Top Ten Songs by Bob Marley

You can't go wrong when listening to the songs of Bob Marley. The man, the myth, the legend wrote and performed music for nearly two decades, trying to unite mankind in a worldwide brotherhood. So if you want to kick back, relax, and enjoy the smooth sounds of the master himself, I suggest the following ten songs as a good place to start.

1. THREE LITTLE BIRDS - Written by Bob Marley - Produced by Bob Marley & The Wailers - First Released in June 1977 - The Island Def Jam Music Group

This is my favorite song for simple enough reasons. First, it's easy and fun to sing along with ("Don't worry about a thing cause ev'ry little thing gonna be alright"). Second, the story behind how it was written is how I like to picture Marley as he wrote his songs. He and Peter Tosh (one of The Wailers) would sit at the back door of 56 Hope Road writing songs, rolling joints, and throwing the seeds on the ground, seeds which birds (often the same three) would come and eat.

2. ONE LOVE / PEOPLE GET READY - Written by Bob Marley / Curtis Mayfield - Produced by Bob Marley & The Wailers - First Released in June 1977 - The Island Def Jam Music Group

This song is Marley's call for mankind to unify and respect one another. He sings the familiar lyric, "Let's get together and feel all right." And from personal experience, I would have to say it was the most played song in Jamaica for the duration of my vacation there.

3. BUFFALO SOLDIER - Written by Bob Marley & N.G. Williams - Produced by Bob Marley & The Wailers and Errol Brown - First Released in May 1983 - The Island Def Jam Music Group

This song is a great example of Marley's oftentimes political music. It tells the true story of Africans enslaved by the United States after the Civil War and forced to go to battle against Native Americans. Sample lyrics: "Buffalo Soldier, in the heart of America, stolen from Africa, brought to America, fighting on arrival, fighting for survival."

4. NO WOMAN, NO CRY - Written by Vincent Ford - Produced by Steve Smith and Chris Blackwell - First Released in August 1975 - The Island Def Jam Music Group