Happy Birthday Bob Marley ... ‘One Love’
ON FEBRUARY 6, 1945, Nesta Robert Marley was born in Nine Mile, St Ann, however the order of his name was changed because legend has it that a passport officer told his mother, Cedella, that ‘Nesta’ was “a girl name” and suggested that she use Robert as the first name instead.
A singer, songwriter and guitarist, Marley began his professional musical career in 1963, after forming the group Teenagers with Peter Tosh and his step-brother, Bunny Wailer, That group later became known as the Wailers. Their first studio album, The Wailing Wailers was produced by Clement‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd and released in 1965 on his Studio One label.
The songs included (I’m Gonna) Put It On, I Need You, Lonesome Feeling, What’s New Pussycat?, One Love, When the Well Runs Dry, Ten Commandments of Love, Rude Boy, It Hurts to Be Alone, Love and Affection, I’m Still Waiting, and Simmer Down.
Along his musical j ourney, Marley converted to Rastafarianism, and in the biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, it shows a shy Rita Anderson introducing the boy who would become her husband to the teachings of Rastafari. Marley, acording to his Wikipedia bio, became known as a Rastafarian icon, and he “infused his music with a sense of spirituality”.
Elsewhere, it states that Marley “is also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity, and was controversial in his outspoken support for democratic social reforms”. Marley lived in Jamaica where the smoking and possession of ganja was was considered an evil to be punished by draconian laws. He supported calls for ganja to be made legal, and was a student of Marcus Garvey, showcasing the National Hero’s 1937 speech in the song which would become a global hit, Redemption Song.
JOSEPH
Bob Marley, since he was born in the month of February came, in Rastadari spirituality, he is from the Tribe of Joseph, the eleventh of the biblical Israel’s 12 children. The colour of the tribe is white. Notably, at the recent premiere of Bob Marley: One Love, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, two members of Marley’s famous backing singerS, the I-Three, were dressed in white “to honour Bob”.
Bob Marley is, without a doubt, Jamaica’s most famous son and every so often, there are calls to “make Bob a National Hero”.
His contribution to ska, rocksteady and reggae music is well documented. In 1981, he was awarded Jamaica’s third highest honour, the Order of Merit, for his outstanding contribution to Jamaican culture. When he died in May 1981, Marley received an official funeral f rom the Government of Jamaica, .
His song, One Love, which is central to his message, speaks to Marley’s hope for world peace and his stand on equality and justice for all. In 1999, BBC declared One Love the Song of the Millennium.
ONE LOVE FACTS
The famous version of One Love that appears on the group’s 1977 album Exodus was recorded in 1977 for Island Records under the title of
One Love/ People Get Ready.
This version credits Curtis Mayfield and it gives co-authorship credits to both Marley and Mayfield as it contains an interpolation of
The Impressions’ song People Get Ready written by Mayfield.
One Love became one of Marley’s biggest hits and has been included on many of Marley and the Wailers subsequent compilation albums.
In 2007, the 1965 recording of One Love by Bob Marley & The Wailers on Coxsone Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
One Love
One Love! One Heart!
Let’s get together and feel all right. Hear the children cryin’ (One Love!); Hear the children cryin’ (One Heart!), Sayin’: give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right; Sayin’: let’s get together and feel all right. Wo wo-wo wo-wo!
Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (One Love!);
There is one question I’d really love to ask (One Heart!):
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner,
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own beliefs?
One Love! What about the one heart? One Heart!
What about - ? Let’s get together and feel all right
As it was in the beginning (One Love!);
So shall it be in the end (One Heart!), All right!
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let’s get together and feel all right. One more thing!
Let’s get together to fight this Holy Armagiddyon (One Love!),
So when the Man comes there will be no, no doom (One Song!). Have pity on those whose chances grows t’inner;
There ain’t no hiding place from the Father of Creation.
Sayin’: One Love! What about the One Heart? (One Heart!) What about the - ? Let’s get together and feel all right.
I’m pleadin’ to mankind! (One Love!); Oh, Lord! (One Heart) Wo-ooh! Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let’s get together and feel all right. Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let’s get together and feel all right.