By Joseph Akahome
February 6 is a date remembered world over by fans of the late reggae icon, Robert Nesta Marley, adoringly called and known by many as Bob Marley, as the anniversary of his birthday. He would have been 64 this year. Marley is best remembered for popularizing reggae music and giving it an international appeal, with numerous songs which have been and still are well sung even up to this day.
NET remembers the reggae legend and presents, in no particular order, 12 of his most well-known songs.
1. ‘No woman no cry’ : Off the 1974 ‘Natty Dread’ album by the legend, this song was recorded in London for Island Records in 1973 with Peter Tosh. The song talks about life in the ghetto and appears to persuade a woman not to cry as things will get better. It was rated No. 37 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
2. ‘Jammin’: by Bob Marley & the Wailers from their 1977 album Exodus. The song also appears on the compilation album Legend. There have been divergent opinions on the message; with some claiming it refers to a musical ‘jam session’ while others contend it talks about smoking marijuana for which the late icon was noted for.
3. ‘Is This Love’: released in 1978 in the ‘Kaya’ album, the song became one of the best known Marley songs and was part of the Legend compilation. It peaked at #9 in the UK charts upon its release in 1978.
4. ‘Africa Unite’: this song was on the second side of the ‘survival’ album, by Bob Marley and the Wailers released in 1979. It calls for greater unity among African states and in it Marley proclaims Pan-African solidarity.
5. ‘So much trouble in the world’: also off the ‘survival’ album. In it, Marley bemoans the fate of a world seemingly plagued with unending woes and man’s aim to make meaning of it all.
6. ‘Could You Be Loved’: released in 1980 on the album Uprising. It also makes the Legend compilation album. The song was written in 1979 on an airplane while The Wailers were experimenting on guitar.
7. ‘Concrete jungle’: off the major-label-debut album for Marley as member of the band The Wailers. It was released on Island Records on 13 April 1973.
8. ‘Sun Is Shining’: the title of a song by Bob Marley & The Wailers which first appeared on the Lee Perry-produced album Soul Revolution in 1971, and then on African Herbsman in 1973. Marley later re-recorded the song for his 1978 album Kaya.
9. ‘Stir It Up’ composed by Bob Marley in 1967 and written for his wife Rita. It was Bob Marley’s first successful song outside Jamaica.
10. ‘Redemption Song’: It is the final track on Bob Marley & the Wailers’ ninth album, Uprising, produced by Chris Blackwell and released by Island Records. The song is considered one of Marley’s seminal works, with some key lyrics derived from a speech given by the Pan-Africanist orator Marcus Garvey.
11. ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’: by Bob Marley & The Wailers from their 1977 album Exodus. The song spawned the hit song by Lauryn Hill and Ziggy Marley.
12. ‘Three Little Birds’: is a song by Bob Marley & The Wailers. It is the fourth track on side two of their 1977 album Exodus and was released as a single in 1980. The song reached the Top 20 in the UK, peaking at number 17. It is one of Bob Marley’s most popular songs. The song has been covered by numerous other artists.
Watch ‘Is this love’….
