The Cultural and Human Elements of the Great Bob Marley’s Music
Macias 1
The Cultural and Human Elements of the Great Bob Marley’s Music One of the elements of being human in Bob Marley’s life was his religious beliefs in Rastafarianism and the way it influenced his music. Social justice issues, social classes, dialect, the government and economic systems of Jamaica are some of the cultural elements that were a great part of Bob Marley’s music, along with his faith, that helped inspired countless of his musical achievements. In addition to, he weaved these elements together to create his music, his style. In his music, there are various human elements that come into play throughout his legendary life that support the all mighty question: What does it mean to be human? Rastafarian theology developed from the ideas of Marcus Garvey, a political activist who wanted to improve the status of fellow blacks, according to the BBC. It began to spread globally in the 1970’s due to the fame and music of Bob Marley, who actively and faithfully, preached Rastafarian into his music. In the song, ‘Get Up, Stand Up’, which deals with the Rastafarian faith, has become an anthem for sufferers everywhere. As Bob Marley was quoted in ‘Catch a Fire’ saying “Facts an’ facts, an’ t’ings an’ t’ings: dem’s all a lotta fockin’ bullshit. Hear me! Dere is no truth, an’ that is de truth of Jah Rastafari.” This is an example of one of the cultural and human elements of religion that had an impact on his music. Macias 2 The struggles of the urban poor in Jamaica and third world countries are represented in the song ‘Concrete Jungle’, where it represents the poverty and tension found in any ghetto, as Casey Gane-McCalla wrote in ‘NewsOne for Black
The Cultural and Human Elements of the Great Bob Marley’s Music One of the elements of being human in Bob Marley’s life was his religious beliefs in Rastafarianism and the way it influenced his music. Social justice issues, social classes, dialect, the government and economic systems of Jamaica are some of the cultural elements that were a great part of Bob Marley’s music, along with his faith, that helped inspired countless of his musical achievements. In addition to, he weaved these elements together to create his music, his style. In his music, there are various human elements that come into play throughout his legendary life that support the all mighty question: What does it mean to be human? Rastafarian theology developed from the ideas of Marcus Garvey, a political activist who wanted to improve the status of fellow blacks, according to the BBC. It began to spread globally in the 1970’s due to the fame and music of Bob Marley, who actively and faithfully, preached Rastafarian into his music. In the song, ‘Get Up, Stand Up’, which deals with the Rastafarian faith, has become an anthem for sufferers everywhere. As Bob Marley was quoted in ‘Catch a Fire’ saying “Facts an’ facts, an’ t’ings an’ t’ings: dem’s all a lotta fockin’ bullshit. Hear me! Dere is no truth, an’ that is de truth of Jah Rastafari.” This is an example of one of the cultural and human elements of religion that had an impact on his music. Macias 2 The struggles of the urban poor in Jamaica and third world countries are represented in the song ‘Concrete Jungle’, where it represents the poverty and tension found in any ghetto, as Casey Gane-McCalla wrote in ‘NewsOne for Black
Cited: Page BBC Religion, 2nd Oct. 2009, Web http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/rastafari/ataglance/glance.shtml Gane – McCalla, Casey “Top 10 Most Politically Significant Bob Marley Songs”, Web, http://newsone.com/1224855/top-10-most-politically-significant-bob-marley-songs/ 11th May 2011 Dallas, Karl; http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/apr/17/bob-marley-interview 17th April 2012 White, Timothy. Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley. New York: St Martin 's Griffin, 2000. Print. Dorsey, Greg M. "Bob Marley: The Man and The Legend." The Dread Library, Apr. 1998. Web. 29th Jan. 2014 http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/dorsey.html