2000: "Can We Fix It?" – Bob the Builder 2001: "It Wasn't Me" – Shaggy featuring Rikrok 2002: "Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen" – Will Young 2003: "Where Is the Love?" – The Black Eyed Peas 2004: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid 20 2005: "Is This the Way to Amarillo" – Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay 2006: "Crazy" – Gnarls Barkley 2007: "Bleeding Love" – Leona Lewis 2008: "Hallelujah" – Alexandra Burke 2009: "Poker Face" – Lady Gaga

2010–present	2010: "Love the Way You Lie" – Eminem featuring Rihanna 2011: "Someone Like You" – Adele 2012: "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra 2013: "Blurred Lines" – Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams 2014: "Happy" – Pharrell Williams 2015: "Uptown Funk" - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

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