Apocalypse Rock: Toppa Top 10 Reggae Armagideon Tunes

Words by Jesse Serwer and Sherman Escoffery—

The Mayan calendar predicts the world will end this year, or so many people believe, and these fears have inspired at least one forgettable movie. But when it comes to turning end-of-the-world fears into art, reggae music was 35 years ahead of its time and way ahead of the game. Fear about the world coming to an end, specifically on July 7, 1977, gripped Jamaica in the mid ’70s, prompting a wave of “armagideon” tunes warning the masses to live righteous or face impending doom. While that day came and went without catastrophe, the world gained an unmatched set of end-of-times tracks (sorry, heavy metal), with underlying messages that still resonate. Here’s a rundown of some of the best tunes in this tradition, from both before and after two sevens clashed.

10. Glenroy Richards “Wicked Can’t Run Away”

Released in 1977, this song was a hit but it became a classic after the singer Glenroy Richards, along with four other neighbors, died in what became known as the 1978 Green Bay Massacre after they were lured to a shooting range and killed by soldiers from the Jamaican Army’s Military Intelligence Unit, events which serve as the backdrop for the new Jamaican movie Better Mus’ Come.

9. Yabby You, “Fire Fire/Judgement Time”

Known for his steadfast Christian beliefs, the “Jesus Dread” Yabby You recorded a whole heap of songs about judgement day. We’re partial to these two, but let us not forget “Zion’s Gate” (a.k.a. “Judgement on the Land”)

8. Prince Far I, “Armageddon”

It’s one thing to warn of the end times on a track. It’s another thing entirely to do it when you have a voice as guttural and foreboding as the great deejay Prince Far I. His “Armageddon,” a combination with the aptly named vocalist Black Skin the Prophet stands out as possibly the most chilling tune in a category where that’s really saying something.

7. Clive Hylton, “Judgement Day”

Also known as Color Red, singer Clive Hylton, the brother of deejay Eek-A-Mouse, re-emerged a few years back with a roots album called Revelation Time. Twenty five years earlier he voiced this overlooked gem for Lee “Scratch” Perry, and the track boasts some of the Upsetter’s trademark playful production.

6.Whitney Houston, “My Love is Your Love”

In case you never picked up on it before, Whitney Houston’s 1999 comeback tune, produced by Wyclef and Jerry Wonda, was a Marley-esque reggae tune (you heard the dubplate?) set at the end of the times. This is a little bit different than the rest of the songs on this list in that it’s something of a celebratory love song, but the picture Whitney paints of love built to withstand an impending apocalypse is so vivid—and makes for an even more fitting inclusion in light of the limited time that a singer with a voice so often described as angelic had left on earth.

5.Bunny Wailer, “Armagideon (Armageddon)”

Bunny Wailer’s 1976 solo debut Blackheart Man featured some of his best and darkest work, including this classic. However, his warning of “Armagideon” (also called “Armageddon,” presumably) had a more hopeful tenor than some of the other songs of this nature. After detailing the rise of Satan and decrying corrupt pastors leading their flocks astray, he concludes with the hopeful passage: The night is passed, the day is come/I see Jah shining in the shining sun. The tracks sounded just as devastating during this performance at National Stadium in Jamaica seven years later.

4. Culture, “Two Sevens Clash”

Inspired by a dream of Culture lead singer Joseph Hill’s, “Two Sevens Clash” was taken as a literal prediction, that there would be some kind of natural disaster or Armageddon on July 7, 1977. Driven by fear that was also promoted by the local churches and superstition, Kingston and most of Jamaica was basically closed for the day, that came and went without Armageddon but the song never died with the passing of the date and it is considered one of Culture’s biggest and best songs.

3. Johnny Clarke, “None Shall Escape the Judgment”

An end-of-days warning originally written and recorded by a singer called Earl Zero, with Johnny Clarke as the backup singer, Johnny jumped at the opportunity to re-record this song after producer Bunny Lee lost the original vocals in a tape transfer. An instant hit, this song immediately launched the career of Johnny Clarke and it also introduced a different style of hi-hat playing called the flying cymbals, that dominated over the usual ska piano. Jacob Miller and his band inner Circle later recorded a version of “None Shall Escape” that became very popular in Jamaica but never captured the essence of judgment and fire like Johnny Clarke’s version.

2. Peter Tosh, “Downpressor Man”

It seems that Tosh was obsessed with the revelatory song “Sinnerman” made popular by Nina Simone. The Wailers did a ska version of this song in 1966, then Tosh rewrote and recorded it as “Downpressor Man” with the Wailers in the early 70’s, before recording it again by himself in 1976. By then, he had almost transformed the song into his own, inspiring artists like Sinead O’Conner and the band Goldfinger to cover his version of the song.

1. Willi Williams, “Armagideon Time”

Willi Williams hit gold with this song, describing the judgment as the present instead of the future, and that resonated with the masses, who felt and saw everything he sang about. The fact that it was also recorded over the Studio One hit rhythm “The Real Rock” did not hurt, and the song proved so popular that Williams would come to be known as The Armagideon Man. “Armagideon Time” was soon covered by the British punk rock group The Clash, and parts of the lyrics were later used in Sublime’s reggae mashup song called “Sweet Little Rosie.” It was also reinterpreted by Super Beagle for his classic clash tune “Dust A Sound Boy” on the Stalag Rhythm.

Honorebel Mention: Bob Marley, “Natural Mystic”

We can’t say for sure that Bob was talking about the apocalypse when he sang of the natural mystic blowing through the air, but lyrics like “This could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last,” combined with its 1977 release date seem to suggest that it was weighing on his mind.