Lovindeer says no to Melissa - ‘Wild Gilbert’ singer declines to create another hurricane hit

Lloyd Lovindeer, the talent behind the 1988 hit song ' Wild Gilbert', says he is not compelled to pen a new single about Hurricane Melissa, the devastating Category 5 hurricane that smashed into the island on Tuesday.

In Wild Gilbert he demonstrated his satirical and witty prowess as he sings about the hurricane that ravaged the island in 1988.

Hurricane Gilbert struck Jamaica as a Category 3 hurricane, causing widespread destruction and loss of lives. Melissa, on the other hand, slammed into Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane. The storm tied the record for the strongest landfall in the Atlantic Basin, marking the most powerful landfall in more than a century.

Despite the catastrophic destruction left in Melissa's wake, Lovindeer revealed he personally escaped major impact. He said a song about Melissa wouldn't feel authentic.

"If I'm gonna write a song about it, it would be kinda boring because it a write about my experience alone, an mi neva have much like in Gilbert," the 77-year-old said.

"Mi caah write about wah neva happen to me. Suh it naah guh have dat authentic feel," he added,

Still,Lovindeer admitted that fans are eager to hear a 'Wild Melissa' song.

"Several persons have called, asking, 'Yuh start write yet? Yuh a guh studio tomorrow?'"

Another reason Lovindeer is steering clear of a new hurricane song is the changing musical landscape.

"There's a younger generation a artiste coming through, suh mek dem guh write fi dem own experience, yuh nuh," he reasoned.

"I know that while people like you can appreciate the pun and context of my music, majority of the youth nowadays nuh inna dem ting deh. The state of the music nowadays, dem nuh too subtle wid weh dem a seh; and apparently sensationalism and clickbaits are what sell these days," he added.

Yet, the 77-year-old singer remains buoyed by the legacy of Wild Gilbert, which spikes in popularity every hurricane season.

"I feel good to know that I'm remembered for even one song, because a lot of artistes guh through and don't have a signature chune to dem name," he said.

"Every hurricane season mi get videos of the song as the background chune, or I see the views going up on it on YouTube. It's a good feeling to know that you did some kinda work that is relevant, even if it's once a year."

Lovindeer reflected on how Wild Gilbert resonated regionally and internationally.

"Before that, I had hits like Babylon Boops [and] Pocomania Day, but with this one, I toured the Caribbean and in the West Indian communities inna di States. Caribbean people locally and in the diaspora could relate to the storyline and lived through the lyrical descriptions of my personal experience through the storm," he said.

Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie warned that the road ahead will be difficult, but reassured Jamaicans that the Government is fully committed to helping those affected.

"It is not going to be an easy road, Jamaica. We have seen the extent of the damage," McKenzie said of the storm that devastated western parishes. "It is going to take a lot of time. I know that person's patience is not going to last for much longer," he added.

Lovindeer compared Melissa's impact to Gilbert's, noting both storms' devastation.

"The devastation of Melissa seemed really serious, compared to what happened during Gilbert. Maybe it's the same or a little bit more, because more people were building structures out of inferior structures back then; but the stronger structures now would withstand it. But the impact massive, and it's really a sad look," Lovindeer said.

True to his satirical style, he recounted similarities to Gilbert's chaos: "Roof tek off like flying saucer, fi di people who never have slob houses. Water inna di room, yuh affi sweep out some wid di broom. But a don't know if no likkle dawg laugh to see such fun inna dis time, because it's no fun when yuh inna yuh place and yuh see di roof a fly off."