REGGAE singer Maxi Priest scored his breakthrough hit in America 35 years ago with Wild World, a song originally written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Cat Stevens.

The song made its way to number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the UK Singles chart, his first top 10 hit.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on the weekend, Maxi Priest, who was born in London to Jamaican immigrants, spoke about the hit song that forever changed the course of his life.

“It’s hard to believe it has been 35 years since my cover of Wild World became a breakthrough hit in America. Funny enough, I didn’t initially like the song. My manager, Erskine Thompson, brought it to me when I was a young, rebellious artist. It wasn’t until I entered the studio with Sly and Robbie and Willy Lindo that they encouraged me to give it a try. Reluctantly, I sang the song, and now I’m truly grateful that I did. It taught me the importance of being open-minded and receptive to advice and wisdom from those who came before me. I must give a big shout-out to Cat Stevens for writing such an awesome song. Thank you,” said the artiste.

Wild World, he said, gave him a significant career boost as well as facilitated much personal development.

“Wild World has opened countless doors for me. It’s hard to fully explain the multitude of paths it has paved. It has connected me with people from diverse backgrounds and walks of life. It has provided a livelihood for my family and others. It has allowed me to travel the world, meet incredible individuals, and learn from different cultures. It has created numerous opportunities and continues to do so. It’s truly remarkable how this song, along with many other songs have become synonymous with my name like House Call with Shabba Ranks, Close to You, Just a Little Bit Longer, to name a few. I hope these songs are recognised for opening doors for others as well,” the singer disclosed.

He signed with Virgin Records for the release of his self-titled album, which contained Wild World as well as the hit cover of Some Guys Have All The Luck and the collaboration How Can We Ease the Pain with Beres Hammond. (Jamaica Gleaner)