Jimmy Cliff’s Iconic ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ Certified Silver In The UK

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff’s iconic song You Can Get It If You Really Want is now certified Silver in the United Kingdom.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the song was issued the Brit Certified Silver Award on Friday (November 29) after it sold over 200,000 units in the UK, as measured by The Official Charts Company.

This is his second track to be certified in the UK, following I Can See Clearly Now, which reached the same milestone last month.

You Can Get It If You Really Want was originally released in July 1970.

In an interview with British singer Estelle for Apple Music’s Essentials Radio, Cliff discussed the song’s personal significance.

“It’s an inspirational song,” he explained.  “It came to me at one of the moments in my life when I was motivating myself. Songwriting is like this for me at least. Some songs are autobiographical, in some songs you are describing a situation; that was an autobiographical song that I was inspiring myself.”

Interestingly, within weeks of Cliff’s release, fellow Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker recorded his version of the song. Dekker’s rendition became a major hit initially, reaching No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Today, Dekker’s version has garnered over 17 million plays on Spotify, while Cliff’s original currently has over 107 million plays.

The song’s popularity soared thanks to the 1972 film The Harder They Come, which featured Cliff in the lead role and four of his compositions, including You Can Get It If You Really Want. This film played a crucial role in introducing Reggae music to a global audience and is considered one of the Caribbean’s greatest cinematic exports.

The track has been featured in numerous films and TV shows over the years including, Fool’s Gold (2008), Hitch (2005), Something’s Gotta Give (2003), The Match (1999), and Speed 2 (1997), as well as TV series like I Am Groot (2022), Baywatch (1994), and Miami Vice (1986).