Hanna Chu
A&E Editor
Just as movies have theme songs, there are songs fitting of different moments in life, and right now, in light of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the week of Peace, Hope and Justice, Bob Marley is the musician of choice.
Normally, I’m not a huge fan of reggae, and the only song I knew that I liked is “I Shot the Sheriff,” but I popped the CD in my player anyway.
I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed Bob Marley and found myself answering my cell phone with “Jah mon!”
It’s really sad that our generation only thinks about the magical green leaf when they think of Bob Marley.
What about everything good ‘ole Bob sang about and had faith in? I mean, he was an extremely passionate person about the things that he believed, so much so that when doctors discovered cancer in his left toe and recommended that it be amputated, he refused because of his Rastafarian beliefs that a body should be kept whole. He reportedly said, “Rasta no abide amputation. I don’t allow a mon ta be dismantled.”
No wonder he smoked so much pot. The poor guy lived with cancer in his entire body, for crying out loud.
And in his dazed and confused state, he still sang about issues more pertinent than just love, although “No Woman No Cry” is also a fabulous thought-provoking song. When I first listened to “Get Up, Stand Up,” I became very indignant about the social injustice going on in third world countries, and I pressed the repeat button and sang along passionately with Marley, yelling “Don’t give up the fight” out my window while driving down Pacific Coast Highway.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” and that’s precisely what Marley does. He promotes “One Love” among all peoples.
You see, music can be more than a hobby or leisure listening. Music soothes my different emotions and can often be an escape from reality into a new reality. And sometimes, a musician can urge you on to be a “Buffalo Soldier,” and artists, like Bob Marley, become powerful instruments for change.
01-19-2006
