UB40

Released: September 27, 1982

Songwriter: UB40

Producer: UB40

I won\`t close my eyes
To the sufferers plight
In a world full of darkness
I won\`t turn off my light
Our cries for justice are shots in the dark
But our strength\`s in our bite
And not in our bark
It\`s time to stand
And shout it out loud
And the louder we scream
The sweeter the sound

(Chorus)
I won\`t close my eyes
When I know that I\`m right
When I\`m drowning in tears
I won\`t turn off my light
We\`re shown no respect
But that can\`t break our pride
When our backs to the wall
We won\`t run and we won\`t hide
It\`s time to stand, face the oncoming crowd
Because the louder we scream
The sweeter the sound

(Chorus)
I won't\`t close my eyes
When the future don\`t look bright
Though the road seems too long
I won\`t turn off my light
In a world full of darkness
I won\`t turn off my light

UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart. They have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album four times, and in 1984 were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group. UB40 have sold over 70 million records. The ethnic make-up of the band’s original line-up was diverse, with musicians of English, Irish, Jamaican, Scottish and Yemeni parentage.

Their hit singles include their debut “Food for Thought”, “Red Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. Both of these also topped the UK Singles Chart, as did the band’s version of “I Got You Babe”. Their two most successful albums, Labour of Love (1983) and Promises and Lies (1993), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.

On January 24, 2008, it was announced that Ali Campbell would be leaving the group after 30 years. It was reported by some Birmingham newspapers on 13 March 2008, that Maxi Priest would be the new lead singer of UB40 and had recorded a cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” with the band.

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