Dan Nolan L6H

Features of Rocksteady found in the

Dekker

Rocksteady is a genre that came out of Jamaica in the late 1960’s. It grew out of Ska
and preceded reggae, Desmond Dekker and the aces’ song “you can get it if you really want”
is a prime example of rocksteady song.

One of the main features of rocksteady that is found in the Dekker is the use of
offbeat, syncopated chords in the guitars and organ. For most of the piece they play off beat
syncopated rhythms that provide a typical rock steady and reggae feel. The actual chordal
progressions used in rocksteady are relatively simple, such as I-IV, this modal progression is
found throughout the Dekker, and since it is a plagal cadence it serves mainly to establish
the key, such as in bar 5. There is also extensive use of perfect cadences (V7-1) which also
help to establish the key, such as in bars 13-14.

The drum pattern found in the Dekker is very stereotypical of rocksteady. It places
emphasis on the second and fourth beat of the bar, with bass drum and rim clicks on these
said beats. The triplet fills played by the drums (e.g. Bar 4) are also a stereotypical feature of
rocksteady. The use of the bass guitar in rocksteady is primarily to establish the key, with
the bass playing the root of the chords on the first beat of the bar.

The lyrics of “You can get it if you really want” are typical of the rocksteady genre.
They are about struggle and liberty, representing the tensions in Jamaica when Rocksteady
was prominent. The use of triplets over straight quavers in bar 10 when singing the word
“try” further shows this, with the polyrhythm creating tension.

In conclusion, Decker’s “You can get it if you really want” is a piece that contains
pretty much all the main features of Rocksteady and can be said to represent the typical
nature of a rocksteady song.