Wayne Wonder — "No Letting Go"
Jamaican lovers-rock over the handclap-driven Diwali Riddim—the sound of spring 2003 radio. Wayne Wonder's sweet R&B float became the riddim's most perfect vessel.
The Diwali Riddim, crafted by producer Steven "Lenky" Marsden, powered dancehall's biggest US crossover moment in 2003. Wayne Wonder, a Jamaican singer with a silk-smooth lovers-rock delivery, glided over the riddim's insistent handclap pulse and released "No Letting Go" on January 21, 2003, as the lead single from his album "No Holding Back." It climbed to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the UK Singles Chart. For those months in 2003, that handclap pattern became the sound of the radio itself, inescapable and perfect. It remains the song that summons the whole feeling of spring 2003 for anyone who had a radio on.
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