Song by Song: "Redemption Song" Quiz

Answer: Uprising

Rolling Stone magazine describes the song as Bob Marley's "epitaph." The magazine ranked it 42 on its 2021 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." (It was ranked 66 on the magazine's 2004 list.)

Answer: I Shot the Sheriff

The B-side of the single, which was released in June of 1980, contained a live version of "I Shot the Sheriff" as well as the band version of "Redemption Song." The version on the A-side is Marley's acoustic version of "Redemption Song," which he recorded at the suggestion of Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records. Bob Marley originally released "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1973, and Eric Clapton released his version of the song, which adds a soft rock component to the reggae, in 1974.

Answer: Stevie Wonder

"Get on the Bus: Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture" is the soundtrack of the 1996 film of the same name. The soundtrack as a whole peaked at number 38 on U.S. Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Stevie Wonder contributed "Redemption Song" for the album, which also included songs by Curits Mayfield, Marvin Davis, The Neville Brothers, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Answer: Joe Strummer

Strummer recorded the song with Cash during Cash's "American IV: The Man Comes Around" album sessions, but it wasn't on the final album. The outtake was, however, included on Cash's box set "Unearthed" released in 2003. Joe Strummer also recorded a cover of this song with the Mescaleros and it was posthumously released on his 2003 album "Streetcore."

Answer: pirates

"Old pirates, yes they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit."

The song paints a stark picture of the slave trade. Marley's estate released an official animated video of "Redemption Song" on February 5, 2020 to commemorated the 40th anniversary of the song's release and what would have been Marley's 75th birthday (on February 6). "Redemption Song" was included on the compilation "One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers" released in 2001.

Answer: the almighty

"But my hands was made strong
By the hand of the almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly..."

The British cultural and political magazine the New Statesman named "Redemption Song" one of the Top 20 Political Songs on its March 2010 list. The song was certified gold in Italy by FIMI and in the UK by BPI.

Answer: freedom

"Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs."

Manfred Mann's Earth Band covered "Redemption Song" on "Somewhere in Afrika," their eleventh studio album released in 1982. The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring I-Threes and Courtney Pine, covered it in 1991 on the album "Marley Classics."

Answer: Marcus Garvey

Marcus Gravey declared himself to be the Provisional President of Africa through the of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, which he founded in 1914. He founded Negro World newspaper and the Negro Factories Corporation as well as becoming president of a passenger company designed to assist the migration of black Americans to Africa.

In an address on October 31, 1937, he said, "We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind."

Answer: book

In the religion of Rastafarianism, which was born in Jamaica in the 1930s, beliefs are based on certain interpretations of the Bible ("the book"), which is thought to have been become corrupted and anglicized over time, and God is referred to as "Jah." The Bible speaks frequently of the killing of prophets. "Redemption Song" has been covered by John Legend, Wyclife Jean, and Junior Reid, among others.

Answer: The Chieftains

The song was included on "The Wide World Over," The Chieftains 40th anniversary compilation album, released in March of 2002. The album included The Chieftains with numerous musicians, including The Corrs, Sinead O'Connor, Ricky Skaggs, and Van Morrison. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, a family band, released eight studio albums. His first solo album, "Dragonfly," was released in 2003.