B-side "Lickwood" Length 3:52 | Genre Reggae Label Virgin | |
Released 19 March 1990 (1990-03-19) Format 7" vinyl single
12" vinyl single
3-inch CD single
5-inch CD single
Cassette single | ||
"Kingston Town" is a 1970 song by Lord Creator. It was recorded in 1989 by reggae group UB40 and was the second single from their album Labour of Love II, reaching #4 on the UK singles chart.
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In June 2007, the copyright holders of the song, Sparta Florida Music Group, started legal action against Paris Hilton and Warner Chappell Music for plagiarism due to alleged similarities between "Kingston Town" and Hilton's song "Stars Are Blind". It was wrongly stated that UB40 was the suing party, which the band later confirmed as being incorrect on their website.
In France, the cover by UB40 peaked at #1 for three weeks from October 20 to November 3, 1990. It remained on the chart for 25 weeks, and was certified Gold disc by SNEP in 1991. Infodisc Website estimates it is the 426th best selling single of all time in France with 581,000 copies sold.
The song was also covered by Jamaican group The Mighty Red.
5" CD
Virgin / DEPX 35
- "Kingston Town" (7" Version) – 3:52
- "Lickwood" – 5:04
- "Kingston Town" (Extended Mix) – 5:16
7" vinyl, 3" CD and Cassette
Virgin / DEP 35 (7"), DEPX 35 (CDS), DEP C35 (CS)
- "Kingston Town" – 3:52
- "Lickwood" – 5:04
12" vinyl
Virgin / DEP 35-12
- "Kingston Town" (Extended Mix) – 5:16
- "Lickwood" – 5:04
- "Kingston Town" (7" Version) – 3:52