"Pass the Dutchie" is a song performed by the British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

band

Musical Youth Musical Youth are a British reggae band formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England. They are best known for their 1982 single " Pass the Dutchie", which was number 1 in multiple charts around the world. Their other hits include " Youth of Today", "N ...

, taken from their debut studio album, '' The Youth of Today'' (1982). It was produced by Toney Owens from

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

. The single peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "Pass the Dutchie" topped the charts in at least five other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, as well as peaking within the top ten of the charts in Iceland and the United States. The single sold over five million copies worldwide.

Background

The song was the band's first release on a major label. Following a shouted intro taken from

U Roy Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...

's "Rule the Nation" with words slightly altered, the track combined two songs: "Gimme the Music" by

U Brown Huford Brown (born 8 June 1956, Kingston, Jamaica), better known by the stage name U Brown, is a reggae deejay who released eleven albums between 1976 and 1984. Biography Brown grew up in Bond Street in Kingston, living two doors away from Du ...

, and " Pass the Kouchie" by Mighty Diamonds, which deals with the recreational use of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

(''kouchie'' being slang for a cannabis pipe). For the cover version, the song's title was bowdlerised to "Pass the Dutchie", the new word being a

patois ''Patois'' (, 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 sl ...

term for a

Dutch oven A Dutch oven, Dutch pot (US English), or casserole dish (international) is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron; however, some Dutch ovens are instead made of cast aluminium, or ...

, a type of

cooking pot Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a Kitchen stove, stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considere ...

. All obvious drug references were removed from the lyrics; e.g., instead of the original "How does it feel when you got no herb?", the cover version refers to "food" instead. The song was commissioned by the record company to turn "Pass the Kouchie" into a radio friendly hit for a wider audience. Toney Owens came up with the modified lyrics after coming home one night on an empty stomach. Despite the lyrics being changed to specifically remove drug references, the word "dutchie" later became a slang term for cannabis as a result of the song. The song was first championed by radio DJ Zach Diezel and became an instant hit when it was picked up by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

in September 1982. It debuted at number 26 on the UK chart and rose to number 1 the following week. In February 1983, it reached number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in the US. Though they would have subsequent Top 40 hits in other countries, "Pass the Dutchie" remains their only hit in the US. The song also scored the number 1 position in at least five other countries, eventually selling more than five million copies worldwide. After the song was featured in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...

'' in 2022, it experienced a resurgence of popularity, re-entering a number of international charts.

Music video

The video, directed by

Don Letts Donovan Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band Big Au ...

, was shot partly on the southern banks of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, by

Lambeth Bridge Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east–west direction in central London. The river flows north at the crossing point. Downstream, the next bridge is Westminster Bridge; upstream, the next bridge i ...

. It depicts the band performing the song and playing instruments. At the same time, a school official appears to arrest them, wherein he ends up falling down and breaking his arm. This footage is interspersed with courtroom scenes (featuring

Julian Firth Julian Firth (born 8 January 1961) is an English actor, best known for his roles as troubled inmate Davis in the cinematic version of the film '' Scum'' and as Brother Jerome in the long-running television series '' Cadfael''. Firth has enjoy ...

), where the band is put on trial. The trial ends with the jury finding the band not guilty, leading them to celebrate in the courtroom.

Track listing

*7" single :A. "Pass the Dutchie" – 3:25 :B. "Please Give Love a Chance" – 3:36 *12" single :A. "Pass the Dutchie" – 6:05 :B. "Pass the Dutchie" (Special Dub Mix) – 4:40 *CD maxi single (1994) # "Pass the Dutchie" (Molella Mega Club Mix) – 4:20 # "Pass the Dutchie" (Molella Hard Ragga Mix) – 5:00 # "Pass the Dutchie" (Molella Radio Mix) – 3:40 # "Pass the Dutchie" (Original 7" Version) – 3:23 *Digital single (2008) # "Pass the Dutchie" (Exclusive Version) – 3:40 # "Pass the Dutchie" (Singalong Version) – 3:40 *Digital maxi single (2011) # "Pass the Dutchie" (Re-Recorded / Remastered) – 3:40 # "Pass the Dutchie" (Dubstep Kings Remix) – 4:05 # "Pass the Dutchie" (Singalong Version) – 3:40 # "Pass the Dutchie" (Dubstep Kings Instrumental Remix) – 4:05 *Digital single (2016) # "Pass the Dutchie" (Odjbox Remix) – 3:42 *Digital single (2019) # "Pass the Dutchie" ( Star Slinger Remix) – 3:42 *Digital single (2020) # "Pass the Dutchie 21" – 4:33

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

* The song was parodied by a band from the Seychelles Islands Dezil' under the title "Laisse tomber les filles (qui se maquillent)", and peaked at #13 in France and #47 in Switzerland in 2006.

References

{{Authority control 1982 debut singles 1982 songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Musical Youth songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Switzerland RPM Top Singles number-one singles Reggae fusion songs Song recordings produced by Peter Collins (record producer) UK singles chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles Songs involved in royalties controversies 2022 singles Music videos directed by Don Letts MCA Records singles Works subject to expurgation Songs about food and drink