"One Love," which adapts several lines from Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready," was originally recorded in 1965 by Bob alongside fellow Wailers Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh and was produced by Coxsone Dodd for his legendary Studio One label featuring the jaunty tempo that typified the era's ska music. However, much better known is the more melodic interpretation of "One Love" that was included on Bob's 1977 album Exodus (cited as Time magazine's Album of the Century). With its slower reggae beat and cheerily plunked piano chords, the Exodus rendition of "One Love" was selected by the Jamaican Tourist Board as its theme song in the early 90s and continues to be used by the organization to promote the island within the competitive travel industry.
"One Love" symbolizes the message of Jamaica to the world through tourism as we seek to promote peace and harmony and tolerance of all people," explains David Shields, Deputy Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board. "The song has been used repeatedly by the tourist board to promote Jamaica and in recent research, our consumers have indicated that not only does the song resonate positively but as a destination Jamaica resonates positively through the song. So Bob Marley's iconic presence and his music continues to represent Jamaica and our work in a positive way and in all of our campaigns we continue to use 'One Love' and reggae as one of our unique selling propositions to the world."
Reggae artists often sing "One Love" as a means of evoking a sense of togetherness at the end of their performances; the term is used as a salutation or parting sentiment among Rastafarians, and is nearly as ubiquitous as the word "irie" as an embellishment on various Jamaican souvenirs. BBC television selected "One Love" as the anthem of their 24-hour millennium coverage and because of the song's wide-ranging appeal the esteemed network went on to name it their "Song of the Millenium".
"Everyone at the BBC suggested different songs as the best song of the millennium and 'One Love' came through with the most votes," says Chris Goldfinger of the BBC's Radio One Reggae/Dancehall show. "The song was chosen because of the quality of the lyrics, it has a strong positive message which is needed today; every country has its own national anthem but 'One Love' could be the world's anthem."
Despite "One Love's" irresistible, all-inclusive chorus, a closer listen to its verses reveals that the song's lyrics are far too complex to be perceived solely as a benign love anthem. "One Love's" pointed first verse could be directed at Marley's enemies (he was shot at his Kingston home just 18 months before Exodus was released) or the detractors who objected to his Rastafarian lifestyle as the global representation of Jamaica: "Let them all pass all their dirty remarks, there is one question I really want to ask is there a place for the hopeless sinner who has hurt all mankind just to save his soul?"
On the second verse (the antithesis of welcoming tourists to the land of sea and sun) Bob confronts the apocalypse with lyrics that warn of the impending disaster that awaits those who deviate from a path of righteousness: "Lets get together to fight this holy Armageddon so when the Man comes there will be no no doom/have pity on those whose chances grow thinner, there ain't no hiding place from the Father of creation".
So how did a song rife with such an ominous imagery become a Jamaican tourism slogan? (Perhaps the most curious usage of "One Love" was as background music for a series of TV commercials for the Publix supermarket chain in Florida in the 1990s.) Has Marley's visionary verse been subverted by his popularity? Does he run the risk of being reduced to a placid icon whose image is emblazoned on T-shirts and coffee mugs, devoid of the revolutionary rhetoric that made him such a compelling global force? Often, that's the price paid for such widespread acceptance. But the integrity of Marley's music will endure, with its original message intact, among listeners who are willing to, as he sang, "check out the real situation".
"Marley's revolutionary, radical work will remain an awakening for generations much the same as other spiritual truths and in the age of global media, slick music videos and 30 second attention spans, the relevance of Marley's universal work will continue to grow as will his popularity," observes Andrea Davis, the Kingston based founder/producer of International Reggae Day, an interactive event observed on July 1 that celebrates the global impact of reggae music. "The Internet and other new technologies allow people all over the world to control what they listen to which gives them more choices so they are free to dig deeper into the music and experience the fullness of Marley's reggae magic which at the heart of it is the radical message of LOVE..."
"One Love" is the recipe for humanity's wellness...a very empowering and timeless message to the world delivered with masterfully simple imagery," Davis continued. "Beyond the holy Armageddon context, the song is a powerful affirmation for everyone to get together and feel all right; it suggests we have the power to control the outcome. As a tourism slogan it has worked because of Bob Marley's phenomenal international appeal but it would be even more effective if Jamaica was able to restore a productive socio-economic balance and credibly promote wellness, having achieved it with its own people."