Murder She Wrote, by dancehall duo Chaka Demus and Pliers has been certified Platinum in the U.K.
According to the British Phonographic Industry the track has sold over 600,000 units with data measured by the Official Charts Company as of November 15.
The dance floor groove is featured on Billboard’s “50 Best Song Interpolations of the 21st Century.” The song combines elements from two separate tracks: a 1987 song about “Maxine” by Everton Bonner (later known as Pliers), produced by Harry J, and a 1989 track by Chaka Demus about a girl with “pretty face and bad character,” produced by Bobby Digital. In 1991, Chaka Demus & Pliers collaborated to create the iconic hit, which was released the following year
Last year, World Music Views spoke with Grammy-winning drummer Sly Dunbar about the creation of the iconic Murder She Wrote riddim, which was celebrating 30 years since its release. Reflecting on its origins, Sly shared, “The original riddim was called Santa Barbara, and we ran the guitar right through the song. Then Chaka Demus and Pliers came to the studio and did their part. That is one of our biggest songs.”
The riddim’s influence extends far beyond its original release and into pop culture, much like Steelie and Cleevie’s Fish Market Riddim. Sly noted that Murder She Wrote has been sampled countless times by major artists across genres. Daddy Yankee used the riddim for his hit Que Tire Pa Lante, which has nearly a billion views on YouTube. Initially, Chaka Demus and Pliers were not credited on the track but later won an ASCAP lawsuit to secure proper recognition.
The riddim and song has also been interpolated and sampled for other hits, including Nicki Minaj and French Montana’s hit single Freak, which peaked at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Jason Derulo’s Too Hot.
