"Wet Dream" 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 ...

singer

Max Romeo Max Romeo (born Maxwell Livingston Smith; 22 November 1944)"Respect to th ...

first released in 1968 on the Unity Records label. The song, with its controversial lyrics, remains Romeo's biggest commercial hit.

Background

In 1968, Romeo wrote lyrics for the rhythm track of

Derrick Morgan Derrick Morgan (born 27 March 1940)Walters, Basil (2012)A New Day – Songs heralding JA’s Independence", '' Jamaica Observer'', 3 June 2012, retrieved 3 June 2012 is a Jamaican musical artist who was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He worke ...

's "Hold You Jack". Morgan, who was due to add his vocals to the track, ultimately turned it down, as did several other vocalists (including John Holt and

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), leading the producer to turn to Romeo to sing the lyrics he had written. The result was "Wet Dream", produced by Harry Robinson and Junior Smith. Although the single was released in 1968, it did not start to sell until 1969. Already a hit in Jamaica, it entered the UK charts in May 1969 reaching 10 as its highest position in August 1969. The song gained notoriety due to its lyrics of an explicit sexual nature. Despite Romeo's claims that it was about a leaky roof, it contained the lyric "give the fanny to me" and was banned from broadcast by several radio stations. It was only played twice by the

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before being banned. When it moved into the charts, BBC radio DJs

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and

Alan Freeman Alan Leslie Freeman, MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff", was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting ''Pick of the Pops'' from 1961 to 200 ...

were instructed that they must only refer to the song as "a record by Max Romeo". Due to the ban by the British radio, the song was re-titled "The Dream" in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number 11 in September 1969. "Wet Dream" was released by Pama's Unity Records, ultimately becoming the biggest selling single of Pama's catalogue, having sold over 250,000 copies. The song was also included on Max Romeo's debut album, '' A Dream'', released in 1969. Interviewed in 2007, Romeo claimed to have started the

sexual revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the United States and the developed world from the 1 ...

. Asked why he had recorded the song, he replied: "The devil made me do it".

Track listing

*7" Single :A. "Wet Dream" – 2:45 :B. "She's But a Little Girl" – 2:30

Chart performance

References

{{reflist 1968 singles Reggae songs 1968 songs Songs written by Max Romeo Songs banned by the BBC