"Soon Be Done" is a song by Jamaican
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
artist
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 diaspor ...
, released in June 1993 by
Virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
and
Greensleeves Records
Greensleeves Records & Publishing, shortened to ''Greensleeves Records'', is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records sta ...
as the third single from the artist's first studio album, ''
Pure Pleasure
''Pure Pleasure'' is the debut album released by Jamaican singer Shaggy. The album was released on July 30, 1993. The album spawned four singles: "Oh Carolina", which was a dancehall remake of a ska hit by the Folkes Brothers, reached number on ...
'' (1993). The song peaked at #39 on the UK Singles Chart, six places higher than "
Nice and Lovely". It was only released in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Critical reception
Alan Jones from ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'' gave the song four out of five, adding, "More traditional fare from Shaggy, whose gruff patois is anchored to an understated rhythm track. Less of a killer than "
Oh Carolina
"Oh Carolina" is a 1958 song by the Folkes Brothers, produced by Prince Buster and released in 1960, after which it became an early ska hit. It was covered by many various artists, including Shaggy in 1993.
Folkes Brothers version
The origina ...
", but another substantial, good humoured hit."
Dele Fadele from ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' wrote, "The lecherous and leering twist in Shaggy's voice is still present and correct as he turns his mind to matters sexual. Again. Ghostly, multi-layered harmonies percolate over a rhythm that's closer to digital excavations of Studio One than minimalistic, abrupt
raggamuffin beats." Sylvia Patterson of ''
Smash Hits'' was less enthustiastic, rating it two out of five and calling it a "daft
ragga
Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music.
Wayne Smi ...
nursery rhyme".
Music video
A music video for the song was premiered in September 1993 and, in 2009, was made available via Shaggy's official VEVO account. The video shows Shaggy performing the song in an underground setting.
Track listings
* CD, cassette, and 7-inch vinyl
# "Soon Be Done" - 3:37
# "Soon Be Done" (Champion Mix) - 3:43
* Maxi-CD
# "Soon Be Done" - 3:37
# "Soon Be Done" (Dancehall Lick) - 6:05
# "Soon Be Done" (Champion Mix) - 3:43
# "Ah-E-A-Oh" (featuring Sylva) – 3:15
* 12-inch vinyl
# "Soon Be Done" - 3:37
# "Soon Be Done" (Dancehall Lick) - 6:05
# "Ah-E-A-Oh" (featuring Sylva) – 3:15
# "Ah-E-A-Oh" (featuring Sylva) (Alternate Version)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
Shaggy (musician) songs
1993 singles
1993 songs
Songs written by Shaggy (musician)
Virgin Records singles