Marley's idea was that everyone in the world should stop fighting and become one - a similar sentiment to John Lennon's "Imagine" and George Harrison's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)." There is, however, a deeper meaning behind the song than a simple call for unity. Some of the lyrics are about oppression and how sinners will pay for their evil deeds in the end. For many listeners, the deeper message is lost in the overwhelming chorus.
Marley wrote this song amid the turmoil of the Jamaican elections in December 1976. Marley had supported Michael Manley when he won the election in 1972 and became Prime Minister of Jamaica, but four years later, Marley was by far the most popular person in Jamaica, and he refused to take a political stance as the country was divided between Manley's People's National Party and the Jamaican Labour Party headed by Edward Seaga.
It was very violent time in the country, and Marley tried to stay politically neutral while offering peace and shelter however he could - his Hope Road home was kind of a safehouse for people with nowhere to go. The journalist Vivien Goldman was with Marley at the time and remembers him working on "One Love" while sitting on his small bed while a young girl sat on the other end and other visitors gathered in the room. Marley created a song that was both peaceful and angry at the same time.
An early version of this song was released in 1965 (by The Wailers) and issued as a single in Jamaica. In 1977, Bob Marley & the Wailers released the updated version on the Exodus album which became the definitive rendition and made #5 in the UK.
This incorporates parts of the 1965 Impressions song "People Get Ready." Impressions leader Curtis Mayfield, who wrote that song, was a big influence on Bob Marley, and "People Get Ready" contains many elements of Marley's message: unity, spirituality and struggle.
The 1965 version of "One Love" didn't credit Mayfield, but when the 1977 version was issued, it was listed as "One Love/People Get Ready" and credited to Marley and Mayfield.
In America, the only version of this song to chart was by the cast of the TV show Glee, who brought the song to #41 in 2010.
Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream manufacturer known for quirky flavors (including "Cherry Garcia," inspired by the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia), named a banana-flavored pint after this tune. Mix-ins include caramel and graham cracker swirls and chocolate peace signs. A similar concoction, "Satisfy My Bowl," was released in the UK in 2014 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Marley's Legend album.
Jason Mraz sang this in a 2005 Gap commercial, which featured artists wearing their favorite Gap-brand jeans while singing their favorite songs. Mraz, who regards Marley as his idol in both music and life, frequently covers Marley's tunes in concert.
This was used in several movies, including Shrek Forever
Answers & Comments
Answer:
Marley's idea was that everyone in the world should stop fighting and become one - a similar sentiment to John Lennon's "Imagine" and George Harrison's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)." There is, however, a deeper meaning behind the song than a simple call for unity. Some of the lyrics are about oppression and how sinners will pay for their evil deeds in the end. For many listeners, the deeper message is lost in the overwhelming chorus.
Marley wrote this song amid the turmoil of the Jamaican elections in December 1976. Marley had supported Michael Manley when he won the election in 1972 and became Prime Minister of Jamaica, but four years later, Marley was by far the most popular person in Jamaica, and he refused to take a political stance as the country was divided between Manley's People's National Party and the Jamaican Labour Party headed by Edward Seaga.
It was very violent time in the country, and Marley tried to stay politically neutral while offering peace and shelter however he could - his Hope Road home was kind of a safehouse for people with nowhere to go. The journalist Vivien Goldman was with Marley at the time and remembers him working on "One Love" while sitting on his small bed while a young girl sat on the other end and other visitors gathered in the room. Marley created a song that was both peaceful and angry at the same time.
An early version of this song was released in 1965 (by The Wailers) and issued as a single in Jamaica. In 1977, Bob Marley & the Wailers released the updated version on the Exodus album which became the definitive rendition and made #5 in the UK.
This incorporates parts of the 1965 Impressions song "People Get Ready." Impressions leader Curtis Mayfield, who wrote that song, was a big influence on Bob Marley, and "People Get Ready" contains many elements of Marley's message: unity, spirituality and struggle.
The 1965 version of "One Love" didn't credit Mayfield, but when the 1977 version was issued, it was listed as "One Love/People Get Ready" and credited to Marley and Mayfield.
In America, the only version of this song to chart was by the cast of the TV show Glee, who brought the song to #41 in 2010.
Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream manufacturer known for quirky flavors (including "Cherry Garcia," inspired by the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia), named a banana-flavored pint after this tune. Mix-ins include caramel and graham cracker swirls and chocolate peace signs. A similar concoction, "Satisfy My Bowl," was released in the UK in 2014 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Marley's Legend album.
Jason Mraz sang this in a 2005 Gap commercial, which featured artists wearing their favorite Gap-brand jeans while singing their favorite songs. Mraz, who regards Marley as his idol in both music and life, frequently covers Marley's tunes in concert.
This was used in several movies, including Shrek Forever
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