Pressure Drop by Toots and the Maytals is now certified Silver in the U.K..
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), issued a Brit Certified Silver Award on Friday (August 23) after it surpassed 200,000 units, as measured by The Official Charts Company.
The song first released their 1970 album Monkey Man via Beverley’s then From the Roots in the UK under Trojan Records marked a pivotal time in Toots and The Maytals’ career.
Toots explained, the song was born out of a sense of injustice and a desire for karmic retribution to The Guardian saying. “If you do bad things to innocent people, then bad things will happen to you,” he said. The song, which came together effortlessly on his guitar, became a message of karma disguised as revenge. “Rather than fight them like a warrior, I’d say: ‘The pressure’s going to drop on you.’”
Rolling Stones Magazine ranks “Pressure Drop” #453 on its 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.
The track gained international recognition when it was featured in the 1972 Jamaican film The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff. Since then, it has been covered by numerous artists, including the Specials and the Clash. Izzy Stradlin’s rock cover of the song peaked at No. 45 on the UK Official Singles Chart in September 1992, No. 40 in Sweden and No. 40 in Australia.
Toots takes pride in the influence his music has had, although he admits not always being compensated for his work. “Whenever anyone rips me off, I just think: ‘The pressure’s gonna drop on you.’”
In 1975, when Toots and the Maytals opened for the Who in front of 90,000 people in California, they were initially intimidated by the stoic crowd. But the moment they played Pressure Drop, the audience erupted, cementing the song’s place in music history.
