Brown Girl in the Ring (song)
"Brown Girl in the Ring" is a traditional children's song in the islands of the West Indies. Originally said to have originated in Jamaica,[1] as part of the children's game also known as "Brown Girl in the Ring". The songs lyrics instruct the game's performance: as a girl enters the ring, formed by children holding hands, and performs a dance.
"Brown Girl in the Ring"
3 April 1978
1978
4:00 (2nd single version / without steel drums)
4:01 (Album / 3rd single version)
4:20 (1st single version)Frank Farian
1 April 1993
Franz Reuther (Frank Farian)
The song became internationally known when it was recorded by Euro-Caribbean vocal group Boney M. in 1978. Originally it was the B-side of their hit "Rivers of Babylon" but soon became a hit in its own right and included on their third album, Nightflight to Venus (1978). The song had previously been recorded in 1975 by the group Malcolm's Locks, leading to a dispute over royalties. Bahamian musician Exuma also recorded a version of the song that appears on his 1972 album Reincarnation. The Boney M. version was remixed in 1993 by Frank Farian.
Origin[edit]
Children play ring games in many parts of the world, especially during their pre-teen years. In There's a Brown Girl in the Ring, an anthology of Eastern Caribbean song games by Alan Lomax, J.D. Elder and Bess Lomax Hawes, it is suggested that ring games are a children's precursor to adult courtship.