Cedella Marley was at the age of eighteen when she gave birth to Robert (Bob) Nesta Marley on February 6th, 1945. He spent his early life in a rural community known as the Nine Miles, which was located in mountain terrain in St. Ann. Nine Miles preserved the African ancestry; such as the art storytelling. These stories had a great influence on Marley; they set a path for deep cultural context and mysticism to his songwriting he would do later in life. Bob Marley’s father, Norval, financially supported his son but the last time they saw each other was when Bob was five years old. In 1950, Bob was in his teens, he returned to western Kingston and settled in Trench Town. Trench Town was filled with squatters and government yard developments that …show more content…
Even though Marley passed in 1981 his songs of love, peace and protest still remain popular. The American entertainment media brand, Billboard, posted the top ten greatest protest songs by Bob Marley. We are going to look at five of them; “Simmer Down”, “Get up, Stand up”, “I Shot the Sherriff”, “Concrete Jungle”, and “Redemption Song”.
Simmer Down was released in 1972, in any period it takes a lot of courage to call out your peers but this is exactly what Marley and The Wailers did. In Simmer Down their lyrics were aimed at their not so good peers in Jamaica, “Simmer down, control my temper Simmer down, the battle will be hotter”, the artists are asking the men of Jamaica to end all the violent crime occurring in the capital.
“Most people think Great God will come from the skies Take away everything And make everybody feel high But if you know what life is worth You will look for yours on earth”; Get Up, Stand up was written by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, this song was influenced by their upbringing in Jamaica where they had to fight for the acceptance and respect of their Rastafarian culture, they are telling people to stand up and never stop fighting for what they
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This song was Marley’s way of showing his legacy in just two hundred words. This song shows a little history on slavery; “Old pirates, yes, they rob I; Sold I to the merchant ships”, “We forward in this generation Triumphantly.”, this line is suggesting to the abolition of slavery. The most powerful line in this song being, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.”; you may not have the chains around your ankles anymore but to be truly free you must not allow people to dictate what you think, say, or feel. This song is Marley telling his audience to learn and prosper from their past and always continue fighting for your rights and your
The exploitation and eventually liberation of the Jamaican people have produced a very unique social condition. Reggae music is an optimistic answer to the history of oppression that draws upon the past, and uses it as a resource. In order for there to be a good future, the past must be considered and accepted. There is no way to right the wrongs of Jamaican history, but there is a way to promote awareness of these wrongs.
The impact of Mob Marley’s songs remains great examples of the way Rastafarian ideologies and beliefs have been capable of breaking down barriers that had at one time separated a society from a culturally established religion. His song “Smile Jamaica” was immensely moving because it was created for a concert to bring people together no matter the political party they represented. Jammin’ was also made for the same purpose but was more in depth about how political violence was causing division and tension amongst society. Bob Marley use proverbs and Jamaican folklore in his song “Rat Race” to describe political corruption. In addition his song, Get up, Stand up was made to empower people to make peace and stand up for their rights. All together Rasta’s have demonstrated a successful revolution by resisting the dominant ideas and beliefs.
5 In the book it referred to Reggae as “true fusion music”. This is extremely accurate and along with its Jamaican, American, African, Cuban, and Spanish influences you can hear a clear message in the song. This is a song to urge a listener to literally “get up, stand up for your rights”. It takes a rebellious stand point and it’s meant to inspire anyone listening.
Reggae music is a meaningful channel for social change. Reggae music portrays resistance to oppression, it is a symbolic action, part of a nonviolent revolution. It is a type of rhetoric; a method of communication designed to influence and persuade. It is a message with a purpose, it represents a crystallization of fundamental issues. Reggae music asks the listener to reconsider our daily lives and to hear the cry of the sufferer, because so many people are suffering. The lyrics and music of Robert Nesta Marley gave reggae music international recognition. Bob was a charismatic performer who truly stands out as a prophet. There is clearly a prophetic overtone to his lyrics yet he was only given the prophetic status after he died. His lyrics operate on a deep level, yet they typically relate to everyday occurrences. Bob's music was and is a powerful force to ease the pain of life in the ghetto. He embodied a feeling of empowerment, and encourages all listeners to 'chant down Babylon'.
The way he used nature in his everyday life and he didn't need much to keep him happy. He could let others see the world through his nonconformist ways through song. He was just happy to be living the life he was given without a worry in the world. That's why I think Bob Marley fits into the Transcendental concepts of nonconformity, simplified Life, and importance of nature. Although he started off Christian I think Rastafarian made him into the man he was. I can't imagine what kind of things he would've done if he didn't die at such an early age can
First, Bob Marley writes, Concrete Jungle, he means that he lived in an overcrowded, unsafe and/or crime-ridden urban environment or city, characterized by the congestion of large buildings and roads. Since he lived in a hard life in Jamaica, he wrote about in song form. Secondly, he wrote “ I know I am bound here in captivity” This means that he has no freedom and does not know where to go. Lastly, He wrote about picking himself
Exodus is a CD released by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1977. This was the first album written in London after Bob Marley and his wife Rita were almost murdered in Jamaica. This is one of my favorite albums because Bob Marley is extremely relaxing to listen to with his complex rhythms. His music incorporates collaborations of multiple types of music like reggae, blues, pop, soul, and more. “One Love” by Bob Marley debuted on this album and became one of his most well known songs. The lyrics from this song inspired me and many others. Time magazine named Exodus the best album of the 20th century. More than half of this album was charged with religious politics. It was filled with moral messages for not
Robert Nesta Marley, musically known as Bob Marley is Reggae’s most iconic and transcendent figure, “Get up, Stand up,” is a song that demonstrates elements of transcendentalism. The song explains about how people should not live their lives expecting to go to heaven after dying. Rather, they should have a purpose in their lives. The song also talks about how people should stand up for their morals and follow what they believe rather than believing others. Bob Marley chose to encourage people to depend on their beliefs and not let others to negatively interfere with their lives. The song also criticizes religious hypocrisy and instructs listeners to make their own choices.
The Bob Marley CD in the movie, “I am Legend,” is one symbol that relates to the theme of loss of humanity. The Bob Marley CD was used throughout the movie as symbolism to Robert Neville’s daughter Marley. He named his daughter after the Bob Marley CD because he knew that Bob Marley wanted to change racism in human lives, which symbolizes the importance of the CD. Robert said, “ He believed he could cure racism and hate, literally cure it by injecting music and love into people’s lives” (Lawrence). This quote
Bob Marley expresses his belief that music is a message and route to freedom in the song “Trench town.”
Good friends we have, Oh, good friends we have lost, Along the way. In this great future, you can't forget your past, so dry your tears I say…..No women No cry.” That’s a reggae song from the most well-known reggae singer, Bob Marley, mentioned in Alice Walker narrative essay called “Journey to Nine Miles”. Walker is an African-American writer who tells about her journey to the Jamaican gravesite of the reggae legend Bob Marley. Walker praised Marley of being true loving soul of Jamaica, for having political shrewdness, spiritual power and sexual wildness. The place is called Nine Miles because it was nine miles far from any village in the area. Nine Miles was the most tranquil and isolated place in the world according to Walker. Walker grasps why Marley wanted to be brought back to his home village he wanted to rest and also he was buried there for a good reason as it becomes a great tourist site which brought money to the village people. Walker journey was fulfilling although she saw that Jamaica is a poor country while much of the world thinks that it’s not that even in the poverty a person can see the beauty of the country and the love that surrounds her. Walker is successful at conveying her message about Jamaica and Bob Marley in her essay through the mood by the images and illustrations, through the technique of journey motif on how she describes her journey and herself as writer and through the tone she uses in her essay.
Bob Marley was born in Nine Miles, St. Ann, Jamaica. As a youngster he moved to Trench-town with his mother where his music career was born. Growing up, Marley grew close to other children his age who shared his interest in music and spreading the knowledge of unity. Reggae music has always contained a positive message and promotes this message to people everywhere. Through love and understanding, reggae music breaks down barriers and invites peace and unity as a way of life. This ideal was also encouraged through the religious practice of Rastafari, rooted in Africa. The people who follow this religion make it a way of life. They speak out against poverty, oppression, and inequality. Marley spoke for peace in the world through many different mediums, one of which was the unique presentation of his message. Marley?s dominant appearance in the media and spread of his music had a very large influence on the views of political figures.
Bob Marley was never taught how to sing he simply had a generous voice that was lovely to hear. In his voice there are many timbres that add to the style of the song. He uses different dynamics in his voice to enhance soulful vocals. The piece is written in 4/4 times, but his voice is largo therefore the piece is extended to be an ample amount of time. The key signature is D major containing F Sharp and C Sharp this is important because F comes between beats 2 and 3 during the chorus, this is recognized as offbeat syncopation. It was impressing to find the use of a coda. The coda is commonly found in classical music but can be seen on other genres of music. The connection that is seen through the elements of music was a remarkable observation for me. Bob Marley pioneered the development of reggae, a highly syncopated musical style that take influences from horn parts of American rhythm and Blues as well as funky electric bass guitars that embodies a Caribbean beat at the same time. It is my view that Bob Marley intended for his music to have a message of unity symbolized by the simplistic sounds yet, but the complicated underlying patterns and beats to his work symbolize the controversies the social and political
Marley was born into Jamaica’s poverty and it is where he developed a strong love of reggae and became a Rastafari. Reggae, evolved from another musical style called Ska in the late 1960’s, is considered the voice of the ‘oppressed’ peoples. Many reggae lyrics are politicalised and centre on themes of freedom and fighting for it. (Cooper, 2014)
King, Stephen; Jensen, Richard,(1995) Bob Marley's "Redemption Song": The rhetoric of reggae and Rastafari Journal of Popular Culture 29.3