A 'know-yourself' song

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

She's Royal naturally came up for discussion in the conversation between Michael Anthony Cuffe and Tarrus Riley at the Creative Productions Training Centre (CPTC), Arnold Road, St Andrew, on Tuesday morning, in the latest edition of 'Breakfast with Jamaica's Stars'.

"Is a 'know-yourself' song. The greatest love is to love yourself. We look in history, because we read nuff Haile Selassie, Marcus Garvey. We read 'bout slavery. When we read we see them practise a lot of cruel mental strategy in front of the woman," he said. Part of that was carrying the men into the yard to beat them in front of the women. "When she see har man a get beaten by the slave master she say, 'him sof'," Riley said.

"Plus," he said, "them do nuff things to make the woman feel bad. So when you check it, nuff time she have a low self-esteem."

Riley says further, "me a say, 'she's royal'. You must love yourself. You're a queen." There was applause in the studio as he said, "me no care wha yu waan wear. I jus waan you aware." And, as he said later, with her majesty there is an inherent balance. For as the woman says, "me a queen, the man say, you a king".

Looking back in his life, Riley remembered when he would jump up on the bed to Shabba Rank's Trailer Load. At the time "me want to be like that. It never teach me fe disrespect woman. It never teach me nutt'n negative. Me same one come sing She's Royal".

Discussing his songwriting technique and inspiration, Riley said, "we don't look too wide for songs. Songs are right here." He indicated the studio with a sweep of his hand and then added, "me read the newspaper. If the person who write it can write, me mus' pick up supp'n."

He also pointed out that "inspiration is in your spirit", breaking the word down into 'in-spirit-action'.

'Me no care wha yu waan wear. I jus waan you aware.'