Friday, April 5, 2024

All I ever had

Without poetry, we wouldn’t have songs. Songs without lyrics are instrumental music. A songwriter or lyricist may have a melody in mind when s/he writes a song, but usually the words guide the music.

Bob Marley was inspired to write “Redemption Song” after hearing a speech by pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. Unlike most of his other pieces, this one was meant to be sung as a solo, with only acoustic guitar as accompaniment. Therefore, it’s pretty uncomplicated on the surface, but there’s a whole lot of stuff going on. It’s always been one of my favorites.

This video was released by Marley’s estate in February 2020. There’s a lot going on here, too.

Today's National Poetry Month entry: "Redemption Song."


 

 

No comments: