Shabba Ranks’ “Ting-A-Ling” Lyrics Meaning
All lyrics considered, it reads as if the titular expression (“Ting-A-Ling” ) is meant to serve as an allusion to the efficacy of Shabba Ranks’ music.
Akin to the rap genre, braggadocio also tends to be practiced by mainstream reggae musicians. And maybe that’s why Billboard went on to classify “Ting-A-Ling” under the rap category. This is because a lot like the rappers of that day, Shabba Ranks proceeds to present himself as the sh*t, though again, primarily from a musical standpoint.
Additionally, to some degree he does speak of opps, i.e. rival musicians who think they are superior. What Ranks proceeds to do in the post-chorus especially is to enlighten such individuals that to the contrary, he and his people have a lock on the game.
And it is true that around the time this track was dropped, Shabba was by far the premiere Jamaican dancehall artist in the music industry. Indeed in the second verse, he even goes as far as to put forth that it is “God Almighty” who empowered him to hold down such a status.
Being that this is intended to be a dance song, the bridge for instance serves as a shoutout to “girls” in the house of different nationalities with ‘great bodies’.
And speaking of girls, the only time this piece seems to go off on a tangent, so to speak, is in the first verse where Shabba seems to make fun of a certain lady in the dancehall trying to get her whine on, though visibly “not ready” to do so, i.e. looking out of place.
Going back to Ting-A-Ling being a dance piece, what it is encouraging particularly is a brand of boogeying known as whining or “winding”. “Winding” actually sprang from Jamaica and was popularized by the likes Shabba Ranks.
“Ting-a-ling a ling
Dancehall it swing
DJ ears cock up when him hear boom riddim
Ting-a-ling a ling
School bell a ring
Knife and fork ah fight fi dumpling”
When was “Ting-A-Ling” released?
Epic Records released this track on 29 September 1992. Epic released it as part of “X-tra Naked”, which was Shabba Ranks’ second LP to take home a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. It won this prestigious award in 1993. (The first was 1991’s “As Raw as Ever”, which won its Grammy in 1992.)
Did Shabba Ranks write this Song?
Shabba wrote this song himself. On the other hand, the song was produced by Steely & Clevie, a Jamaican behind-the-scenes’ musical duo that consisted of the late Wycliffe Johnson (1962-2009) alongside Cleveland Browne.
Was “Ting-A-Ling” a Successful Song?
“Ting-A-Ling” had a humble chart showing, peaking at number 25 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs listing, even though technically it isn’t a rap.
But all things considered, whereas other of Shabba’s singles fared better from a formal standpoint, this can probably be considered his second most-popular outing after his signature track, 1991’s “Mr. Loverman“.
Owing to the success of “Ting-A-Ling”, it has been sampled by the likes of the following:
- Robin Thicke (“Shakin’ it 4 Daddy”, 2011)
- XXXTentacion (“Don’t Test Me (Remix)”, 2016)
- Wale (“Name Ring Bells”, 2021)
