ENTITY · RECORDING
"Better Must Come" — Delroy Wilson
Well supported
"Better Must Come" (1971), Delroy Wilson's hopeful reggae hit on Dynamic Sounds, adopted as an anthem of Michael Manley's PNP in the 1972 election and remembered both as a people's cry for change and as a case study in political appropriation.
At a glance
- Type
- recording
- Confidence
- Well supported
- Era
- Open era →
Connections
Watch & listen
Debate & reception
How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →
debate
Reggae and the 1972 ballot: authentic voice of change or political co-option?
Two documented views of reggae's role in the 1972 election: as an authentic expression of the sufferer's demand for change carried into politics, or as a cynical co-option of popular music by party machinery. Neutral framing; no verdict. Sources: Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture; Kevin O'Brien Chang, Reggae Routes.
Stance: authentic voice of the sufferer's demand for change vs cynical co-option by party machinery
debate
'Better Must Come' as party anthem: people's song or appropriation?
Two documented readings of Delroy Wilson's hit becoming a PNP campaign anthem in 1972: some hear a hopeful people's song that naturally spoke to the moment, others a partisan appropriation of a record meant for everyone. Neutral framing; no verdict. Sources: Reggae Routes; Jamaica Gleaner archive.
Stance: a hopeful people's song vs partisan appropriation of a shared record