If you catch Dame Angela Lansbury suddenly bustin’ out a dutty wine over tea, you can thank her newfound discovery.
The 93-year-old iconic actor recently appeared on q, a radio show on CBC, where she learned something delightful and new. That’s right, she finally became aware of the 1993 Chaka Demus & Pliers reggae hit, “Murder She Wrote,” which shares the same name as the 1984 crime procedural show where she portrayed widowed mystery writer and quick-witted amateur detective, Jessica Fletcher.
“What are they? A group?” a confused Lansbury asked.
The host, Tom Power, then informed her that Chaka Demus & Pliers were “legends of reggae music.”
“I’m thrilled to be part of reggae, of course,” Lansbury said.
Wait…not one person in her long and rich life has told her about Chaka Demus & Pliers?! Isn’t she British?! Plus, that song is everywhere, as it’s the default song DJs play so they can pretend like they know even a modicum about reggae and dancehall.
Like many black kids who were subjected to television of a different generation via their grandmothers, I was an avid watcher of Murder, She Wrote on CBS. I couldn’t wait to watch this middle-aged white lady solve crimes and catch killers whilst lollygagging in Maine. The show ended in 1996 after a successful 12-year run. This year was a great time to finally reveal the T.V. show and song connection, as the former is also celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
According to Rolling Stone, Lansbury earned 10 Golden Globe nominations (she won four) and 12 Emmy nominations (of which she didn’t win). On the flip side, Chaka Demus & Pliers’ catchy hit has remained super relevant throughout the years, having being sampled in several songs by artists including Omarion and Jhené Aiko, Pitbull and Chris Brown, Entertainment Weekly reports.
You know what this calls for—that’s right, a reboot of Murder, She Wrote with “Murder She Wrote” as the theme song.
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Actually, no please don’t do that. No more reboots, damn it!