Redemption Song
A solo acoustic farewell that draws on Marcus Garvey, closing the last album of his lifetime.
Bob Marley and the Wailers, from Uprising (1980)
- Written by
- Bob Marley
- Released
- 1980
- Album
- Uprising
Marley wrote it around 1979 and produced it with Chris Blackwell. It is a solo acoustic recording in G major, the last track on Uprising. Key lines come from Marcus Garvey, whom Marley recited at the Amandla Festival in July 1979. An early version exists among the Dada Demos, and a full-band version was released as a single in October 1980 in the UK and France with a live I Shot the Sheriff on the B-side.
Mutabaruka named it the most influential recording in Jamaican music history in 2009. Rolling Stone ranked it 66th on its list of the greatest songs in 2004 and 42nd in 2024.
Live
It debuted on 30 May 1980 in Zurich, opening the Uprising Tour. A performance from Dortmund on 13 June 1980 is on Uprising Live (2014).
Covers and versions
- Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1983)
- Stevie Wonder (1996)
- Moodswings with Tanita Tikaram (1997)
- Joe Strummer (2003) On Streetcore, and a duet with Johnny Cash.
More songs by Bob Marley and the Wailers
No Woman, No Cry, I Shot the Sheriff, Get Up, Stand Up, Exodus, Three Little Birds, Jamming, Is This Love, Could You Be Loved, Buffalo Soldier
Sources
- Redemption Song, Wikipedia
- Uprising (Bob Marley and the Wailers album), Wikipedia
- Bob Marley, Wikipedia