Alton Ellis sings the original rocksteady version of the song that grew into multiple hits for artists from Althea & Donna to Sean Paul, way back in 1967.

Everybody knows this tune, if not this version. This was the original hit in Jamaica for Alton Ellis in 1967, and shows how reggae songs evolved, using the same ‘riddim’ for successive versions.

Ellis started out singing RnB in the late 50s and became one of the first famous rocksteady singers, with a sweet, romantic style suited to sentimental love songs like this one – I’m Still In Love With You, Girl – which also features his sister Hortense.

The earworm is that horn fanfare over the bubbling bassline: you’ll recognise it from subsequent versions by Marcia Aitken’s answer-back version I’m Still In Love With You Boy and the toaster Trinity’s take Three Piece Suit, itself prompting the UK chart-topping answer-back version Uptown Top Ranking by Althea & Donna, all in 1977, with a Joe Gibbs’ produced dub Calico Suit on the B-side, credited to Mighty Two.

There was even another answer-back version called Slim Thing by Trinity – a toaster who’s slightlyl been forgotten but who had one of the finest album titles ever in Three Piece Chicken And Chips – before Sean Paul brought it back in 2002 on his album Dutty Rock, with his own toasting version of I’m Still In Love With You, featuring Sasha Sokol on vocals.

It doesn’t end there though. For a comprehensive rundown of versions, head over to DJ Algoriddim’s YouTube channel and listen to this: