Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff’s iconic song “You Can Get It If You Really Want” has just surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify.
This marks his second track to reach this milestone on the platform, following “I Can See Clearly Now,” which currently boasts 184 million streams.
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Originally released in July 1970, “You Can Get It If You Really Want” has maintained its appeal over the decades. Interestingly, within weeks of Cliff’s release, fellow Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker recorded his version of the song. Dekker’s rendition became a major hit, reaching No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Today, Dekker’s version has garnered over 17 million streams on Spotify.
The song’s popularity soared thanks to the 1972 film The Harder They Come, which featured Cliff in the lead role and included four of his compositions, including “You Can Get It If You Really Want.” This film played a crucial role in introducing reggae music to a global audience and is considered one of the Caribbean’s greatest cinematic exports.
The track’s popularity has extended far beyond the 70s, featuring in numerous films and TV shows over the years. It has graced the soundtracks of movies such as Fool’s Gold (2008), Hitch (2005), Something’s Gotta Give (2003), The Match (1999), and Speed 2 (1997), as well as TV series like I Am Groot (2022), Baywatch (1994), and Miami Vice (1986).
In an interview with British singer Estelle for Apple Music’s Essentials Radio, Cliff discussed the song’s personal significance. “It’s an inspirational song,” he explained. “It came to me at one of the moments in my life when I was motivating myself. Songwriting is like this for me at least. Some songs are autobiographical, in some songs you are describing a situation; that was an autobiographical song that I was inspiring myself.”
