Introduction
“Red Red Wine” was written and originally recorded by American singer‑songwriter Neil Diamond in 1967, and appeared on his second studio album Just for You. Released as a single in 1968 by Bang Records (with “Red Rubber Ball” on the B‑side), it peaked at No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song is a melancholy, soft‑rock/folk‑rock ballad about a heartbroken narrator who tries to drown his pain by drinking red wine.
Shortly thereafter, several artists recorded covers: Jimmy James & the Vagabonds reached the UK Top 40 in 1968, Peter Tetteroo charted in the Netherlands in 1969, and Vic Dana scored a minor US hit in 1970–71 . Crucially, in 1969, Jamaican singer Tony Tribe released a reggae version that reached No. 46 in the UK, becoming Trojan Records’ first charting single . That reggae reinterpretation later inspired UB40’s much more famous version.
In 1983, British reggae-pop group UB40 included “Red Red Wine” on their cover‑album Labour of Love. They thought the song had originated in reggae and even believed “N. Diamond” referred to a Jamaican artist “Negus Diamond” . Their mellow, upbeat reggae version—with a signature toasted verse by “Astro” (“Red red wine, you make me feel so fine…”)—became a No. 1 hit in the UK in August 1983 and initially peaked at No. 34 in the U.S. in 1984 .
After UB40’s performance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert in July 1988, renewed radio play—especially in the U.S.—led to a reissue. That version finally reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1988, five years after its original release .
Neil Diamond has acknowledged UB40’s version as one of his favorite covers of his work, and in later live shows he often performed it in the reggae style popularized by UB40, rather than his original arrangement !