If you are a music fan (and really, who isn't to some degree?) Then you may believe in the "power of music" and maybe you have also seen the Will Smith movie I Am Legend (based off of the 1971 Charlton Heston movie, The Omega Man? Well if not, I'd recommend seeing it.) But if you did or know that the Bob Marley song "Three Little Birds" is in it, then you might have an idea at just how Bob Marley and his songs are still regarded highly to this day. But, how is this iconic Reggae artist and musician as well known as other icons, say: John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, and Che Guevara, etc.? How does his message transcend generations, and would it be relevant now or in the future?
Robert Nesta Marley or "Bob," as we all know of him, had been inducted after his passing into "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 1994, (same year as John Lennon.) Well, here is a connection to Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, and Elvis Presley (all inductees of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cobain through Nirvana being inducted.) But, why would the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" induct a Reggae star? Well, we can look at one of the legend's own quotes, "Reggae music, soul music, rock music - every song is a sign." Wow, from this we can gather that he believed that there were no boundaries and all music was simply music. (In that case one could argue that he would think of death metal and extreme metal as simply being music as well?) Possibly, but with this thought perhaps the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has the same idea? (One can argue that they have inducted other styles of music aside from rock and roll.) Or, one can also look at the LP he put out called Rastaman Vibrations was regarded of possibly being more Rock & Roll than Reggae, so perhaps he did also delve into Rock music as well.
Okay, there is the connection to John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, and Elvis. But, how does Bob Marley tie in with a figure like Che Guevara, why are all of these people still icons and can be seen on merchandise or shirts today? Well, Bob Marley's famous band The Wailers (along with his solo work), promoted change and put injustices in the spotlight. Ernesto R. Guevara del la Serna or "Che" was a revolutionary who aided Fidel Castro of Cuba. Now, while the two in affiliations and actions may have been opposites, both are regarded as revolutionary legends. Perhaps their link as wanting change and the amount of persuasive power they had and possibly the impact they had on the world was similar, so this could tie the two together.
But, Reggae is such a laid back and relaxing music, how could Bob Marley's message be so powerful that it still may be heard to this day? Well, the song "Three Little Birds" first appeared on the album Exodus and is perhaps one of his most famous songs. It has been covered by artist such as: Panic! At The Disco, Jason Mraz, Black 47, Keith Frank (Louisiana artist), The Postmarks, Billy Ocean, Sean Paul & Ziggy Marley (for the film Shark Tale), Gilberto Gil, Robbie Williams, Karen David, Connie Talbot, Elizabeth Mitchell, etc. Interestingly enough, the baseball player Shane Victorino of the, Anaheim Angels and The 2013 Boston Red Sox, would use the song when he was at-bat; apparently the crowd would always sing-along and it may be one of the reasons the team won "The World Series" that year?
The song "Three Little Birds" is said to be about varying things. According to a friend of Bob, Tony Gilbert, the song is about pelicans that would chill around a window at Hope Road, according to Marcia Griffiths it could also be that the birds refer to her other 2 female singers of the group I Threes, the song could also deal with Christianity (if you believe in religion, etc.) According to an article on Christianpost.com by Christine Thomasos, Abuna Yesehaq (the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of the Western Hemisphere) claims that he baptized Bob Marley and that Mr. Marley died a Christian despite being such a huge figure in Rastafarianism.
One thing is certain, despite what religious association Bob Marley had strongest ties with, his music helped people all over the world to: relax, be aware of a system that was exploiting and controlling people, to see marijuana as not a plant for oppression or an evil but something to possibly enhance one's mind with, etc. It is interesting now, that medical marijuana is being legalized in a few of the US states, well 23 and D.C. Some of the one's that haven't are: Tennessee, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Jersey, Kentucky, Wyoming, and Mississippi, etc. In a way could it be that Bob Marley's preaching about the good of marijuana might have had an impact on the current allowing of medical marijuana?
That scene in I Am Legend where Will is with his dog, Sam, and the song "Three Little Birds" plays; his situation seemed bleak at best, but he was trying to think positive by listening to that song. Could we not all do the same in these troubling times of: terrorism, natural disasters, lack of jobs, and whatever else the media wishes to have us worry about at the time; could all of the countries of the world just chill and forget about wars and who is the most powerful on our world? Lastly, the movie itself could be showing that Bob Marley's message will always be relevant as long as there are troubles to be had, and I for one do not see that going away anytime soon, sadly. However, if you didn't know the movie I Am Legend has 2 endings one negative and one positive, this may have been an homage to the song "Three Little Birds" and the power of it's positivity that the movie might have been reflecting.
