UB40 — Here I Am (Come And Take Me)

JUL 01 1990 · 12:00

UB40 — Here I Am (Come And Take Me) (1990) Director: Jim Gable Era: Reggae-Pop Crossover Boom (1989–1991) - Peak MTV-era British reggae infiltrating mainstream pop charts via soul cover versions, bridging the late-80s adult-contemporary market with Caribbean rhythmic sensibilities. High archival value as an official promotional artefact for one of UB40's biggest US chart successes, directed by a credentialed music video professional (Jim Gable) under the Desert Music Pictures banner. The video's period-faithful broadcast-video aesthetic, moderate pacing, and warm colour palette make it a clean reference specimen for late-80s/early-90s UK reggae-pop visual culture and MTV-era mid-budget performance video craft. Context: Released in 1990 to promote Labour of Love II (Virgin Records, November 1989), UB40's second album of classic covers, this video supports their reggae-inflected reading of Al Green's 1973 Hi Records soul classic. The cover reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, demonstrating UB40's remarkable crossover appeal at the apex of their commercial success. The video's understated, performance-driven aesthetic reflects the band's Birmingham working-class roots and their longstanding aesthetic philosophy of privileging musical substance over visual excess — a deliberate counterpoint to the high-concept, big-budget videos dominating MTV at the time. The song's soul-to-reggae translation exemplified a broader late-80s trend of British reggae acts rehabilitating American R&B catalogue for mainstream pop audiences. Director notes: Credited as director on IMDb (title ID tt9223504) with production company listed as Desert Music Pictures. The video is dated 1990 (United Kingdom) per IMDb release records, consistent with the single's promotional window tied to the Labour of Love II album cycle on Virgin Records.