‘It could be interpreted as a love song, but when I played it for my wife she cried – she knew it was about my late father’
Ken Boothe, vocalist.
I was staying with a buddy in Canada. He played me Andy Williams’ version of Everything I Own and said, “Ken, when you get back home to Jamaica, make sure you do this song.” To complete an album back then, you required at least 10 tracks. So, in 1974, when we were at Federal Studios in Kingston looking for a tenth song, I remembered Everything I Own.
Despite the producer’s preference for control and song suggestions, as I sang “You sheltered me from harm…” everyone’s eyes brightened up. There was a lot of violence in Jamaica at the time, so the words had meaning for us. The studio owner walked in and stated, “If that song isn’t a hit, I’m going to sell the whole studio complex.”
I adored the music and wanted to add something memorable to it, so I delved deep within myself for the vocal. It peaked at number one in Jamaica, and the Trojan label signed it for the UK. I was at home when the postman delivered a telegram informing me that the BBC wanted me on Top of the Pops.
I didn’t have time to travel to London because I was performing, and we didn’t have a video, so the BBC filmed a person at a window with a shadow concealing his face miming to the song; everyone assumed it was me. A few weeks later, I did Top of the Pops for real. I appeared on the show 14 times in total, with this song and its follow-up Crying Over You, with Elton John and Hot Chocolate. Bob Marley called to congratulate me when the song reached a British No. 1. There were a lot of Jamaican songs in the British charts at that time. It was a good time for reggae.
After it was a hit, I discovered that Trojan was going bankrupt. I flew to London and found no one in the office, only record covers strewn about. I hadn’t received my royalties, and my career had taken a nosedive for a while – I lost everything I owned, just like in the song – but I never stopped loving music. I’ve performed a lot of songs, but I’m always grateful to David Gates, who wrote them. I just recorded a new acoustic version for the film Inna De Yard. Today, whenever I sing it live, the entire audience joins me.
According to David Gates, the singer-songwriter of the original Bread version from 1972, singing is a beautiful experience. David Gates in 1973.
‘Singing is amazing.’ David Gates in 1973.
My father was nice and polite, and he was revered by everyone. He said to me: “People will do what you do, not what you say.” He always made time for me and taught me to read and write music, as well as play several instruments. He also introduced me to classical music, which served as my basis. One year, I sent my mother an orchid for her birthday, which I couldn’t afford. She was so touched that my father responded to say I could have “anything she owned” in exchange.
My father died in 1963, and I wanted to write a song in his remembrance. He did survive to see some of my early accomplishments, but not the major hits or popularity with Bread. As with many of my songs, the music took the lead, and the lyrics fought to follow up, but they came swiftly. I composed the words – “I would give everything I own just to have you back again” – so that they could be taken as a love song, but when I played it for my wife, she realized immediately away that it was about my father. She cried.
The recording session with Bread felt rushed because I wanted to portray the emotion in the vocal that was present when I played it on an acoustic guitar. The covers [by Rod Stewart, Shirley Bassey, and Boy George] all felt authentic, and singing is a fantastic experience. Everything I Own has gone further than any other song I’ve composed. It’s a testament to the song and Ken that it could go reggae.
Years after it was written, I began to tell audiences what it was about. The music allows you to experience intense emotions in response to the loss of time spent with someone you care about. I’ve been privileged to witness its widespread impact.
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