Bob Marley Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Simon Frith

Critical Essay by Simon Frith

The best record Bob Marley ever made was the live single version of "No Woman, No Cry." The reasons for its success were complex, but its chorus was simple: "Everything's gonna be all right!"

"All right" is the most important lyrical concept in rock. It was the key-word of the hippie Sixties. It summed up laid-back tolerance—"that's all right, man"—and nodding self-satisfaction. "I don't care because I'm all right," were Randy Newman's words, "I'm all right because I don't care."

Marley's "all right" reflected hedonism and apathy—ganja is dope, after all—but it made other references, too. "No Woman, No Cry" was a religious song…. And "No Woman, No Cry" was a political song. There was a government yard in Trenchtown, and Marley sang with the tender determination of a new recruit: don't take it, we'll fight; don't despair, we'll win; pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.

Finally, "No...
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