Pass the Dutchie

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title: "Pass the Dutchie" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1982-debut-singles", "1982-songs", "dutch-top-40-number-one-singles", "irish-singles-chart-number-one-singles", "musical-youth-songs", "number-one-singles-in-australia", "number-one-singles-in-israel", "number-one-singles-in-new-zealand", "number-one-singles-in-spain", "number-one-singles-in-switzerland", "rpm-top-singles-number-one-singles", "reggae-fusion-songs", "song-recordings-produced-by-peter-collins-(record-producer)", "uk-singles-chart-number-one-singles", "ultratop-50-singles-(flanders)-number-one-singles", "songs-involved-in-royalties-controversies", "2022-singles", "music-videos-directed-by-don-letts", "mca-records-singles", "works-subject-to-expurgation", "songs-about-food-and-drink"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_the_Dutchie" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	Pass the Dutchie
cover	Pass the Dutchie single.jpg
type	single
artist	Musical Youth
album	The Youth of Today
B-side	Please Give Love a Chance
released	10 September 1982
recorded	August 1982
* new wave<ref name	"Weisbard & Marks 1995"
length	3:25
6:05 (12" single version)
label	MCA
prev_title	Generals
prev_title2	Political
prev_year	1981
next_title	Youth of Today
next_year	1982
misc
::

| name = Pass the Dutchie | cover = Pass the Dutchie single.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Musical Youth | album = The Youth of Today | B-side = Please Give Love a Chance | released = 10 September 1982 | recorded = August 1982 | studio = | genre =

• Reggae
• new wave | length = 3:25 6:05 (12" single version) | label = MCA | writer =
• Jackie Mittoo
• Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson
• Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson | producer =
• Toney Owens
• Pete Waterman
• Peter Collins | prev_title = Generals | prev_title2 = Political | prev_year = 1981 | next_title = Youth of Today | next_year = 1982 | misc =

"Pass the Dutchie" is a song performed by the British reggae band Musical Youth, taken from their debut studio album, The Youth of Today (1982). It was produced by Toney Owens from Kingston, Jamaica. The single peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "Pass the Dutchie" topped the charts in at least eight other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, as well as peaking within the top ten of the charts in Iceland and the United States. The single sold over five million copies worldwide.

Background

The song was the band's first release on a major label. Following a shouted intro taken from U Roy's "Rule the Nation" with words slightly altered, the track combined two songs: "Gimme the Music" by U Brown, and "Pass the Kouchie" by Mighty Diamonds, which deals with the recreational use of cannabis (kouchie being slang for a cannabis pipe). For the cover version, the song's title was bowdlerised to "Pass the Dutchie", the new word being a patois term for a Dutch oven, a type of cooking pot. All obvious drug references were removed from the lyrics; e.g., instead of the original "How does it feel when you got no herb?", the cover version refers to "food" instead. The song was commissioned by the record company to turn "Pass the Kouchie" into a radio friendly hit for a wider audience. Toney Owens came up with the modified lyrics after coming home one night on an empty stomach. Despite the lyrics being changed to specifically remove drug references, the word "dutchie" later became a slang term for cannabis as a result of the song.

The song was first championed by radio DJ Zach Diezel and became an instant hit when it was picked up by MCA Records in September 1982. It debuted at number 26 on the UK chart and rose to number one the following week. In February 1983, it reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. Though they would have subsequent top 40 hits in other countries, "Pass the Dutchie" remains their only hit in the US. The song also scored the number one position in at least five other countries, eventually selling more than five million copies worldwide. After the song was featured in the Netflix series Stranger Things in 2022, it experienced a resurgence of popularity, re-entering a number of international charts.

Music video

The video, directed by Don Letts, was shot partly on the south bank of the River Thames in London, by Lambeth Bridge. It depicts the band performing the song and playing instruments. At the same time, a school official appears to arrest them, wherein he ends up falling down and breaking his arm. This footage is interspersed with courtroom scenes (featuring Julian Firth), where the band is put on trial. The trial ends with the jury finding the band not guilty, leading them to celebrate in the courtroom.

Track listing

• 7" single :A. "Pass the Dutchie" – 3:25 :B. "Please Give Love a Chance" – 3:36

• 12" single :A. "Pass the Dutchie" – 6:05 :B. "Pass the Dutchie" (Special Dub Mix) – 4:40

• CD maxi single (1994)

1. "Pass the Dutchie" (Molella Mega Club Mix) – 4:20
2. "Pass the Dutchie" (Molella Hard Ragga Mix) – 5:00
3. "Pass the Dutchie" (Molella Radio Mix) – 3:40
4. "Pass the Dutchie" (Original 7" Version) – 3:23

• Digital single (2008)

1. "Pass the Dutchie" (Exclusive Version) – 3:40
2. "Pass the Dutchie" (Singalong Version) – 3:40

• Digital maxi single (2011)

1. "Pass the Dutchie" (Re-Recorded / Remastered) – 3:40
2. "Pass the Dutchie" (Dubstep Kings Remix) – 4:05
3. "Pass the Dutchie" (Singalong Version) – 3:40
4. "Pass the Dutchie" (Dubstep Kings Instrumental Remix) – 4:05

• Digital single (2016)

1. "Pass the Dutchie" (Odjbox Remix) – 3:42

• Digital single (2019)

1. "Pass the Dutchie" (Star Slinger Remix) – 3:42

• Digital single (2020)

1. "Pass the Dutchie 21" – 4:33

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

::data[format=table title="1982–1983 weekly chart performance for "Pass the Dutchie""] | Chart (1982–1983) | Peak position | Australia (Kent Music Report) | Canada (The Record) | Iceland (RÚV) | Spain (AFYVE) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | 10 | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | ::

::data[format=table title="2016 weekly chart performance for "Pass the Dutchie""] | Chart (2016) | Peak position | |---|---| ::

::data[format=table title="2022 weekly chart performance for "Pass the Dutchie""] | Chart (2022) | Peak position | Global 200 (Billboard) | Iceland (Tónlistinn) | Lithuania (AGATA) | New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | UK Singles (OCC) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 108 | | | | | | | | 23 | | | | | | | | 50 | | | | | | | | 20 | | | | | | | | 89 | | | | | | | ::

Year end charts

::data[format=table title="1982 year-end chart performance for "Pass the Dutchie""]

Chart (1982)	Position	Australia (Kent Music Report)	Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)	Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	Netherlands (Single Top 100)	New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)
58
21
4
5
9
::

::data[format=table title="1983 year-end chart performance for "Pass the Dutchie""]

Chart (1983)	Position	Australia (Kent Music Report)	US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)	West Germany (Official German Charts)
47
91
17
::

Certifications

Cover versions

• The song was parodied by a band from the Seychelles Islands Dezil' under the title "Laisse tomber les filles (qui se maquillent)", and peaked at number 13 in France and number 47 in Switzerland in 2006.

References

References

1. "Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie".
2. (1995). "[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]". [[Vintage Books]].
3. (14 December 2018). "Pass The Dutchie". [[Musical Youth]].
4. (2012-03-23). "Musical Youth lose legal battle over Pass The Dutchie". [[The Guardian]].
5. Christgau, Robert. (25 January 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". [[The Village Voice]].
6. Sasha Van Der Speeten. (12 February 2022). "Geen joint, wel een kookpot". DPG Media.
7. (20 June 2018). "Senator asks colleagues to 'pass the dutchie' in pot poem during debate".
8. Whitburn, Joel. (2004). "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits". Billboard Publications.
9. [[Alexis Petridis]]. (2003-03-21). "Famous for 15 months". [[The Guardian]].
10. Simpson, Paul. (2003). "The rough guide to cult pop". Rough Guides.
11. Kevin Jackson. (2022-06-13). "'Dutchie' gets hot again". [[Jamaica Observer]].
12. "Musical Youth - "Pass the Dutchie"". www.mvdbase.com.
13. (17 June 2022). "Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie". YouTube.
14. "Discography - Musical Youth". musicalyouth.net.
15. (1982). "Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie (Vinyl) at Discogs". [[Discogs]].
16. "Pass The Dutchie (Exclusive Version)". Spotify.
17. "Pass The Dutchie by Musical Youth on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk.
18. "Pass The Dutchie (Odjbox Remix) by Musical Youth on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk.
19. "Pass The Dutchie (Star Slinger Remix) by Musical Youth on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk.
20. "Pass The Dutchie 21 by Musical Youth on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk.
21. Kent, David. (1993). "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992". Australian Chart Book.
22. Nanda Lwin. (1999). "Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide". Music Data Canada.
23. (29 October 1982). "Topp 10 vinsælustu lögin". [[DV (newspaper).
24. Salaverri, Fernando. (September 2005). "Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002". Fundación Autor-SGAE.
25. "Billboard Global 200: Week of June 25, 2022".
26. "Tónlistinn – Lög". Plötutíðindi.
27. (17 June 2022). "2022 24-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)". [[AGATA (organization).
28. (13 June 2022). "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". [[Recorded Music NZ]].
29. (10 June 2022). "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 10 June 2022 - 16 June 2022". [[Official Charts Company.
30. "Kent Music Report No 445 – 3 January 1983 > National Top 100 Singles for 1982". [[Kent Music Report]].
31. "Jaaroverzichten 1982". Ultratop.
32. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982". Dutch Top 40.
33. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982".
34. "Top Selling Singles of 1982". [[Recorded Music NZ]].
35. "Kent Music Report No 497 – 2 January 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1983". [[Kent Music Report]].
36. (24 December 1983). "Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles".
37. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". offiziellecharts.de.
38. (6 June 2022). "NZ Hot Singles Chart". [[Recorded Music NZ]].
39. "Dezil' - Laisse tomber les filles (qui se maquillent)". lescharts.com.

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