Happy Anniversary: The Specials, “A Message to You, Rudy”

36 years ago today, on the heels of their debut - and standalone - single “Gangsters,” The Specials released the first single from their first album, a cover of a song by Jamaican reggae singer Dandy Livingstone, and we can only imagine that Livingstone has been thanking them ever since.

When The Specials released “A Message to You, Rudy,” they already had a top-10 UK single under their belt with the aforementioned “Gangsters,” so British audiences were anxiously awaiting their debut album to hear what else the ska sensations had to offer. Their decision to cover Livingstone's song, which was relatively unknown outside of his native country, proved to be a wise one: although it didn't do quite as well as “Gangsters,” the Elvis Costello-produced track did manage to take the Specials back into the top 10 - even if it was only at #10 - and provide them with an opportunity to perform it on The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Since then, “A Message to You, Rudy” has been covered by more artists than you can shake a stick at, from Amy Winehouse to Barenaked Ladies to the Dead Milkmen, but with the possible exception of Mr. Livingstone himself, there aren't many who'd argue against naming The Specials' version as the definitive take on the song.