Is This Love By Bob Marley And The Wailers
More Than A Love Song

Is This Love By Bob Marley And The Wailers | Image Source: discogs.com

By Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

If I were to compile a playlist of the best Jamaican reggae love songs of all time, "Is This Love" by Bob Marley and the Wailers would definitely be in the top 10, possibly even the top 5. It's soft, smooth, and melodic, and gives you all the mushy feelings that a love song should evoke. But this song is more than just a lover's tale.

“Is This Love” was released in 1978, a time riddled with violence and chaos in Bob Marley's life and Jamaica's history.

Have you seen the movie, Bob Marley- One Love? It was released on Valentine’s day, February 14, 2024, and is a perfect depiction of what was going on in his life at that time. As it goes, in December 1976, Bob Marley, along with his wife Rita Marley and manager Don Taylor, was shot at his home in Jamaica, just days before, Smile Jamaica, a concert planned to ease the violence in the country. Thankfully they all survived and despite being injured, Marley went ahead with the concert, showing how committed he was to fostering a better Jamaica. Afterwards, he left Jamaica for a period, seeking safety and continuing his musical journey abroad.

His time abroad gave Bob the space he needed to come to terms with his public status and influence and how he wanted to use that influence to promote love, peace and unity, not just in Jamaica but globally. As a Rastafarian, he saw this as a part of his duty.

During his time in London, he worked on two major albums, Exodus which was released in 1977 and had some of my favourite tracks like "Jamming," "Three Little Birds," and "One Love/People Get Ready” which emphasized hope, unity, peace and togetherness. Then in 1978, the year he returned to Jamaica, he released Kaya, which featured this masterpiece, “Is This Love”, which was all about love, peace and contentment.

While some may have said that with the release of this song, he had gone “soft”, the song was a true reflection of where he was in life at the time, but it was also released when what Jamaica needed was softness and love, because at that time we were hardened by poverty, political violence and crime.

One of the most significant and historic events following Marley's return was the "One Love Peace Concert" held on April 22, 1978, at the National Stadium in Kingston. Bob did the almost impossible and brought together the warring political leaders Michael Manley (People's National Party) and Edward Seaga (Jamaica Labour Party) onstage, where they shook hands in a symbolic gesture of peace and unity, with Marley and his music serving as a powerful backdrop to the reconciliation.

"Is This Love" is optimistic and hopeful, which is exactly what we needed.

“Is This Love” went on to peak at number 9 on the UK Charts and is still to this day one of his most iconic songs. Check out some of Bob Marley and The Wailers top songs. 

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References & Sources For Is This Love By Bob Marley And The Wailers

1. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Is This Love. (n.d.). Genius. https://genius.com/Bob-marley-and-the-wailers-is-this-love-lyrics

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