Reggae Love Song
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The reggae love song as a form in itself: warm, melodic songs of devotion and desire set to a mid-tempo one-drop or rockers rhythm, with heartfelt lead vocals, sweet harmonies and a hook built to be sung back. Whether uptempo skankers or gentle sways, they foreground romance, tenderness and courtship over any other theme, cut by both roots giants in a softer mode and dedicated balladeers. The mood is affectionate and uplifting. These are reggae's standards of the heart.
History
The love song has been central to reggae since its rocksteady roots, and even the most militant artists turned to it: Bob Marley's "Is This Love" and "Waiting in Vain" sit beside Gregory Isaacs's "Night Nurse," Ken Boothe's "Everything I Own" and Dennis Brown's "Money in My Pocket" as canonical reggae romances. Beres Hammond carried the tradition into the modern era with hits like "Tempted to Touch," and the form underpins lovers rock, romantic reggae and reggae's constant presence at weddings and celebrations. As a lane it emphasises the individual song of love that any reggae singer might reach for, the genre's most universal and enduring mode.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Is This Love(1978) — Bob Marley and the WailersSpotifyYouTube
- Waiting in Vain(1977) — Bob Marley and the WailersSpotifyYouTube
- Night Nurse(1982) — Gregory IsaacsSpotifyYouTube
- Tempted to Touch(1990) — Beres HammondSpotifyYouTube
- Money in My Pocket(1979) — Dennis BrownSpotifyYouTube
- Everything I Own(1974) — Ken BootheSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae (2004)
- David Katz, Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae (2003)
- Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King (2000)