"Church Heathen" is the first single from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n rapper

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer *Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse *Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspora ...

's seventh studio album,

Intoxication Intoxication — or poisoning, especially by an alcoholic or narcotic substance — may refer to: * Substance intoxication: ** Alcohol intoxication ** LSD intoxication ** Toxidrome ** Tobacco intoxication ** Cannabis intoxication ** Cocaine i ...

. The track features guest vocals from

Ninjaman Desmond John Ballentine (born January 24, 1966), better known as Ninjaman, and sometimes as Don Gorgon is a Jamaican dancehall deejay and actor, known for his controversial and pro-gun lyrics and his stuttering and melodramatic style. In 2017, he ...

. The song was produced by Shaun Pizzonia and Tony Kelly, and was released on August 27, 2007.

Background

The track serves a testimonial of some of the scandals and "heathens" he found in church. In the intro of the song, he states, "If you tek dis too serious, then you really need sum church", which is

Patois ''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or ...

for, "If you take this too seriously, then you really need some church." In the song he mentions characters such as Sis. Pam, who tells him everything about the congregation, Sis. Gwen, who claims that she is a Christian but dances to inappropriate songs in the opinion of Christians such as the

Dutty Wine The Dutty Wine is a Jamaican dance, typically performed by young women.Marcia A. Forbes ''Music, Media and Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica'' Kingston: Arawak, 2010 The dance originated in Jamaica as with many other dances like "Log on" and "Screech ...

, Sis. Paulette, who is sleeping with the driver of a mini bus, a means of public transportation in the Caribbean, and also has a gay husband. He also states that the next Sunday he will 'find himself' in church because in his opinion, soap operas cannot be as 'sweet' as the information he is receiving in the church.

Track listing

; CD Single # "Church Heathen" # "Church Heathen" (Instrumental)

Chart performance

The song was not released in the

U.S The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, but it was a big hit in the Caribbean.

Music video

There are two videos for the song. One, which was shot in Jamaica and was released to Tempo Television, and the other, released to other stationing during the summer of 2007. The second video can be considered as an upgrade from the first in that the quality and vibe is more sophisticated than the first. The first video was shot entirely around and in a church and has much more relation to the powerful message found in the lyrics of the song, while the second video was shot at The Quad Night Club in Kingston, Jamaica. Many people from the first video return to the second video. In addition to the second video, it features a verse by Ninja Man. The song is also featured in the soundtrack of the 2008 video game ''

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''.

References

{{authority control Shaggy (musician) songs 2007 singles 2007 songs Songs written by Shaggy (musician) VP Records singles