Rivers of Babylon - Wikipedia Rivers of Babylon This article is about the song. For other uses, see Rivers of Babylon ( disambiguation ). `` Rivers of Babylon '' is a Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Hebrew Bible. The Melodians ' original version of the song appeared in the soundtrack album of the 1972 movie The Harder They Come, making it internationally known. The song was popularized in Europe by the 1978 Boney M. cover version, which was awarded a platinum disc and is one of the top ten all - time best - selling singles in the UK. The B - side of the single, `` Brown Girl in the Ring '', also became a hit. Contents 1 Background 1.1 Biblical psalms 1.2 Rastafari 2 Melodians version 3 Boney M. version 3.1 Different versions 3.2 `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' 3.3 Charts and certifications 3.3. 1 Weekly charts 3.3. 2 Year - end charts 3.3. 3 Sales and certifications 3.4 1988 Remix 3.5 Parody 4 Other recorded versions 5 In popular culture 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Background Biblical Psalms The song is based on the Biblical Psalm 137 : 1 - 4, a hymn expressing the lamentations of the Jewish people in exile following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC : Previously the Kingdom of Judah, after being united under Kings David and Solomon, was split in two, with the Kingdom Of Israel in the north, conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC which caused the dispersion of 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel. The southern Kingdom of Judah ( hence the name Jews ), home of the tribe of Judah and part of the Tribe of Levi, was free from foreign domination until the Babylonian conquest to which Rivers Of Babylon refers. `` By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion... They carried us away in captivity requiring of us a song... Now how shall we sing the LORD 's song in a strange land ? '' The namesake rivers of Babylon ( in present day Iraq ) are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The song also has words from Psalm 19 : 14 : `` Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight... '' It is one of a few pop songs whose lyrics come directly from the Bible ( See also `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' by Pete Seeger, `` 40 '' by U2, and `` The Lord 's Prayer '' by Sister Janet Mead ). The melody bears a strong resemblance to `` How Dry I Am ''. Rastafari In the Rastafarian faith, the term `` Babylon '' is used for any governmental system which is either oppressive or unjust. In Jamaica, Rastafarians also use `` Babylon '' to refer to the police, often seen as a source of oppression because they arrest members for the use of marijuana ( which is sacramental for Rastafarians ). Therefore, `` By the rivers of Babylon '' refers to living in a repressive society and the longing for freedom, just like the Israelites in captivity. Rastafarians also identify themselves as belonging to the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The original version specifically refers to Rastafarian belief in Haile Selassie, by changing references to `` the Lord '' in the Biblical text to `` Far - I '' and `` King Alpha ''. Both terms refer to Selassie ( Selassie 's wife Menen Asfaw is known as Queen Omega ). In addition, the term `` the wicked '' replaces the neutral `` they '' of Psalm 137 in the line `` they that carried us away captive required of us a song... ''. According to David Stowe, Brent Dowe, the lead singer of the Melodians, told Kenneth Bilby that he had adapted Psalm 137 to the new reggae style because he wanted to increase the public 's consciousness of the growing Rastafarian movement and its calls for black liberation and social justice. Like the Afro - Protestant Revival services, traditional Rastafarian worship often included psalm singing and hymn singing, and Rastas typically modified the words to fit their own spiritual conceptions ; Psalm 137 was among their sacred chants. Melodians version After its release in 1970, the song quickly became well known in Jamaica. According to Brent Dowe, the song was initially banned by the Jamaican government because `` its overt Rastafarian references ( ' King Alpha ' and ' O Far - I ' ) were considered subversive and potentially inflammatory ''. Leslie Kong, the group 's producer, attacked the government for banning a song with words taken almost entirely from the Bible, stating that the Psalms had been `` sung by Jamaican Christians since time immemorial ''. The government lifted the ban. After that, it took only three weeks to become a number one hit in the Jamaican charts. It reached an international audience thanks to the soundtrack album of the 1972 film The Harder They Come, which is credited with having `` brought Reggae to the world ''. The song was later used in the 1999 Nicolas Cage movie Bringing Out the Dead and the 2010 Philip Seymour Hoffman film Jack Goes Boating. An early reggae classic, `` Rivers of Babylon '' was remixed in 1970 in typical Jamaican dub fashion. One variation of the recording became `` Sound of Babylon '', another reggae classic featuring DJ / rapper Samuel The First, one of the Jamaican deejays who pioneered rap as early as the 1950s. `` Sound of Babylon '' includes several samples of the Melodians ' original vocal as well as overdubbed mystical Rastafarian comments by Samuel The First. His version can be found on the 1988 CD Jamaican Deejay Music 1969 - 1973 - Keep on Coming Through the Door... ( Trojan CDTRL255 ). Boney M. version `` Rivers of Babylon '' Single by Boney M. from the album Nightflight to Venus B - side `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' Released 3 April 1978 14 April 1978 ( UK ) Format 7 '' single 12 '' single Recorded 1978 Genre Disco rocksteady reggae Length 4 : 16 Label Hansa Records ( FRG ) Sire Records ( USA ) Atlantic Records ( UK / AUS ) Songwriter ( s ) Brent Dowe Trevor McNaughton Frank Farian Reyam Producer ( s ) Frank Farian Boney M. singles chronology `` Belfast '' ( 1977 ) `` Rivers of Babylon '' / `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' ( 1978 ) `` Rasputin '' ( 1978 ) Music video `` Rivers of Babylon '' ( TopPop, 1978 ) on YouTube `` Rivers of Babylon '' was covered in 1978 by Germany - based disco band Boney M., with a version that was released as a single. Boney M. 's release stayed at the no. 1 position in the UK for five weeks and was also the group 's only significant US chart entry, peaking at no. 30 in the Pop charts. Boney M. 's version of the song remains one of the top ten all - time best - selling singles in the UK, where it is one of only seven songs to have sold over 2 million copies. In Canada, the song was a Top 25 hit on the RPM magazine top 100 singles chart and reached no. 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was the first single from the band 's equally successful 1978 album Nightflight to Venus. Some controversy arose when the first single pressings only credited Frank Farian and Reyam ( aka Hans - Jörg Mayer ) of Boney M ; after an agreement with Dowe and McNaughton, these two were also credited on later pressings. The Rastafarian language was excised from the Boney M. version of the lyrics. They did perform an early mix of the song in a German TV show singing `` How can we sing King Alpha 's song '', as in the Melodians version, although it was changed to `` the Lord 's song '', restoring the original biblical words, in the released versions. To fit the meter, `` O Far - I '' became `` here tonight '' rather than the Biblical original `` O Lord ''. Different versions Just as in the case of `` Ma Baker '', `` Rivers of Babylon '' established what was to become a habit of Boney M. singles, namely that the original pressings featured an early version that was soon replaced by a more widely available mix. The initial single mix of `` Rivers of Babylon '' is most notable for lead singer Liz Mitchell 's ad - libs ( Dark tears of Babylon, you got to sing a song, sing a song of love, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah ) between the two verses. On subsequent single pressings, only the ' yeah 's were maintained. The full ad - libs however re-emerged in the US - only 12 '' version. The single mix differs from the album version by having Liz Mitchell singing the verse `` Let the words of our mouth... '' with Frank Farian, on the LP, Farian sings this as a solo part ; it is also slightly shorter, the instrumental passage before the last `` humming '' part is edited out, and the fade out is a little longer ( `` Oooooh of the power... yeah yeah yeah yeah '' can only be heard in the single mix ). `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' The single 's B - side `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' was a traditional Caribbean nursery rhyme. When `` Rivers of Babylon '' had slipped to no. 20 in the UK charts, radio stations suddenly flipped the single, seeing `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' going all the way to no. 2 and becoming a hit in its own right. The early single pressing features the full - length 4 : 18 version with a chorus bit being edited out. The single mix is also slightly different from the album version which features steel drums on the outro riff of the song, the single mix does n't. `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' was also issued separately in Canada as an A-side in the summer of 1979. It reached no. 8 on the Canadian AC chart in July 1979, becoming the third Boney M song to reach the top 10 on that chart, after `` Rivers of Babylon '' and `` Rasputin ''. On RPM 's Top 100 singles chart, the song stalled at no. 79. Liz Mitchell had previously recorded `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' in 1975 with the group Malcolm 's Locks, her ex-boy friend Malcolm Magaron as the lead singer and arranger Peter Herbolzheimer accused Frank Farian for stealing his arrangement for the song. The court case ran for more than 20 years in Germany. `` Rivers of Babylon '' ( Remix ) / `` Mary 's Boy Child / Oh My Lord '' ( Remix ) '' Single by Boney M. from the album Greatest Hits of All Times -- Remix ' 88 Released October 1988 Format 7 '' single 12 '' single CD single Genre Pop disco Label Hansa ( FRG ) Producer ( s ) Frank Farian Boney M. singles chronology `` Bang Bang Lulu '' ( 1986 ) `` Rivers of Babylon '' ( Remix ) / `` Mary 's Boy Child / Oh My Lord '' ( Remix ) '' ( 1988 ) `` Megamix '' ( 1988 ) Charts and certifications Weekly charts Chart ( 1978 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) 9 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) 24 Europe ( Eurochart Hot 100 ) France ( IFOP ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) Ireland ( IRMA ) Italy ( FIMI ) 11 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) Norway ( VG - lista ) South Africa ( Springbok Radio ) Spain ( AFE ) Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) US Billboard Hot 100 30 US Billboard Adult Contemporary 35 US Cash Box 54 Year - end charts Chart ( 1978 ) Position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) France ( IFOP ) 7 Germany ( Media Control Charts ) Italy ( FIMI ) 36 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) South Africa ( Springbok Radio ) Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) Sales and certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Belgium 200,000 France ( SNEP ) Gold 1,070,000 Germany ( BVMI ) Platinum 1,000,000 Netherlands 300,000 United Kingdom ( BPI ) Platinum 2,020,000 Total available sales : 4,590,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone 1988 remix `` Rivers of Babylon '' / `` Mary 's Boy Child '' / `` Oh My Lord '' is a 1988 remix single, issued to launch the group 's reunion, having been split since their 10th anniversary, 1986. The double - A-side single contained new mixes of the band 's two most successful single releases ever. Although their remix album sold well, the single failed to chart. Parody The song was parodied by The Barron Knights in their UK comedy hit `` A Taste Of Aggro '' ( 1978 ), in which the lyrics are changed to `` There 's a dentist in Birmingham, he fixed my crown / And as I slept, he filled my mouth with iron ''. The song was their biggest hit, reaching number 3 in the UK charts. Other recorded versions Other popular versions have been performed by Dennis Brown, Snuff, Steve Earle, Daniel O'Donnell, Yabby You, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Linda Ronstadt and the Skatalites. Rick Danko performed the song a capella as his encore at performances in the 1990s. The Unitarian Universalist Association has included the song in their supplemental hymnal Singing the Journey ( Hymn # 1042 ). In 1978, Brazilian - Paraguayan singer Perla recorded a version of the song with lyrics in Portuguese entitled `` Rios da Babilônia '', which reached great popularity in Brazil and Latin America. On 19 November 1978, a cover version with lyrics in Swedish, `` Kommer du ihåg Babylon ? '' ( `` Do you remember Babylon ? '' ), performed by Swedish dansband Schytts entered the first place on Svensktoppen. where it stayed for 10 weeks up to 14 January 1979. Canadian Christian rock band The Kry covered this song on their 1996 album What About Now ( although the song was entitled `` By the Rivers of Babylon '' ). In 1992 the Croatian group Vatrogasci ( Firefighters ) made a parody of this song, translating it into Croatian ( naming it `` Joj što volim '' ) and making it into a turbo - folk arrangement. Pop group Brotherhood of Man recorded a version for their Sing 20 Number One Hits album in 1980. The Neville Brothers has a version of the song on their Walkin ' in the Shadow of Life CD released on 19 October 2004 on the Chordant label. Jorma Kaukonen recorded a version of the song for his 2007 album Stars In My Crown. Sinéad O'Connor also recorded it for her 2007 album, Theology. Polish Christian rock group 2Tm2, 3 performed an acoustic version of `` Rivers of Babylon '' based on the Boney M recording. A somewhat different, but still recognisable as the same song, version appeared on Don McLean 's 1972 LP American Pie, entitled just ' Babylon '. The song was also covered in 1992 by Sublime on their album 40oz. to Freedom. Macedonian band Anastasia recorded a version of this song in Old Slavic language for their album Melourgia in 1997. Catalan musician Quimi Portet, former member of the Spanish rock band El Último de la Fila, also composed a version called `` Rius de Babylon ''. The lyrics are translated into the Catalan language. In the song 's video the musician performs a sort of Tai Chi dance in a screen divided in two parts with subtitles in the Basque language. Jazz band Sons of Kemet recorded a version on their 2013 album Burn. Peter, Paul and Mary covered this song on their Lifelines album along with `` Sinner Man ''. In popular culture On 30 September 1979, `` Rivers of Babylon '' was sung by an estimated crowd of 280,000 people attending the papal visit of John Paul II in Galway near Limerick, Ireland. The song features prominently in the 2009 Kazakh film Tulpan. See also `` Va, pensiero '', story of Jewish exiles from Judea List of best - selling singles in Germany List of best - selling singles by year in the United Kingdom List of Dutch Top 40 number - one singles of 1978 List of European number - one hits of 1978 List of number - one hits of 1978 ( Germany ) List of number - one singles in Australia during the 1970s List of number - one singles of 1978 ( France ) List of number - one singles of 1978 ( Ireland ) List of number - one singles in 1978 ( New Zealand ) List of number - one singles from 1968 -- 79 ( Switzerland ) List of number - one singles and albums in Sweden List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1970s VG - lista 1964 to 1994 References Jump up ^ `` Psalms 137. The Holy Bible : King James Version ''. Bartleby.com. Retrieved 14 April 2013. Jump up ^ `` Psalms 19. The Holy Bible : King James Version ''. Bartleby.com. Retrieved 14 April 2013. ^ Jump up to : Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel ( 2000 ). `` Tuning Hebrew Psalms to Reggae Rhythms : Rastas ' Revolutionary Lamentations for Social Change ''. CrossCurrents. ^ Jump up to : Stowe, David W. ( Spring 2012 ). `` Babylon Revisited : Psalm 137 as American Protest Song ''. Black Music Research Journal. 32 ( 1 ) : 95 and 2008. Jump up ^ McLellan, Dennis ( 12 January 2006 ). `` Perry Henzell, 70 ; his movie ` The Harder They Come ' brought reggae to the world ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 April 2011. ^ Jump up to : Lane, Daniel ( 27 June 2013 ). `` Daft Punk 's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK 's biggest selling singles of all - time ! ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Malcolm 's Locks ''. Archived from the original on 1 May 2003... Lizmitchellfanclub.com. Jump up ^ `` Australia No. 1 hits -- 1970 's ''. World Charts. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Boney M. -- Rivers Of Babylon '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Boney M. -- Rivers Of Babylon / Brown Girl In The Ring '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Adult Contemporary : Issue 4668. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 4618a. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` MusicSeek.info -- UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No. 1 Hits ''. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006... MusicSeek.info. Jump up ^ `` Toutes les Chansons N ° 1 des Années 70 '' ( in French ). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- Boney M. -- Rivers Of Babylon ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- Rivers of Babylon ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` I singoli più venduti del 1978 '' ( in Italian ). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Boney M. - Rivers Of Babylon '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Boney M. -- Rivers Of Babylon / Brown Girl In The Ring '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Charts.nz -- Boney M. -- Rivers Of Babylon ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- Boney M. -- Rivers Of Babylon ''. VG - lista. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 -- 1989 Acts ( B ) ''. Rock.co.za. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ Salaverri, Fernando ( September 2005 ). Sólo éxitos : año a año, 1959 -- 2002 ( in Spanish ) ( 1st ed. ). Spain : Fundación Autor - SGAE. ISBN 84 - 8048 - 639 - 2. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Boney M. -- Rivers Of Babylon ''. Singles Top 100. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Boney M. -- Rivers Of Babylon ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Nightflight to Venus -- Awards ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1993 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 -- 1993. Record Research. p. 31. Jump up ^ `` CASH BOX Top 100 Singles -- Week ending AUGUST 5, 1978 ''. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012... Cash Box magazine. Jump up ^ `` Forum - ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts -- 1970s ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Jahreshitparade 1978 '' ( in German ). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 January 2014. 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Radio & Records : 6. 23 June 1978. Retrieved 26 July 2015. Jump up ^ `` French single certifications -- Boney M. -- Rivers of Babylon '' ( in French ). InfoDisc. Select BONEY M. and click OK. Jump up ^ `` InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste '' ( in French ). InfoDisc. Retrieved 29 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Gold - / Platin - Datenbank ( Boney M ; ' Rivers of Babylon ' ) '' ( in German ). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- Boney M -- Rivers of Babylon ''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 March 2012. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Rivers of Babylon in the `` Search BPI Awards '' field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ `` Barron Knights ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Generated Recordings of Hymns For Educational Use ''. Unitarian Universalist Association. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2013. Jump up ^ `` Kommer du ihåg Babylon / Schytts '' ( in Swedish ). Svensk mediedatabas. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Svensktoppen -- 1978 ''. Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Svensktoppen -- 1979 ''. Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` QUIMI PORTET -- RIUS DE BABYLON ''. YouTube. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Pope arrives for U.S. visit ''. The Kingman Daily Miner. 1 October 1979. Retrieved 29 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Papal Visit 30th September, 1979 ''. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009... Galway Races. Jump up ^ `` Tulpan ( 2008 ) ''. Efareviews.cineuropa.org. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2014. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Boney M. singles Discography 1970s `` Baby Do You Wanna Bump '' `` Daddy Cool '' `` Sunny '' `` Ma Baker '' `` Belfast '' `` Rivers of Babylon '' `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' `` Rasputin '' `` Mary 's Boy Child -- Oh My Lord '' `` Painter Man '' `` Hooray ! Hooray ! It 's a Holi - Holiday '' `` El Lute '' / `` Gotta Go Home '' `` I 'm Born Again '' / `` Bahama Mama '' 1980s `` I See a Boat on the River '' / `` My Friend Jack '' `` Children of Paradise '' / `` Gadda - Da - Vida '' `` Felicidad ( Margherita ) '' `` Malaika '' / `` Consuela Biaz '' `` We Kill the World '' / `` Boonoonoonoos '' `` The Little Drummer Boy '' `` 6 Years of Boney M. Hits '' `` The Carnival Is Over '' / `` Going Back West '' `` Zion 's Daughter '' `` Jambo -- Hakuna Matata ( No Problems ) '' `` Somewhere in the World '' `` Kalimba de Luna '' `` Happy Song '' `` My Chérie Amour '' `` Young, Free and Single '' `` Daddy Cool ( Anniversary Recording ' 86 ) '' `` Bang Bang Lulu '' `` Rivers of Babylon ( Remix ) '' / `` Mary 's Boy Child -- Oh My Lord '' ( Remix ) '' `` Megamix '' `` The Summer Mega Mix '' `` Malaika ( Lambada Remix ) '' `` Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker '' 1990s `` Stories '' `` Christmas Mega Mix '' `` Mega Mix '' `` Brown Girl in the Ring ( Remix ' 93 ) '' `` Ma Baker ( Remix ' 93 ) '' `` Papa Chico '' `` Somebody Scream -- Ma Baker '' `` Daddy Cool ' 99 '' `` Hooray ! Hooray ! ( Caribbean Night Fever ) '' 2000s `` Sunny ( Remix ) 2000 '' `` Daddy Cool 2001 '' `` Sunny ( Mousse T. Remix ) '' `` Felicidad America ( Obama - Obama ) '' Book Template Best - selling singles by year in the United Kingdom 1952 -- 1969 1952 : `` Here in My Heart '' -- Al Martino 1953 : `` I Believe '' -- Frankie Laine 1954 : `` Secret Love '' -- Doris Day 1955 : `` Rose Marie '' -- Slim Whitman 1956 : `` I 'll Be Home '' -- Pat Boone 1957 : `` Diana '' -- Paul Anka 1958 : `` Jailhouse Rock '' -- Elvis Presley 1959 : `` Living Doll '' -- Cliff Richard ( UK ) 1960 : `` It 's Now or Never '' -- Elvis Presley 1961 : `` Wooden Heart '' -- Elvis Presley 1962 : `` I Remember You '' -- Frank Ifield ( UK ) 1963 : `` She Loves You '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1964 : `` Ca n't Buy Me Love '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1965 : `` Tears '' -- Ken Dodd ( UK ) 1966 : `` Green, Green Grass of Home '' -- Tom Jones ( UK ) 1967 : `` Release Me '' -- Engelbert Humperdinck ( UK ) 1968 : `` Hey Jude '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1969 : `` Sugar, Sugar '' -- The Archies 1970 -- 1989 1970 : `` The Wonder of You '' -- Elvis Presley 1971 : `` My Sweet Lord '' -- George Harrison ( UK ) 1972 : `` Amazing Grace '' -- Royal Scots Dragoon Guards ( UK ) 1973 : `` I Love You Love Me Love '' -- Gary Glitter ( UK ) 1974 : `` Tiger Feet '' -- Mud ( UK ) 1975 : `` Bye Bye Baby '' -- Bay City Rollers ( UK ) 1976 : `` Save Your Kisses for Me '' -- Brotherhood of Man ( UK ) 1977 : `` Mull of Kintyre '' / `` Girls ' School '' -- Wings ( UK ) 1978 : `` Rivers of Babylon '' / `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' -- Boney M. 1979 : `` Bright Eyes '' -- Art Garfunkel 1980 : `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' -- The Police ( UK ) 1981 : `` Tainted Love '' -- Soft Cell ( UK ) 1982 : `` Come On Eileen '' -- Dexys Midnight Runners ( UK ) 1983 : `` Karma Chameleon '' -- Culture Club ( UK ) 1984 : `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' -- Band Aid ( UK ) 1985 : `` The Power of Love '' -- Jennifer Rush 1986 : `` Do n't Leave Me This Way '' -- The Communards ( UK ) 1987 : `` Never Gonna Give You Up '' -- Rick Astley ( UK ) 1988 : `` Mistletoe and Wine '' -- Cliff Richard ( UK ) 1989 : `` Ride on Time '' -- Black Box 1990 -- 2009 1990 : `` Unchained Melody '' -- The Righteous Brothers 1991 : `` ( Everything I Do ) I Do It for You '' -- Bryan Adams 1992 : `` I Will Always Love You '' -- Whitney Houston 1993 : `` I 'd Do Anything for Love ( But I Wo n't Do That ) '' -- Meat Loaf 1994 : `` Love Is All Around '' -- Wet Wet Wet ( UK ) 1995 : `` Unchained Melody '' -- Robson & Jerome ( UK ) 1996 : `` Killing Me Softly '' -- Fugees 1997 : `` Something About the Way You Look Tonight '' / `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' -- Elton John ( UK ) 1998 : `` Believe '' -- Cher 1999 : ``... Baby One More Time '' -- Britney Spears 2000 : `` Can We Fix It ? '' -- Bob the Builder ( UK ) 2001 : `` It Was n't Me '' -- Shaggy featuring Rikrok ( UK ) 2002 : `` Anything Is Possible '' / `` Evergreen '' -- Will Young ( UK ) 2003 : `` Where Is the Love ? '' -- The Black Eyed Peas 2004 : `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' -- Band Aid 20 ( UK ) 2005 : `` ( Is This the Way to ) Amarillo '' -- Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay ( UK ) 2006 : `` Crazy '' -- Gnarls Barkley 2007 : `` Bleeding Love '' -- Leona Lewis ( UK ) 2008 : `` Hallelujah '' -- Alexandra Burke ( UK ) 2009 : `` Poker Face '' -- Lady Gaga 2010 -- present 2010 : `` Just the Way You Are '' -- Bruno Mars 2011 : `` Someone like You '' -- Adele ( UK ) 2012 : `` Somebody That I Used to Know '' -- Gotye featuring Kimbra 2013 : `` Blurred Lines '' -- Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams 2014 : `` Happy '' -- Pharrell Williams 2015 : `` Uptown Funk '' -- Mark Ronson ( UK ) featuring Bruno Mars 2016 : `` One Dance '' -- Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla ( UK ) 2017 : `` Shape of You '' - Ed Sheeran ( UK ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rivers_of_Babylon&oldid=863782588 '' Categories : 1970 songs 1978 singles Boney M. songs Peter, Paul and Mary songs Dutch Top 40 number - one singles Single Top 100 number - one singles European Hot 100 Singles number - one singles Hansa Records singles Irish Singles Chart number - one singles Music based on the Bible Number - one singles in Australia Number - one singles in Austria Number - one singles in France Number - one singles in Germany Number - one singles in New Zealand Number - one singles in Norway Number - one singles in South Africa Number - one singles in Sweden Number - one singles in Switzerland Psalm settings Reggae songs Schytts songs Song recordings produced by Frank Farian Sublime ( band ) songs UK Singles Chart number - one singles Ultratop 50 Singles ( Flanders ) number - one singles Hidden categories : CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) CS1 German - language sources ( de ) CS1 Dutch - language sources ( nl ) Articles with German - language external links CS1 Swedish - language sources ( sv ) Use dmy dates from September 2013 Use Jamaican English from September 2013 All Wikipedia articles written in Jamaican English Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Canadaadultcontemporary Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Canadatopsingles Singlechart usages for Germany2 Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for UK Certification Table Entry usages for Belgium Certification Table Entry usages for France Certification Table Entry usages for Germany Certification Table Entry usages for Netherlands Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Italiano עברית Nederlands Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 13 October 2018, at 00 : 22 ( UTC ). 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Question: who wrote the song by the rivers of babylon
Answer: Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians