Bob Marley

One of my favorite poems is about two lovers who, after spending the night together, curse the sun in the morning, because it has the audacity to think they are affected by its time. Clearly their love is all that matters in the perfect universe contained in their room. It creates such a lovely intimate image that is rarely found in love songs, but Bob Marley manages to create the same feeling with the line ‘We’ll share the shelter of my single bed’ in “Is This Love” from his 1978 album Kaya. That one line is more romantic than all those mushy I-would-die-for-you-lovey-love-songs combined.

Most of us Generation Y-ers, who declared sarcasm the new black and who use cynicism to understand the ways of the world, have a hard time taking romantic ballads that proclaim their everlasting love and devotion seriously, but this song always gets to me. I think the thing that makes a great song a classic is its ability to create that temproray insanity that makes you believe every single word; I believe Bob when he tells me he wants to love me and treat me right.

I hardly ever listen to “Is This Love” anymore, because the danger with nearly all Bob Marley’s songs is that they get played out. Luckily, I doubt it’s catchy enough to be used in a tampon or deodorant commercial, I never listen to classic rock radio, and street musicians have collectively decided that “Redemption Song” is the money song, so for now it hasn’t been tainted by over exposure yet. So here it is, my ultimate romantic song:

   Bob Marley - Is This Love