Delilah Dancehall Goddess or pariah?

Throughout history, the figure Delilah has been known as a dangerous temptress. In the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah, Samson, the great hero of the Hebrews, fell in love with Delilah and that marked the beginning of his downfall and eventual demise. Delilah, a woman from the Valley of Sorek, was offered a sum of money by the Philistine leaders to uncover the secret of Samsons great physical strength. Using her powers of seduction and deception, despite his resistance Delilah persisted and wore down Samson with her repeated requests, until he finally divulged crucial information.

The lasting impression is that Samson loved Delilah and she betrayed him for money.

In January, Mavado, performing as David Brooks to indicate the non-gangster nature of his content for the night, previewed Delilah at Rebel Salute 2011, Port Kaiser Sports Club, St Elizabeth. Released in May, it is now one of his hottest tracks.

However, as it relates the female character Mavado singjays about to the Biblical persona of Delilah, infamous for tricking Samson into revealing the source of his strength and then facilitating his hair being cut, the song has reawakened debate about the basic characteristics of women.

In the chorus Mavado makes a sweeping, damning statement about women even as he relates a similarly general, negative comment by his Delilah on men:

She sey man a wicked but a woman a Delilah

She sey mi nuh trust yuh

But mi nuh trust yuh neidda

It is clear that the distrust of Delilah turns around money:

Love you to my heart

Love you to my soul (Delilah)

I thought you were for real

But you playing a role (Delilah)

Lying to me, that is all you do

Fancy cars and superstars thats the thing you choose

You give up on me, I give up on you

Love is just a lying game for two

Nearing the end of the song, he reflects I love you, you love wealth/nobody knows the pain I felt.

Although he takes the first-person perspective in Delilah, Mavado tells The Sunday Gleaner it is not necessarily about his own experience.

I always try and write about real life situations, things people can relate to. So it doesnt always have to be my own personal experience but something I have seen someone go through or something I know happens in everyday life, he said. In this instance, the song is not about personal experience.

Interestingly, he has not had a negative response from women and Mavado says he and his team were confident in Delilah from the outset. As I recorded the song I called my manager and told him I think I have found a big record, so we believed in it from day one. I actually had it for over six months before we released it because we didnt want it to start blowing up in the US [United States] and we couldnt be there to support the record. (Mavado was recently reissued a US visa). When some people heard it first they said women might not love the song, but I can tell you its the song that every woman loves and asks me about wherever I go. Whether the mall, the airport, anywhere a it the woman dem sing to me and ask me who is Delilah and dem ting deh! Dem love it!" Mavado said.
Delilah has long had a presence in popular music, American singer Tom Jones among those who has a song actually entitled Delilah.

In dancehall, the attitude is one of condemnation, the exchange of cash for sexual favours being frowned upon even though there isn't a corresponding observation of men's weaknesses.

In 2006, I-Wayne got his big breakthrough with Can't Satisfy Her, a cautionary tale to men and women alike about prostitution. Although the word Delilah is not used, the female persona in the song uses her body as a business, tempting men and getting money from them - no love involved.


I-Wayne crooned:


"Sey she want a man to take her to the movies

Then another set to buy her pearls and rubies

Sey she nuh care bout cuts and bruises

That's just the way she chooses

New hairstyle, nails and bling cash

She's doing business just bring cash

One man can't satisfy her

She needs more wood for the fire

The sex price getting higher."


However, he goes on to apportion blame in equal measure to both genders with "burn the flesh seller and the buyer".

Tarrus Riley and Konshens' Good Girl Gone Bad tells the story of a 'Delilah' when she is just exploring her sexuality and "driving di family mad." In the song, released in 2009, Tarrus sings:


"Mamma likkle princess gone bad, Daddy's likkle angel bruk out/Mamma likkle pearl/ Tell me sey she ready fi di world, walking out/Just another good girl gone bad/Once she was a good girl, now she gone bad/Story of a good girl gone bad."


In Pretty Devil Konshens carries on the theme of duplicity, deejaying:


"Sey nuff a dem pretty pon di outside

But a dem a di devil pon di inside

Outside clean like a pearl or a ruby

But inna dem heart just dark up and dirty (ooh)

Look how she cute, look how she sexy

Mi neva know she woulda turn round and stress me ...

Nuff a dem yuh think a heaven dem sent from

But nuff a dem have up di same intention

A one touch or a par down a St Ann

Or a man fi tek di money spend pon."


In dancehall women's sexuality has long been 'in your face', Patra and Lady Saw leading the charge of those unafraid of speaking about sex and being overtly sexual in their onstage personae.


More recently, newcomer Tifa proudly proclaim her ability to tempt a wealthy man in Matie Wine. She deejays:


"Well is a matie holiday we tek man fi di summa

Wifey a bawl out

No other bumma

She have a good man and she a star dumb and dumber

Well Christmas a come and him a buy mi di Humma

Yuh see di mansion, him ago kick yuh outta it

Change all di bed and call di locksmith

Yuh get di worl and deh ya tun idiot wid it...

Gal get knock off di top position

Now mi cock up on a new money man

Control di yard like me a di don."


In Matrimoney, Lady Saw puts a cash value on the institution of wedlock, even though love is involved. Saw prefaces her lyrics by saying "you know I love you, right? I mean from the day I met you I told you, this is my lifestyle and you gotta be able to support my life, so for me to marry you, you gotta keep the money rolling in you know what I'm saying". Then she deejays:


"Matrimoney, ceremoney, testimoney, alimoney,

Take a hint its all about the money

Read my lips its all about the money....

Weh yuh go wid yuh likkle chump change

Me is a gal nuh go less than Range

If yuh want di vow fi exchange

Yuh can't be no mean man....

Yuh a mi sweetheart

Yuh a mi honey

Yuh mek mi get butterfly inna mi tummy

When mi see yuh face mi day get sunny

But mi nah wear di ring if mi nah get di money."


While that puts "till death do us part" in a new light, Mavado will soon put the videolight on Delilah. He told The Sunday Gleaner "Delilah has been doing very well at crossover radio in the US so far. It was added to HOT 97 in New York about 10 days ago and has already got over 40 spins. Its been added to WZMX in Hartford, and other stations are also playing it across the country. It's looking very positive, it's reacting very well - it's the kind of record that suits many different audiences, so we expect it to go very far. We have many directors coming at us to do the video, so we soon decide who we are going with and shoot that in the near future".