Shyam Desai English Composition I MW Wake Up & Live 17 October 2010 Wake Up & Live By Bob Marley Bob Marley is easily considered one of the most inspirational individuals to ever live on this planet. Some do not like his style and ideas, while others appreciate him for what he did and for what he thought. I listen to a wide range of music, but have a significant attraction to reggae music. Reggae music generated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. It is commonly classified as Jamaican music, considering many reggae artists are from Jamaica. Bob Marley is seen as a legend of reggae music, because he revolutionized what it is and brought it popular to the United States. A popular song, and one of my favorites, Wake Up and Live was created by Bob Marley in 1979. It appeared on the album Survival which was an insubordinate and political album Marley created to reflect the struggles of Africans during that era. Wake Up and Live can be interpreted in whatever sense the listener presumes it as. The chorus of the song is, Life is one big road with lots of signs, so when your riding through the ruts, don't you complicate your mind: Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy! Don't bury your thoughts; put your vision to reality. Wake up and Live! As I listen to the song, all I can think of is to live the life you see in front of you. Bob Marley's mentality was that we all live in the same world. We all see what life has in front of us everyday and we should live our life without any hate or mischief. He assumed that if we listen to positive music with our hearts, all problems such as, discrimination, sexism, etc., will be solved and the world with unite. As I hear Bob Marley singing the chorus with the saxophone and guitar flowing in the background, I visualize a

path in front of me that God has presented. This path is our entire life, and it looks easy to follow at first, but many signs and obstacles are presented through the path. As we follow this path, our focus is to reach the end, and metaphorically die in happiness. In Marley's song, he reminds us that life is a big road that's filled with different struggles. We should not let these struggles get to us, and pull us down. We should keep our mind's open and clear, so when we can step over each obstacle and learn from it as we proceed. Also, we should put all our dreams and desire's to reality. This means we should not be discouraged by the obstacles we encounter during our trip through life. We should think positive and work hard to make our dream's come to life. The melody of the song is relaxing and is uptempo. With the collaboration of a guitarist, saxophonist, drummer, and pianist, the melody relaxes the listener and allows them to reminisce the past and think positive about the future. Reggae music is generally played in 4/4 time or swing time, because it primarily emphasizes on the off-beat of the melody. This allows the rhythm to be slow and simple to create a calm atmosphere. This rhythmic style put together with Marley's lyrics help generate a smooth and relaxing song that helps emphasize Marley's message within the song. In conclusion, Wake Up and Live is a very deep song that Bob Marley implements a message to help the listener understand life. The positive influence of Marley helps the listener relax and reminisce within themselves. To me, the song is a great way for me to understand certain situations and also helps me get through obstacles I am confronted with through out my life. I listen to this song at least once a day and will never stop doing so. It is a great way for me to escape all the problems I am presented with or create a plan to solve these problems. As Marley says, One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain.