DOWNLOAD THE SONGSHEET
The Tide Is High/A Message To You Rudy (D)(WORD)
The Tide Is High/A Message To You Rudy (D)(PDF)
The Tide Is High/A Message To You Rudy (C)(WORD)
The Tide Is High/A Message To You Rudy (C)(PDF)
On BUG Jam night we'll be using the (D) songsheet!
You can play the mashup in the same key with the 3rd video by The Ukulele Ska Collective by using the (C) songsheet, but my BUG arrangement is different from theirs and may evolve over time once we've tried it out at a jam! The Specials video is also in the key of C, but the Blondie video is in B so you'll have to detune to F#, B, D#, G#.
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid, and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover version by the American new wave band Blondie became a US and UK #1 hit.
"A Message to You Rudy" is a 1967 rocksteady song by Dandy Livingstone. The lyrics warn a "rudy" (rude boy) to think of his future and change his ways, otherwise he will end up in prison. Originally titled "Rudy a Message to You", the song later achieved broader success when, in 1979, a cover version by the Specials reached # 10 on the UK Singles Chart.