Heating Up

‘Heating Up’ is a reggae song about the climate crisis. It is my first collaboration with Stone Lion, who wrote the song and produced it. He reached out to me in 2023 after hearing my debut single, ‘Sailing On’. He had a few riddims he was working on, and showed me one called ‘Heating Up’. I really loved it the time I heard it and had some ideas for lyrics that incorporated the track title. It focuses on the current state of the world and how we must act now to step away from the precipice of climate and social disaster.

Why do they want this?
I’m afraid that the only thing they see is their profits
They’ve all gone and lost it
Or they’ve never cared and that’s what makes me fear we cannot stop this

They use us to deliver their goal
Complacency is always such a sweet thing
While we watch our future unfold
Convinced we shouldn’t try to do a damn thing

We all bear varying levels of responsibility for the climate crisis. What we choose to eat, which clothes we wear, how we commute, and how we heat/cool our homes all have an affect. Of course, privilege is a huge component of this relative responsibility. If you simply can’t afford to make purchasing decisions that are better for the planet, then that is largely out of your hands. As well, developed nations have caused the majority of emissions and pollution since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Yet corporations, politicians, and others in power would have you think it’s mostly your fault for the crisis we face. They’d also like you to think that there’s nothing that can really be done about it. Some may consider it laziness, but I think any complacency on our part has a lot more to do with feeling powerless.

Now, I’m not saying that we don’t deserve to dream and hope and live
Beyond the basic state we face and have been given
Factory farming, throw away garments, cooling the house while fanning the flames
Earth is fed up, she been bled up, burn her and we’ll burn the same

Lacking in spirit, I don’t wanna hear it, we know all the things we should change and it’s critical
Mother will leave us behind if we fail to grow up, she’ll be fine, but it’s pitiful, pitiful
Seeing the evidence, got the intelligence, time to stop denying that
We owe it to the universe to nurture life she’s crying cuz the…
The whole world is heating up

So what can we do? Vote for candidates that promise to make climate change a priority. If you have the means, choose to spend your money on local, sustainable products. Ride a bike or walk if that is available to you. Yes, I said before that the lion’s share of the responsibility is not on us, but every little bit counts. More than anything, I believe we owe it to the universe to nurture life. Our planet is remarkably resilient, but our existence here (and that of our fellow living beings) is equally fragile.

In terms of production, it was fun to pick up the tenor saxophone again and lay down some chops and the solo in the bridge section. I haven’t touched the sax in over a decade, and I’m definitely a hack at it. Still, with unlimited takes, we can put together meaningful musical expressions without being masters of a given instrument. I’m thankful that I managed to hang onto the sax through all the years and times I moved.

I do hope you enjoy our reggae song about the climate crisis. Further, I hope that it emboldens you to vote and fight for change because all is not lost yet!