Ben Harper & Ziggy Marley Join Forces on “Spin It Faster”

Thirsting for a classic brand-new infectiously danceable, deeply-grooving, hotter-than-July reggae anthem for the summer of 2021? Look no further: here it is.

Repetition is to conviction 
What a hammer is to a stone
Hard times they will come
But hard times they’ll be gone

Videos by American Songwriter

From “Spin It Faster” by Ben Harper
Featuring Ben Harper & Ziggy Marley

Ben Harper’s Mad Bunny Records has released a great new single, ideal for this summer of our liberation from lockdown. It’s a deeply grooving reggae soul anthem featuring Ben with reggae royalty, the great Ziggy Marley. It’s timeless and yet very timely, about the now and forever both, in the tradition of Ziggy’s father Bob Marley who always addressed the time he was in, as well as the times to come. As Ben told us in our first interview, Marley’s music, life and death all were woven deeply into his spirit since he was a kid.

But this is no imitation. This is the seriously rendered, real-time reggae – classic groove over this visceral G minor tune – beautifully sparse lyrics which say everything with few words – and beautiful song artistry. Ben’s one of those songwriters who is so good you don’t notice the craft which holds it together. That is the essence of great songwriting. But he uses great real rhymes, for example, to set up the title – “Spin It Faster” – but those set-ups aren’t contrived, ever, they are inspired and expansive:  

I’m your everlaster
I’m your everlaster
Spin it faster

“This track is dedicated to the eternal loving memory of Juan D. Nelson,” said Ben. “Since 1993, Juan Leon and I spun around this world as fast and as far as we could dream together. 

Ben produced this at his studio The Machine Shop, and mixed and co-produced by Ethan Allen at Royal Triton Studio.

“I always have a few projects going at once,” he said. “One of them is a reggae album which I’ve been working on for a while now. ‘Spin It Faster’ is the first single from this collection.”

Ben and Ziggy have collaborated live on stage numerous times over the years, and most recently, Ben was a guest on Ziggy’s single “Play With Sky” from his More Family Time album, released in September, 2020.

“Spin It Faster”was released on July 9, 2021 and is available now on Mad Bunny Records. 


Spin It Faster
Words & Music by Ben Harper

DJ play that song for me
With the one drop beat
I’m not here to lean on the wall
Got to move my feet
I’m your everlaster
Spin it faster

Some need religion
Some just need a plan
Better use too much butter 
Than to burn the pan 
Reverend priest preacher and a pastor
Spin it faster

Repetition is to conviction 
What a hammer is to a stone
Hard times they will come
But hard times they’ll be gone
Go ahead and ask her
Spin it faster

See also:

Ben Harper’s Fear of the Blank Page,
interview by Paul Zollo
Ben & Ellen Harper, My Childhood Home
review by Paul Zollo