“Won't you help to sing, these songs of freedom
'cause all I ever have, redemption songs”
(Bob Marley, 1980)
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)
Rastafari is a theology based upon the writings of Marcus Garvey a Jamaican social activist. The movement’s global spread from Jamaica across the world has been strongly influenced by Bob Marley and closely associated with reggae. Many of Marley’s songs captured the essence of Rastafari religion and its social and political beliefs. (bbc.co.uk, 2014)
Marley was a highly political lyricist, in 1979 penning a song titled Zimbabwe calling for Zimbabwe’s liberation from England. The next year he played in Zimbabwe in celebration of their independence. (biography.com, 2014)
That same year he released Redemption Song that many believed was based upon Marcus Garvey’s 1938 speech, ‘The Work That Has Been Done’. Redemption Song cannot be fully comprehended without the context of Marcus Garvey’s speech which encompasses at its heart the necessity to think as free people stating “Whatever that has happened to the man it is his own mind that puts him there.“ (Garvey,1938 as cited in henriettavintondavis.wordpress.com, 2010).
At the same time Marley was battling cancer. In the Rolling Stone website (2014), photographer Dennis Morris presents photos of Marley, displaying one titled Redemption Song. Morris reports that in the photo Marley is playing Redemption Song and that he was privileg...
... middle of paper ...
...m mental slavery: The origin and meaning behind Bob Marley’s Redemption song.
Retrieved from http://henriettavintondavis.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/redemption-song/
biography.com. (2014). Bob Marley: Biograpghy. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524.
Playing For Change. (2011). Redemption Song | Play For Change. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55s3T7VRQSc
ReggaeMusic. (2012). 15. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Redemption Song [Dortmund 1980]. http://youtu.be/vLbK_fw7904
rock.rapgenius.com. (2014) Bob Marley – Redemption Song Lyrics. Retrieved from http://rock.rapgenius.com/Bob-marley-redemption-song-lyrics
Wenner, J.S. (2014) Bob Marley: The Stories Behind 17 Rare and Unseen Images. Retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/bob-marley-the-stories-behind-17-rare-and-unseen-images-20140325/0537942#ixzz2yw4n0HUp
Throughout Rastafari: Roots and Ideology, Barry Chevannes traces the beginnings of the Rastafari movements and the movements that gave birth to Rastafarian ideology, through both historical perspectives and through the narratives of those people closely associated with these movements. He begins laying out the groundwork of the Rastafarian movement at the slave trade, which gave rise to the institutionalization of racism and the subordination of black people in the “New World.” This racism, and its lasting effects on the social, political, and economic positions of black people in Jamaica led to a realization of the need to create a life, or a belief system, that would actually serve black people and their needs.
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.
Although there is a variety of music that could be examined to trace its evolution through time, there is one genre in particular that is quite interesting to examine. Though it differs from other types of music, it will be looked at in conjunction with Reggae music as they have similar ties. Reggae music is quite prominent today in the United States, parts of Africa, and of course Jamaica. Reggae is notoriously known for its most influential artist Bob Marley, and it is not unusual for one to have heard a few, if not many of his songs. Reggae’s popularity is steadily increasing and is doing so through both expansions of the music as well as increasing knowledge on the genre.
In the film “The Shawshank Redemption” directed by: Frank Darabont, one or more themes in the visual or oral text(s) can be applied to the wider society. In this case the themes are hope and redemption as Andy Dufrense spends 19 years in a violent prison for a crime he did not commit, although he survives alongside a couple of friends of his due to staying hopeful. The following will be outlined in this essay; Firstly, Andy’s redemptive act of playing beautiful music on a PA system for all parts of the prison. Secondly, Andy’s hopefulness nearly costing him his life during the tarring of the rooftop scene. Lastly, when Andy shares hope with his friend Red by helping him find hope before his last parole. The two themes
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'.
Rastafarianism is a religious movement that combines the cultural rituals of Jamaican folk Christianity with the Pan-Africanist movement lead by Marcus Garvey. The religion is influenced by the beliefs of the Nazarite Vow. This vow describes in great detail the significance of the Rastafari movement and the influence Samson has on Rasta’s. During the early twentieth century Marcus Garvey, “the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA),” prophesied the crowning of a black king (Olmos 183). Then a few years later his prophesy was considered fulfilled when Haile Selassie was named Emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafari was founded on November 2, 1930 with the crowning of Ras Tafari Makonnen, Haile Selassie, or Emperor of Ethiopia.
The Rastafari movement stems from the teachings of the great Jamaican leader and motivator of masses, Maces Garvey. Garvey told the African people of the world to unite and to return to African, the homeland. Garvey’s vision was for the “Blacks to overcome their feelings of inferiority and build upon their own unique and evolving culture, and ultimately return to Africa to redeem their homeland and to build a future...
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”.
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, Bob. "Bob Marley Quotes | Famous Quotes." Famous Quotes | Over 2,150,000 Famous Quotes | Movie Quotes | Inspirational Quotes & Sayings - Friendship & Life Quotes - | Proverbs! Great-quotes.com. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. .
Salmon, Barrington “ Bob Marley’s legacy lives forever” Miami Times, V. 73; N. 22 p. 5A, 2/18/1996
Rastafarianism owes a lot to Marcus Garvey, as he is credited as the founder. The religion was born on the words"Look to Africa for the crowning of a Black king."3 They waited and in 1930, the prophecy was fulfilled when, Ras Tafari Mekonnen was crowned emperor of Ethiopia and took the name Haile Selassie. Working from the bible and their own interpretations of it, the Rastafarians found evidence to support their claim and a religion was born. Marcus Garvey is considered part of the Rastafari Trinity, and"is second only to Haile Selassie,"4 the Rastafari God. Whether singing directly about Marcus Mosiah Garvey, or about Rastafarianism, reggae musicians are helping to spread the teachings of this black prophet and revolutionary to millions of music listeners all over the world.
Of the many genres of music, reggae is one that displays a positive message to its listeners. A prominent artist who clearly expressed this was Robert Nesta Marley, more commonly known as Bob Marley. Marley connected with his audience on a variety of levels. While he worked to unite the people of his country, Jamaica, he proclaimed his message across the world. Bob Marley persuades his audience to accept the message of ethnic unity through his message presentation, social interactions, lifestyle and musical lyrics.
Marley is illustrating the obliteration of Africans by slavery. These words describe how Africans were taken from their homeland that was filled with great resources and wealth to be brought to the Caribbean to work for Europeans on plantations. However, they remained strong because of God. Now the descendants of the slaves are given the chance of having the right to life that their ancestors never had. The next lines “Won 't you help to sing / These songs of freedom? / Because all I ever have / Redemption songs” (9-12). Marley is urging the Black community to sing songs of redemption. He is expressing that all he ever had was
King, Stephen; Jensen, Richard,(1995) Bob Marley's "Redemption Song": The rhetoric of reggae and Rastafari Journal of Popular Culture 29.3