Favorite "#" Songs #6 - "96° in the Shade"

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My, how time flies when you're having fun. We are already at #6 in my Favorite "#" Songs series, which is songs with a number in the title, and the number must be an actual number, not spelled out (which means no "The Magnificent Seven" by The Clash.) I also encourage you to check out the concurrent countdown by @FourWalls. Although I do think we are going to match on one song, we haven't yet (we've done several of these at the same time, and have matched exactly once in all that time.) Anyway, the sixth spot belongs to "96° in the Shade" by Jamaican reggae band Third World. 1977's "96° in the Shade" is a bona fide reggae classic from a band that often finds itself in pop-reggae mode with songs such as "Try Jah Love" (written and produced by Stevie Wonder,) and "Now that We've Found Love." "96° in the Shade" is pure roots reggae, however, complete with a beautiful guitar solo. The song itself is about the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion in Morant Bay, Jamaica. It started as a protest march against injustice and poverty that ended in violence when seven men were shot and killed by militia. The protesters then began burning buildings, bringing the body count to 25. Area peasants spent the next two days uprising, gaining control of the territory. Martial Law was declared, and the military went on a rampage, during which a lot of innocent people were killed, bringing the death toll to 400 as they hunted the rebels. 300 people were arrested, many of whom were innocent, many of whom were quickly tried and executed. Truly a black eye in Jamaican history. The song was released as a single, but found no chart success. It remains an important tune in the history of reggae music, however. Enjoy! (Info verified by Wikipedia)