(Bob Marley, Part II)
“Waiting In Vain”
This light-hearted theme is again continued and built on by “Waiting In Vain,” a song that personally makes me feel like I’m lying on a beach in Jamaica, sun on my skin, maybe with the love of my life beside me— enjoying the feel of the earth’s warmth and the soft spray of the azure colored ocean waves. Putting aside how it makes one feel, “Waiting In Vain” is a serenade of a reggae love song that is allegedly about Cindy Breakspeare, mother to Damian Marley, and former lover of Bob Marley. The lines of “it’s been three years since I’ve been knocking on your door,” claims Breakspeare in an interview, was actually about Marley’s incessant knocking of her door which happened to be an out-house type living unit on Bob Marley’s property at 56 Hope Road.
As the title of the song so aptly puts it, the song is about having affection for another in the hopes of reciprocity. At this point in Marley’s career, I doubt whether he had any trouble getting anyone he desired, but it isn’t hard to believe that maybe Breakspeare had him run for his money since in 1976, she was crowned Miss World—and as such was probably desired by many herself.
Regardless of who it’s about and Marley’s motivations, “Waiting In Vain” is a beautifully written love song that is anthem for many lovers—rooty or not.
“Turn Your Lights Down Low”
“Turn Your Lights Down Low” is track that evokes mellow emotions and moods from its start. The first few lyrics is actually Marley creating the mood and space he’s trying to sustain throughout the song: “Turn your lights down low, pull your window curtains, let jah moon come shining in.”
I’ve listened to this song many times over, but I think I’m just now noticing some eroticism that have absolutely flew past me in the past. The particular line “I wanna give you some good, good lovin’” immediately followed by “turn your lights down low,” gave me that light bulb moment.
It seems that in the later parts of Exodus, Marely is expressing and communicating the more sensitive and loving side of him. Having “Turn Your Lights Down Low” closer to the end of the album—and particularly after “Waiting In Vain” is an appropriate choice. It almost seems like a story; turns out he didn’t have to wait in vain, and now he is—as he puts it—giving, and presumably receiving—that “good, good lovin.’”
“Three Little Birds”
Now on to one of the most known songs in reggae history: “Three Little Birds.” I want to emphasize that it being popular, or mainstream has little to nothing to do with the value of the song as it is. It’s popular because it’s a great song. However, it is also popular because almost everyone on the earth can relate to it. Again, this is not a bad thing.
“Three Little Birds” is a beautifully sang and written song that is uplifting and comforting. And that in itself is a commendable thing. To write a song as simple as “Three Little Birds” but have it mean so much to so many different people only speaks to the genius of Bob Marley as a singer and songwriter.
For some, “Three Little Birds” might be the only track that symbolizes Bob Marley and his politics. The only potential problem is that this gives leeway for people to interpret Marley as this non-violent, love-your-enemy, type of person through and through. This thought process disregards the first half of the album (some will argue his entire career) that clearly speaks to the militant— or downright pessimistic—side of Marley. Like any person, he’s too complex to fit him in the box we may have constructed in our heads.
“One Love/People Get Ready”
This is another Bob Marley classic that was actually remade into a reggae song from the original Ska version released in 1965 in The Wailing Wailers album. “One Love,” much like “Three Little Birds” continues that theme of peace and love for all people. These last two tracks really speak to the loving person that Bob Marely truly was because despite the ills he suffered—from his own countrymen no less—he understood that love was necessary. That love makes you “feel alright.” The same love that helps one “have pity on those whose chances grow thinner.” The same love that helps us “fight this holy Armageddon.”
As Marley puts it, this is his “plea to mankind.” As such, this is a great choice with which to close the album because it shows listeners that, again, Marley is not disillusioned by the horrors he’s experienced with the threat on his life and the political violence he saw his people subjected to. Rather, it shows that he truly does have hope for the future.
As significant as Exodus is to Bob Marley & The Wailers’ career—and to the genre of reggae—by no means is this album the superlative work of Marley’s career in any capacity. Before Exodus, Marley—with the help of the original Wailers, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer—created revolutionary reggae albums like Burnin,’ Catch a Fire, and Natty Dread. After Exodus, Marley continued to drop classic works like Kaya (1978), Survival (1979), and the last one before his death—Uprising (1980). Even his posthumous album Confrontation (1983) (which I argue is the least popular album in terms of reach) is a classic in its own right. It seems that for Bob Marley, creating timeless music was second nature.
BY SOLYANA BEKELE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 29 JUNE 2024
