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Since his death on Monday, the iTunes Top 100 Reggae Albums charts and Top 100 Reggae Singles charts have become the personal playground of legendary singer and cultural icon, Jimmy Cliff, and he has also dented the all-genre USA iTunes Album Charts.
A global personality, whose music ran the gamut from upliftment to protest, Cliff’s passing generated headlines worldwide from outlets such as The New York Times, Associated Press, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Africa News, Rolling Stone, Hindustan Times, The Brasilians and BBC News. This intense media coverage, coupled with an outpouring of emotion from fans, has led to a heightened interest in Cliff’s catalogue and the streaming of his music.
On Wednesday morning, Jimmy Cliff, whose career spanned more than six decades, occupied the top five positions on the iTunes Top 100 Reggae Singles charts, and all of 10 songs in total in the chart’s top 15. Numbered one to five were I Can See Clearly Now, Many Rivers To Cross, You Can Get It If You Really Want, The Harder They Come, and Wonderful World, Beautiful People (Single Version).
No less impressive was Cliff’s presence on the Top 100 Reggae Albums charts, where he held down seven spots in the top 10. At pole position was Best of Jimmy Cliff, knocking Bob Marley’s Legend, the permanent resident atop the chart, to number two. At number four was 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection - The Best of Jimmy Cliff; and claiming fifth and sixth positions were The Power and the Glory, and In Concert: The Best of Jimmy Cliff (Live). At eight, nine and 10 were the albums Unlimited, Wonderful World, Beautiful People and Special.
International Reggae Day founder and producer, Andrea Davis, told The Gleaner that Cliff’s “posthumous dominance of the iTunes Reggae charts is a testament to his enduring legacy and impact on the music world”.
“With the top five singles on one chart and seven albums in the top 10 in another, it’s clear that his music continues to resonate with fans globally,” Davis said. She noted that the “surge in his music’s popularity is a tribute to his timeless appeal and the continued relevance of his life and work” and outlined that his influence on Jamaican music is “immeasurable”.
“His contributions to the culture have been recognised with numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album. His iconic songs, such as The Harder They Come and I Can See Clearly Now, are global reggae anthems which continue to inspire generations of musicians and fans alike,” Davis stated, adding that Cliff’s legacy extended beyond his music.
Highlighting that Cliff “played a pivotal role in popularising reggae music worldwide when he made his acting début in The Harder They Come,” Davis pointed out that the film “paved the way for reggae music to break into the global scene”.
“Jimmy Cliff’s impact on global Jamaican music and culture will undoubtedly continue to be felt for generations to come,” Davis concluded.
Music Marketer, Sean ‘Contractor’ Edwards, told The Gleaner that “with tributes coming from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones and worldwide mainstream media reports of his passing, this phenomenon of a significant surge in music sales and streams after death has been applied to Jimmy Cliff”.
“He has surged to number one on both the reggae albums and singles USA iTunes Charts and jumped into the number 15 and number 19 spots on the all-genre USA iTunes album charts. His 2017 album, Best of Jimmy Cliff, is the album doing the best, followed by The Harder They Come soundtrack. In the top 20 singles USA reggae charts, he has a total of 13 songs. At number one sits I Can See Clearly Now which is his best-selling song in America, which spent 25 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 18 in 1994,” Edwards said.
Continuing on the iTunes Top 100 Reggae Albums chart, Cliff also claims number 12 with Give Thanx, 18th position with the album Super Hits and number 25 with Follow My Mind. The Harder They Come (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack /Expanded Edition) Various Artists, released on July 7, 1972, made it to number 53, while Cliff Hanger stood at 55 and Goodbye Yesterday at 59. At number 63 was Refugees, and at 64 was The Harder They Come: The Remixes - EP Jimmy Cliff & Walshy Fire.
Of note is the fact that Refugees, released in August 2022, was Cliff’s first album in more than 10 years and also his last album. The title track, Refugees, is a collab with Fugees founder, Wyclef Jean. Cliff teamed up with his record label, Universal Music Enterprises, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, for this album.
“As a humanitarian, I wrote the song due to emotional feelings towards freedom taken away from human beings. None of us should be forced by violence, economics, war, or persecution to leave our country against our will,” Jimmy Cliff is quoted on the website of the UNHCR.
English (US) ·