Reggae Music Analysis

Introduction Reggae as a style of modern popular music expresses feelings and opinions about life, love and religion. It was originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s and rapidly arose as the country’s dominant music (Cooper, 2015). It is widely perceived as a forceful voice for the people under confrontation and struggle. As Reggae often bores the weight of politicized lyrics that addresses social and economic injustice, it helps to raise awareness about social and political issues. Among those who pioneered the new reggae sound like Toots and the Maytals, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, the luminary of reggae in Jamaica, hugely contributed to the international style of Reggae and advocated for social change. In this paper, I argue that reggae is a place where social and political messages take roots and can be expressed powerful to the audiences. I will specifically focus on the reggae’s biggest star Bob Marley and look at the historical background of 1970s Jamaica when Reggae became the dominant music in the country. I will also examine …show more content…
The song is constantly remixed and performed in different styles as diverse as mellow jazz to thunderous metal. Although it is performed in many variations, the original voice of the song remains true to active resistance to oppression and human rights violations throughout history (Sullivan, 2011). Countries like China, where English is not widely spoken, Marley’s “Get up Stand up” was played as marching song when Chinese students protested at Tiananmen Square in 1989 (Schmetzer, 1989). Recent example of Occupy Wall Street movement, Marley’s song “Get up stand up” gave inspiration to the protester as they challenge social and economic inequality as well as corporate greed and its influence upon government policy (BobMarlye.com,