"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. 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 soon 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 Bahamian musician 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 recording was originally the B-side to the group's number-one hit single "Rivers of Babylon". In July 1978, following ten weeks in UK Top Ten, five of them at number one, "Rivers of Babylon" slipped to number 18 and then to 20, when radio stations flipped the single. Airplay for "Brown Girl in the Ring" resulted in a happy chart reversal, with the single re-entering the Top Ten, where it would spend an additional nine weeks, peaking at number two in September. 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. The court case ran for more than 20 years in Germany. The early single version released on the Diamond CD box-set in 2015 features the full-length 4:18 version. The single mix is also slightly different from the album version: the latter features steel drums on the outro riff of the song whereas the single mix does not. The four-minute single hit version has yet to appear on CD. 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.
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 number 6 in Denmark and 38 in the UK, 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 "
Side A
"Brown Girl in the Ring" – 5:35
"The Calendar Song " – 3:14
Side B
"Brown Girl in the Ring" – 5:35
"Brown Girl in the Ring" – 3:58
CD
"Brown Girl in the Ring "
# "Brown Girl in the Ring" – 3:58
# "Brown Girl in the Ring" – 5:35
# "Brown Girl in the Ring" – 5:35
# "The Calendar Song " – 3:14
Recordings
Lord Invader, a calypsonian from Trinidad, recorded a version circa 1946–1947 in New York. The recording is now part of the SmithsonianFolkways collection and was only released in 2000 on Lord Invader Calypso in New York CD.
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
The Belize-born actress and singer Nadia Cattouse performed the song on her eponymous album, released in Britain in 1966.
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.
The song is featured in the film Touching the Void when mountaineerJoe Simpson worries he is succumbing to madness or death. He recalls: "I remember thinking, bloody hell, I'm going to die to Boney M".
In the short story The Solar Room, by Marco Vinicio Aragonés, the characters are obsessed with the rhythm of this song.
Nalo Hopkinson's first novel Brown Girl in the Ring features Afro-Caribbean themes.
