Reggae: Past, Present and Future

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The singular impact of 'One Love'
By Christopher John Farley

In the walkup to the annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 11, Bob Marley's song "One Love" was recently chosen as an inductee to the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame. It will join a select group of other tunes that have been judged to be among the most important and lasting recordings in musical history. This year's inductees include "London Calling" by the Clash, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley, "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin and "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.

About a year ago, National Public Radio asked me to talk about the origins of the song "One Love." I felt then, and I feel now, that "One Love" feels like a song that's timeless. It sounds like a traditional number, one that wasn't written by any specific person and was passed down from generation to generation, like "Auld Layne Syne," "I've Been Working on the Railroad," "Danny Boy," or "Linstead Market." Many traditional tunes are rooted in a single culture or nation or ethnic group. They are Scottish or American or Irish or, in the case of "Linstead Market," Jamaican.

"One Love" is, of course, a Jamaican reggae song. But most listeners don't see it as being part of any one region — it has been embraced around the globe as an anthem to the human spirit. The song's title has also become a greeting — people the world over will say hello and goodbye with the words "One Love." A few years ago, the BBC chose "One Love" as the song of the century.

Only some songs become hits. But there is something grander than being a success on the charts. Only a few special songs that were authored by individual songwriters go on to become traditional numbers — compositions that touch something so deep and profound in listeners that they seem as if they emerged from the culture as a whole. "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan would be another example. It's hard to imagine someone actually took pen to paper and wrote the song. It seems like an ancient part of the landscape, like mountains, valleys and rivers.

People around the world love "One Love," but one person authored it and his name is Bob Marley. In fact, almost no song in Marley's catalogue better represents his growth as a songwriter and the increasing sophistication of his philosophical outlook than "One Love." It's a song that actually underwent many changes throughout Marley's career.

"One Love's" early roots were in American soul. The song draws from the song "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield. (In fact, Mayfield is credited as a co-writer in the song's later incarnations) The original Wailers were admirers of American soul, and Marley and his bandmates, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, closely studied the work of Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions.

The original "One Love" also moved to a different beat than the version that would achieve worldwide popularity. The earliest performances of "One Love" were rooted in ska. When the original Wailers performed the song in 1965, it was jerkier, faster-paced, and it made no overt reference to the philosophy of Rastafari that the group members would later embrace.

When Marley recorded the song for the 1977 album "Exodus," the lyrics were more informed by the teaching of Rastafari. But the song was broader than a single doctrine. It was a tune for people of all faiths and all backgrounds to find themselves in. "One Love" wasn't just a song about unity — it came to embody the concept as well.

Christopher John Farley is the author of the biography "Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley" and the novel "Kingston by Starlight."