Buffalo Soldier

On my drive home a few days ago, I was listening to the radio. It was a sunny, breezy day so I had the windows rolled down and the music turned up. Whenever the radio is on I have to sing. I’m sure it’s annoying to any unlucky passenger that might find themselves my unwilling audience, but I was alone and therefore free to wail. I wasn’t in the mood for Hoochie-pop and I needed something I could sing along with, so I tuned the dial to an easy listening/adult contemporary station. Come on now, don’t pretend that you don’t have at least one of those channels on your presets.

Anyway, the next song on the radio was Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley. I’ve listened to this song dozens of times, along with his other hits that get radio play (Jamming, Waiting in Vain, No Woman No Cry just to name a few). All of his songs have religious and political messages woven into their unmistakable melodies. And I think that the meaningful lyrical content is what’s made his music so enduring. Which is why it struck me as ironic that the next song on the radio was Margaritaville. While also an enduring classic, it felt odd to have a song about inequality and the struggle for identity and freedom followed by a song about the dangers of lounging on the beach. That’s not to say that one song is better than the other, I’ll leave that judgment up to you. But it seems to me that the message of Marley’s music is often overlooked for its mellow flow.

Not to get crazy with the conspiracy theories, but I feel like the tools of revolution have been highjacked by the entertainment industry. My impression of past eras is that music was the catalyst of change. It was something that could spark a cultural revolution. But then again, that impression might just be record company branding too.

But I digress. Music, like food, needs to be taken in with variety so it’s ok to mix categories. You shouldn’t just listen to Rage Against the Machine all day. You’ve got to sprinkle the Bee Gees in there and make sure to get some Radiohead too. The important part is that next time you hear Bob Marley, don’t just bob your head to the beat. Enjoy the music and sing along in your best Reggae accent, but while you are singing think about the lyrics. Think about the story Marley is telling you, and think about his characters. And then think about what it means to you.

Said he was a Buffalo Soldier win the war for America; Buffalo Soldier, Dreadlock Rasta, Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival; Driven from the mainland to the heart of the Caribbean