Throwback Thursday: Barrington Levy, Bounty Killer’s ‘Living Dangerously’
The ages-old debate about whether or not Dancehall music has gotten better or worse over the years hardly lends itself to objectivity. If, however, one needed to make the argument that it indeed used to be better, the 1998 classic, Living Dangerously by Barrington Levy with Bounty Killer would almost certainly make an appearance as one of the moments that Dancehall music peaked.
There is something about Dancehall music from the 90s that its contemporary iterations haven’t quite been able to recapture or replicate. That thing is at the heart of Living Dangerously, and is the ‘X factor’ to be found in nearly every track from that period that could be considered a classic now – from Shabba Ranks’ Don’t Follow Rumors, released that same year – 1998, to Buju Banton’s Up Close and Personal.
That secret ingredient? Radical and unadulterated vulnerability. Combined with free-flowing creativity, the unsurprising result is a textbook demonstration of what constitutes a Dancehall classic.
It’s unclear whether Barrington Levy and Bounty Killer merely happened upon or intended to tap into that element of vulnerability on this seminal piece of work, but it’s not up for debate that doing so led them to create one of the most iconic tracks in what was, for all intents and purposes, a Golden Era in Dancehall music.
The song opens up with a simple but effective blend of drums, keyboard and guitar – which immediately sets the tone for Bounty and Levy’s ad libs. As Bounty reels off his signature ‘Lawd a mercy!’, Levy swoops in with some crisp vocalizing – creating an interplay that would carry throughout the track.
And, with just the right amount of reverb and echo to give the track a spacious yet immersive feel – no doubt Jah Screw’s handiwork, the men were off to the races on this cleverly written track about infidelity, betrayal and dishonesty.
Dancehall’s penchant for bragging about promiscuity, particularly as it concerns men, was the unintended flip side to this tale about a seemingly faithful man being cheated on. With Bounty Killer at its helm driving that message, the song impressively evades the valid critique of ‘Right Message, Wrong Messenger’. After all, it was Killer who, that same year, flexed his chops as a most eligible bachelor with his song, Woman A Trail Me.
In the case of ‘Living Dangerously’, Levy, we suspect, brought the balance to the classic, transforming the song into something more than a baseless complaint against the shoe being on the other foot. It seems both men recognized their unique roles in the song’s overall delivery, and rose to the occasion, even if only subtly at points.
What’s not so subtle, yet strikingly is at points, is the song’s hook: “You’re living dangerously”. That singular phrase encapsulates the genius of the entire song, as it is perhaps one of the single most loaded phrases in a Dancehall classic. It works as a threat in the song – a final warning before something bad happens. The evidence of that is found in the confrontation that precedes it, in which Bounty and Levy take turns carrying out a sort of interrogation. They sing:
“[Barrington Levy (Bounty Killer):]
Oooh woman I heard a little rumor last night
(Little rumor last night, rumor last night)
Somebody told me you weren’t doing me right
(She wasn’t doin’ me right, doin’ me right)
While I’ve been turning my back
You’ve been out playing the field
(She jus playing the field, playing the field)
Can you look me in the eyes and say to me it’s not real?
(Girl that could not be real, couldn’t be real)
That’s all I wanted to know (Just wanna know, girl)
That look is giving you away (Give it away, give it away now)
An’ I’ll never believe in a single word you say (I’ll never believe yuh girl)”
Considering the severity of the accusations, “You’re living dangerously” carries hints of caution for someone walking dangerously close to a line. Surprisingly, the phrase also seems to possess undertones of genuine care for the offender, which comes off in that sense less like a warning and more like a call for attention to some wayward and unhealthy behavior.
Ultimately, whether intended or not, that chorus is layered with the complex emotions not often tapped into in the face of cheating – especially in Dancehall music. The song further sets itself apart as a deep dive into the bargaining that takes place with a love that’s nearing its end, even if trust has already left. That reality, with Bounty Killer serving as its mouthpiece, is not one easily swallowed. But the proof is in the pudding.
For all its bravado, ‘Living Dangerously’ tries, but fails, to hide behind the façade of the Warlord and his usually high energy delivery. The song is, in fact, a vulnerable peek behind the curtains of a Dancehall culture that pedestalizes swift emotional severance. There, behind those curtains, you’ll actually find men who have just as many questions and concerns about being cheated on, not characters who thrive by simply moving onto the next thing, no matter how loudly they sing it. Sometimes, it takes the delicate vocal touch of someone like Barrington Levy to show it.