# R.I.P. Jimmy Cliff

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jimmy-cliff/1025104>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 24, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jimmy-cliff/1025104 "2025-11-24T20:31:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jimmy-cliff/1025104/1 "2025-11-24T20:31:04Z")

</div>

[Reggae singer dead at 81](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/24/jimmy-cliff-jamaican-reggae-singer-actor-and-cultural-icon-dies-aged-81)

For my money, _The Harder They Come_ is the best movie soundtrack of all time. I’ve always thought the movie could use a modern remake: have some young stars record the songs and retool the plot a bit.

What a terrific voice. _Many Rivers to Cross_ gives me goosebumps. RIP Jimmy.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jimmy-cliff/1025104/2 "2025-11-24T20:34:48Z")

</div>

“I Can See Clearly Now” is one of the most beautiful songs of all time, and he did a lot of other stuff of that caliber. RIP.

ETA: damn, I picked a song that wasn’t originally his, but a Johnny Nash song, though Cliff covered it. Anyway, that doesn’t lessen his input to the musical world one dot. Gotta listen to “The Harder They Come” soundtrack now.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jimmy-cliff/1025104/3 "2025-11-24T20:35:26Z")

</div>

I wasn’t particularly turned on by Reggae until I heard Jimmy Cliff - his recordings infuse the joys and sorrows of his people.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2025, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jimmy-cliff/1025104/4 "2025-11-24T21:11:09Z")

</div>

> [@BlankSlate](#):
>
> For my money, _The Harder They Come_ is the best movie soundtrack of all time.

It’s a fantastic soundtrack. I had it on cassette for many years and eventually wore it out. I haven’t listened to it often since then, but will now.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jimmy-cliff/1025104/5 "2025-11-25T03:46:06Z")

</div>

> [@EinsteinsHund](#):
>
> “I Can See Clearly Now” is one of the most beautiful songs of all time, and he did a lot of other stuff of that caliber.

I couldn’t agree more:

[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xzGV9Bl6CGg/hqdefault.jpg "jimmy cliff - i can see clearly now") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzGV9Bl6CGg)

And one from the _Harder They Come_ soundtrack, _Sitting in Limbo_.

[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zjU8L6go1VA/hqdefault.jpg "Jimmy Cliff Sitting In Limbo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjU8L6go1VA)