Top 10 Things We Discovered About Bob Marley From Watching One Love

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This music biopic takes a deep dive into the mythology of a legend. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at fascinating details about Bob Marley that some viewers might not have known before seeing this 2024 biopic.

Transcript

00:00 "No guns can stop this message.

00:02 I want the world to change."

00:07 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at fascinating details about Bob Marley that

00:12 some viewers might not have known before seeing the 2024 biopic One Love.

00:17 This means we'll be going into spoilers.

00:20 "I mean, what more do you make on love than a man who just survived a gunfight?"

00:24 Number 10. The impact of Bob Marley's music.

00:29 "Get Up, Stand Up," "I Shot the Sheriff," and "Redemption Song"

00:32 are just some of the hits featured in One Love.

00:34 Even if you were already familiar with Marley's songs, you might have underestimated their

00:45 cultural impact upon release. Not only did he bring reggae to a wider audience,

00:50 he sought to spread a universal message of peace.

00:53 "You can't separate the music and the message."

00:55 "Because every day we pay the price."

00:57 "Hey, what is the message?"

00:58 "Sacrifice."

00:59 "Peace."

01:02 Beyond Marley's life, the film shines a light on the Jamaican political conflict,

01:06 which has been ongoing for over 80 years. While Marley didn't resolve the conflict,

01:11 he did help to ease tensions between the right and left through concerts like Smile Jamaica

01:16 and One Love. "Let's Get Together and Feel Alright" sounds like a simple lyric.

01:21 Knowing Marley's political background, though, it takes on a deeper meaning.

01:25 While we're only given glimpses of Marley's upbringing,

01:38 these flashbacks touch upon crucial turning points that shaped the reggae superstar.

01:42 "Marty Maplana was a Rastafarian spiritual leader who taught Bob. He was like a preacher.

01:49 He preached Rastafarianism."

01:51 Through Marley's courtship with his future wife Rita, we see how he came to adopt Rastafarianism

01:56 as his religion. Although Marley was brought up Catholic, he became increasingly drawn to

02:01 Rastafari during his time in Jamaica. Marley signified his conversion with the growth of

02:05 his dreadlocks. "How important are the dreadlocks?"

02:08 "This is my identity, man." "Is that part of being a Rastafarian?"

02:12 "Yeah, this is my identity."

02:13 Other than Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I, few Rastafarians have done more to spread

02:19 the movement's message than Marley. As depicted in One Love, much of Marley's music is rooted in

02:25 Rastafari beliefs. Religion and faith are two of the key themes behind Marley's album Exodus,

02:31 the titular single drawing parallels between Rastafarians and Moses freeing the Israelites.

02:36 "We're gonna walk, alright, through the roads of creation."

02:43 8. Going to Africa was important to Marley

02:46 Much of One Love revolves around Marley's European tour, although the singer repeatedly

02:51 asserts that he wants to drop by Africa. Marley strongly supported Pan-Africanism,

02:56 a political movement that encourages the unity of Africa's indigenous peoples.

03:00 "I said Africa is really waiting for you, as a matter of fact, if you go to Africa,

03:04 you really might not come back."

03:05 While Marley sought to share this message with a global audience,

03:08 he also recognized the importance of bringing it directly to Africa.

03:12 Since the film's third act primarily focuses on the One Love peace concert in Jamaica,

03:17 Marley's subsequent trip to Africa isn't explored in great depth.

03:20 That said, Marley did fulfill his goal, visiting Ethiopia, Kenya, and several other African

03:32 countries during his final years. During this time, he released the album Survival,

03:37 with songs like "Africa Unite" embodying his stance on solidarity.

03:41 7. The tension between Marley and Don Taylor

03:51 Aside from Bob Marley, this biopic spotlights lesser-known figures behind the legend.

03:56 Among them is his manager Don Taylor, who got shot with Marley and two others during

04:01 an assassination attempt. Taylor survived, although his professional relationship with

04:11 Marley was in store for another brutal confrontation. As One Love suggests,

04:16 a financial dispute prompted Marley to physically attack Taylor. In the film,

04:20 the fight is diffused quickly, with Rita and several others holding Bob back.

04:25 Based on first-hand accounts, though, the aftermath entailed hours of interrogations and threats.

04:30 Taylor wasn't as easily forgiven as the film implies either. The timing of the incident is

04:42 slightly off as well, but the film ultimately gets to the center of where this partnership

04:47 took a bitter turn. 6. Marley's exile to England

04:56 Following the attempt on his life, Marley showed Jamaica that he couldn't be so easily broken.

05:01 Marley didn't turn his back on Jamaica, but with his life in jeopardy, he was compelled to leave

05:06 his home country for a period. He'd spend the next two years in England where he recorded Exodus,

05:18 which played an instrumental role in building a bridge between reggae and the UK.

05:22 Although not featured in the film, it was during his voluntary exile that Marley also recorded

05:32 the album Kaya. Aside from his music, One Love explores how the move to England affected Marley's

05:38 personal life. Marley was separated from his children throughout his stay, and while Rita

05:42 eventually joined him in England, the marriage wasn't without hurdles to overcome.

05:47 5. Marley was half-white Although Marley's father is portrayed as

05:58 an enigmatic figure, the audience can immediately tell that he's Caucasian.

06:02 We see Marley's father walk out on his son and his mother, never to be seen again.

06:07 "What did you know about Bob Marley's father?"

06:10 "He rode a horse most of the time."

06:13 That is, except for a few dream sequences in a burning field where a young Marley crosses

06:18 paths with a white man, presumably his father. While these visions might take artistic liberties,

06:23 they capture how Marley knew little about his father aside from a photo of him on a horse.

06:28 Brought up by his black mother, Marley was taunted by others in the neighborhood for having lighter

06:32 skin. This further motivated Marley to unite people, saying,

06:45 "I'm not on the white man's side or the black man's side. I'm on God's side."

06:50 4. The Marleys had extramarital affairs As distance grows between Bob and Rita in

07:01 the film, it's revealed that both have been unfaithful. One love admittedly doesn't provide

07:07 the whole picture. While it's been debated how many children Bob Marley had, 11 have been

07:18 officially acknowledged. He only conceived three of them with Rita. Bob also adopted two of Rita's

07:24 daughters, one from a previous relationship and the other from an extramarital affair.

07:29 Meanwhile, Bob had six more children with six other women while married to Rita.

07:34 Even if the film doesn't get into the specifics of the Marleys' adultery,

07:49 it does highlight how their marriage persevered. They might not have always

07:53 been loyal to each other, but Bob and Rita remained together until the end for a reason.

07:59 3. How Marley discovered his cancer The audience can tell that Marley's gnarly toe

08:18 is more than a standard soccer injury.

08:27 It still comes as a surprise to the viewer, not to mention Marley, when he's diagnosed with a rare

08:32 form of melanoma. Indeed, what seemed like a minor blemish turned out to be something much bigger

08:37 that ultimately cost Marley his life. Beyond a mention of his passing during the epilogue,

08:48 One Love doesn't delve into what happened after the diagnosis. Namely, Marley had his nail and

08:53 nail bed removed, which seemingly took care of the cancer at first. Little did Marley realize

08:58 that the cancer spread, with subsequent treatments proving unsuccessful. This film is more about how

09:14 Marley lived, but it doesn't tiptoe around the moment that changed everything.

09:19 2. Marley's assassination attempt Considering how young Marley was when he died,

09:29 one might assume that his assassins were successful. While Marley did take multiple

09:34 bullets, he survived the raid on his home. So did Louis Griffiths, Don Taylor, and Rita Marley,

09:48 all of whom were hit as well. Despite being surrounded by several gunmen, nobody was killed.

09:53 Rita's survival was especially miraculous, with her dreadlocks preventing the bullet

09:58 from entering her brain. You can't exactly say they dodged a bullet, but this was the closest

10:08 of close calls. The film does take one major liberty, with Bob Marley later meeting and

10:13 forgiving his shooter, which never happened. As for the attempt itself, though, One Love

10:18 authentically recreates arguably the most horrifying moment in Marley's life.

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10:41 Number 1. Marley performed two days after being shot. There's little doubt that the

10:46 assassination attempt on Marley was linked to the Smile Jamaica concert,

10:50 which was set to take place two days later. Although Marley was physically well enough

10:59 to perform, going in front of an audience of 80,000 for 90 minutes still came with a substantial risk.

11:05 Regardless, Marley knew that if he backed out, his attackers would have succeeded at

11:10 least to some degree. Rita proved resilient in the face of violence and repression as well,

11:24 going from the hospital to the concert where she performed with her husband.

11:28 It took more than a bullet to stop Marley, and even with illness cutting his life short,

11:33 cancer couldn't prevent his spirit from living on through his music.

11:40 Do you know any interesting facts about Bob Marley that the film left out?

11:44 Share them in the comments.

11:45 Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,

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