Red Red Wine (radio edit) - UB40 - MP3 instrumental karaoke

UB40 turned a 1960s ballad into a reggae classic with their version of "Red Red Wine," included on their 1983 album Labour of Love. Written by Neil Diamond in 1967, the song was originally misattributed by UB40 to Jamaican singer Tony Tribe, whose 1969 reggae cover inspired the band’s arrangement. The "radio edit" of "Red Red Wine" trims out Astro’s toasted verse from the album version, giving it a cleaner format for airplay. When it dropped in the UK, it shot to number 1 in 1983, but only reached number 34 in the U.S. the following year. Then in 1988, after an American DJ started spinning it again, the re-released track hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lyrically, "Red Red Wine" is a sob story about drowning heartbreak in booze, but UB40’s laid-back groove and sunny instrumentation soften the blow. Its mix of melancholy and rhythm helped define UB40’s sound and turned "Red Red Wine" into a defining hit, even prompting Neil Diamond to adopt the reggae vibe in his own live sets.