"Soon Be Done" is a song by Jamaican

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 ...

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 diaspora ...

, released in June 1993 by

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

and

Greensleeves Records 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 started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, i ...

as the third single from the artist's first studio album, '' Pure Pleasure'' (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 We ...

'' gave the song four out of five and named it Pick of the Week, 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 original ...

", but another substantial, good humoured hit."

Dele Fadele Ayodele Fadele (8 August 1962 – March 2018) was an English musician and music journalist who was active from the mid-1980s. He wrote for the ''NME'' in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was one of the first music critics to introduce then eme ...

from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' 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 Ragamuffin or Raggamuffin is a euphemism for a Street children, child of the street. The term may also refer to: Film * ''The Ragamuffin'', a 1916 American silent film by William C. deMille * ''Ragamuffin'', a 2014 film directed by David Schultz ...

beats."

Sylvia Patterson Sylvia Patterson (born 8 March 1965) is a Scottish author and music journalist. A former contributor to ''Smash Hits'' and the ''NME'', she is the author of the memoirs ''I'm Not With The Band'' (2016) and ''Same Old Girl'' (2023). Life Patterson ...

of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' was less enthustiastic, rating it two out of five and calling it a "daft

ragga Raggamuffin music (or simply ragga) is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music with heavy use of sampling. Wayne Smith's " Under Mi Sleng Teng", produced by King Jammy in 1985 on a ...

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