Gregory Isaacs, Night Nurse | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 77^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Night Nurse” by late Jamaican reggae musician, Gregory Isaacs. 

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 77^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Night Nurse” performed by Gregory Isaacs. 

“Tell her ‘try your best’ just to make it quick / Come attend to the sick / ‘Cause there must be something she can do / This heart is broken in two.”  Ah, those pesky, pesky matters of the heart – they never fail! Early on, in “Night Nurse”, the late, Jamaican reggae musician, Gregory Isaacs (1951 – 2010), addresses his broken heart.  “Night Nurse” is his best-known song, the opener from his 1982 LP of the same name. He penned “Night Nurse” and produced it alongside Flabba Holt.  Per Isaacs, “Night nurse / Only you alone can quench this thirst.” Woo!

“Night Nurse” is a vibe, PERIOD.  It all begins with the lazy, potent reggae groove. This is the gift that always gives – an advantage that reggae possesses! Beyond the groove, the instrumental is sickening with its robust bass, keys, and synths.  The sound is great but of course, Gregory Isaacs is even greater.  He delivers expressive, well-rounded vocals.  He never over-sings, delivering “Night Nurse” with impressive poise and control. The pacing of “Night Nurse” is a selling point.  The spacing between lyrics, allowing the instrumental to breathe is thoughtful.  Furthermore, it is cleanly produced and never sounds overcrowded or too busy.  Riding the wave of the lyrics, in the second verse, Isaacs asserts, “I don’t wanna see no doc / I need attendance from my nurse around the clock.” Ooh-la-la! He continues: “‘Cause there’s no prescription for me / She’s the one, the only remedy.” “Night Nurse” is a must-have for any reggae playlist.  Gregory Isaacs did that!

Gregory Isaacs // Night Nurse // UMG Recordings, Inc. // 1982

Gregory Isaacs, Night Nurse: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 77 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; UMG Recordings, Inc.; OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom via  Pixabay]