Bob Marley: Stunning Singer Become Out of the Composer - Case Study Example

Term Project Paper: Art Essay BOB MARLEY: MUSIC COMPOSER, LYRICIST AND SINGER Introduction The music of Bob Marley (1947-1981) is highly significant because he was the first superstar to emerge from the Third World. Although Marley passed away at the young age of 36 years, he left several hundred songs written during his short lifetime. The musician had an early childhood background of extreme poverty, however his deep faith broke through in Rastafarianism; and he was the pioneer of a new Reggae rhythm distinctive of Jamaican music. Marley wrote lyrics that were powerfully emotional in content, and had a deep impact on his listeners (Moskowitz, 2007). Nearly thirty years after his death, Bob Marley’s music with his band The Wailers, continues to be popular and relevant in contemporary times. The artiste’s music which transcended the limits of race, color, economic class or language, appealed to fans all over the world. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate Bob Marley as a musical artiste; determine the historical context and themes of his songs; his major works, the greatest contribution he has made towards equality, peace and hope, discuss some of his songs; and determine Marley’s legacy and global influence. Discussion The Historical Context of Bob Marley’s Music Bob Marley initially emerged in North America in the 1970s, and proved himself to be a popular cultural icon from the beginning of his music career until after his death in 1981. Over the years, Marley has evolved constantly in his work as a musician. The predominant historical context of his songs was the oppression of the blacks and their deprivation of human rights in America, and their poorly developed conditions in Africa. With American society and culture changing with the increasing presence of new, racialized West Indian immigrants, even the legend of Bob Marley has “adapted to fit the changing moods of the past three decades” (Stephens,1998, p.139). The memory and image of Marley in the United States was constructed on three aspects. From the Rastafarian outlaw of the 1970s, Marley’s image evolved to the natural family man of the 1980s, changing to the natural mystic in the 1990s. Through the series of changes, Marley’s image has represented ideologies of national liberation and black power, multiculturalism, universal pluralism, and very recently, transnationalism. The contemporary era of postmodernism and late capitalism, with increasing development of multinational corporations and mass media industries, is reflected in the construction of Bob Marley as the “natural mystic”. The musician’s message has been promoted globally with the help of the resources and networks of American record labels. Additionally, Marley’s life and work has benefited greatly from “black transnationalism” which is “a rich, century-long tradition of black internationalist movements and ideologies” (Stephens, 1998, p.139). Bob Marley’s Major Works and Greatest Contribution In 1963, Bob Marley along with five others formed a ska group which they later termed as The Wailers, after becoming a professional music group. By 1966, the group members changed, and Marley married Rita Anderson. Converting to Rastafarianism on returning to Jamaica, Marley’s dreadlocks became his trademark hair style. Marley not only created the Reggae sound, he was also an expert lyricist. His compositions had powerful meaning that packed a punch, while the music was pleasing on the surface. This technique of avoiding an overtly political or venomous approach was deliberate, to maintain its commercial value and radio-friendly effect (Moskowitz, 2007). In his experimentations with different sounds, he used a doo-wop style on Stay with Me, and a slow love song style popular in the 1960s in the song Splish for My Splash. Catch a Fire was the first album released by the Wailers in 1973. The next year the album Burnin’ included the well-known songs Get Up, Stand Up and I Shot the Sheriff (Kwame & Dawes, 2002). In 1974, the Wailers broke up; however Bob Marley continued his work under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers, with a new band. In 1975, the song No, Woman, No Cry, Marley’s first hit outside Jamaica from the album Natty Dread brought his breakthrough on an international scale. Next came his breakthrough album in the United States in 1976, Rastaman Vibration which continued at the top of the charts for four weeks. Through this album, Marley “takes on the world as his thematic concern and establishes himself as a voice of international relevance”, state Kwame & Dawes (2002, p.178). Towards the end of 1976, after Marley and his group survived an assault on their lives, he recorded the Exodus and Kaya albums, while in self-imposed exile. The former album which contained four United Kingdom hit singles including Exodus, Waiting in Vain, Jamming, and One Love, continued to appear in the British album charts for fifty-six consecutive weeks. In 1978, Marley returned to America and performed at the One Love Peace Concert, another political music event towards bringing peace among warring groups. His on-stage efforts to bring friendship between the two rival leaders of the ruling party and the opposition party in Jamaica, resulted in a successful outcome. Eleven albums were released under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers, four of which were live, and the remaining seven were studio albums. Babylon by Bus released in 1978, was a double live album with thirteen tracks, and received critical acclaim (Moskowitz, 2007). The songs in this album, particularly the final track Jammin’ with the audience in a frenzy reflected the intensity of Marley’s live performances. In the summer of 1979, Bob Marley’s album Survival was released. The songs had themes of rebellion, religion and breaking free from oppression. The total number of ten songs in the album were Marley’s “most personal commentary on his life and the world surrounding him” (Moskowitz, 2007, p.53). The tracks recorded in the album included: So Much Trouble in the World, Zimbabwe, Top Rankin’, Babylon System, Survival, Africa Unite, One Drop, Ride Natty Ride, Ambush in the Night, and Wake Up and Live. Marley’s role as leader of the oppressed black men in the western world was evident. in most of the songs in this album. His Rastafarian compositions which drew strength from religion, expressed his desire to remove the oppressors’ chains, and the dawning of a new era which promised black freedom and global harmony. The African diaspora were deeply influenced by the power of his lyrics, and looked to the Rastafarian warrior to bring them peace and equality in an unjust world (Moskowitz, 2007). The album Survival was composed of “pure, militant Reggae with Bob Marley at his most potent best. Going beyond the artiste’s long-standing emphasis on peace for blacks in Jamaica, the new album with a Pan-African theme became an inherent part of Marley’s music and life throughout his remaining years on earth. His messages were also conveyed through his characteristic and increasing preference for quoting Bible passages (Moskowitz, 2007). Marley and the Wailers expressed their concern for social issues in Jamaica, from a vitriolic denunciation of the harassment of Rastas by police in “Rebel Music (3 O’Clock Road Block)” to “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)”. Through these songs they warned the Democratic Socialist Regime of Prime Minister Michael Manley that the ghetto population deprived of the rights of citizenship, was essentially a powerful political force. The songs were often igniting and mesmerizing renderings, filled with images of Third World strife, and founded on the principles of the Rastafarian faith as well as the guidelines and proverbs drawn from African folklore. The “musical missionary work of Bob Marley and the Wailers” (White, 2000, p.160) based on reggae developed over several years, spread the religious creed of Rasta far beyond Jamaica. Marley and his group delivered their songs in a lyrical dialect, sounding like heart-felt incantations. Bob Marley participated at the Amandla Festival in Boston in July 1979, to express his strong opposition to South African apartheid, which he had already shown in his song War in 1976. The musician’s final studio album was Uprising in 1980, and is considered to be one of his most religious productions as exemplified in the songs Redemption Song and Forever Loving Jah, where Jah is the short form of Jehovah. Following the release of Uprising, the music group undertook an extensive tour of Europe, and later America, playing their largest concert ever, to an audience of a hundred thousand in Milan. After Bob Marley passed away in 1981 because of cancer, a collection of his unreleased recorded material was released posthumously. This album Confrontation included the new mixes of singles earlier available only in Jamaica, and his hit Buffalo Soldier which likened the struggles of the oppressed blacks to those of the black cavalry in the west (Sheridan, 1999). Marley’s Legacy and the Impact of his Music There are some similarities between Bob Marley and Barack Obama. Marley was a leader of oppressed black men, influencing great numbers of people through his music (Stephens, 1999), while Obama’s leadership qualities are evident as President of the United States. Both men come from racially and culturally mixed heritage from both black and white lineages. Additionally, both were brought up in the absence of their biological fathers, which may be the reason why family, community and nations of a more inclusive nature were important ideologies for them. Both addressed a multi-racial mixed audience, and this fact when combined with their mixed heritage had significant impact on their identity, as well as the method and content of their communication. In his native Jamaica, Marley was both a folk hero as well as a rock star. He was well known for achieving the paradox of drawing rapt attention from white American and European audiences for his songs of black retribution; and similarly making Jamaican creoles “dance with pride to the heart beat of its own sorrows and follies” (White, 2000, p.4). His music had a great impact on people located across the globe; and the sentiments woven into his lyrics inspired the blacks to break free from oppression. Further contribution of Marley’s music was evident in the Reggae Sunsplash Concert Series he began in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 1979. His performance with The Wailers made headlines despite heavy rains hampering their performance; and the concert was appreciated by an international audience. For these reasons, The Concert Series continues to be staged till this day, showcasing the best of Jamaican Reggae talent, followed by an extensive world tour promoting Jamaican music (Moskowitz, 2007). Bob Marley’s musical legacy lives on through several of his children who continue his art form, and also sustain his music for the world to hear (Moskowitz, 2007, p.87). He was honored with the higherst awards of achievement and merit. Further, Marley and the Wailers’ Exodus was selected by Time magazine as the greatest album of the 20th century, while Rebel Music won numerous awards at the Grammys. However, the most significant feature denoting Marley’s worth is his withstanding the test of time. Conclusion This paper has highlighted Bob Marley’s musical genius as a reggae artiste with a strong religious base in Rastafarism. The historical context of his songs was the unfavourable position in which blacks were held, and his themes focused on their travails. His call to the blacks across the world to break free from their shackles of slavery, towards equality and peace was uniquely expressed through his music. His extensive contributions towards a world of peace and freedom from discrimination, through his major albums, well-known songs, and concerts have been discussed. Thus, the evidence indicates that Bob Marley, the pioneer and undisputed king of reggae music was revered all over the world as the “revolutionary Rasta firebrand” (White, 2000, p.24). The music composer and singer has had a largely mainstream image that appealed to his mixed audiences including white liberals in America, but his black transnational legacy speaks of his actual role in inspiring and empowering blacks across the world to struggle up and out of their abject conditions as victims of discrimination and oppression. Therefore, Bob Marley’s work showcases a musician’s influence on American popular culture through black transnational culture. He continues to live on as a great musical and sociopolitical influence. References Kwame, S. & Dawes, N. (2002). Bob Marley: Lyrical genius. New York: Sanctuary Publishers. Moskowitz, D.V. (2007). Bob Marley: A biography. The United States of America: Greenwood Publishing Group. Sheridan, M. (1999). Bob Marley: Soul rebel: The stories behind every song 1962-1981. The United States of America: Thunder’s Mouth Press. Stephens, G. (1999). On racial frontiers: The new culture of Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison, and Bob Marley. The United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Stephens, M.A. (April 1998). Babylon’s “Natural Mystic”: The north American music industry, the legend of Bob Marley, and the incoporation of transnationalism. Cultural Studies, 12(2): pp.139-167. White, T. (2000). Catch a fire: The life of Bob Marley. Edition 2. New York: Omnibus Press. Read More