The 6th February 2025 marked what would have been the 80th birthday of Bob Marley. Despite his passing at the age of 36, his iconic legacy remains through various means; from his music being played and passed down from generation to generation, to the work of his wife, children and grandchildren that work to keep his message and music alive.

I myself was introduced to the music of Bob Marley at a young age by my father. My father played bass guitar in a band and music in our household was very important and a way in which we bonded. My father also had the pleasure to watch Bob Marley play live in the 1970s.

Whilst Bob Marley and Bob Marley and the Wailers have a massive catalogue in which I have many favourites, I wanted to share a personal favourite that may be slightly less known.

I’ve been getting first year students to choose songs and then getting them to try to apply criminological theories that link to the song. I think this would be a good way of getting them thinking and applying their knowledge. 

Concrete Jungle by Bob Marley and the Wailers

I love this song for many reasons which I will mention briefly.

Firstly, the lyrics are emotive and powerful. The introductory lyrics state:

No sun will shine in my day today.
The high yellow moon won’t come out to play.
Darkness has covered my light
and has changed my day into night!

These initial lyrics highlight the plight of many individuals living in Kingston, Jamaica at the time. It alludes to the lack of resources, opportunities and hope. 

The song continues in this vein 

Must be somewhere (sweet life) to be found (out there somewhere for me)
Instead of a concrete jungle
Where the living is harder

Oh man, you’ve got to do your best, yeah (concrete jungle)
No chains around my feet but I’m not free.
I know I am bound here in captivity.
And I’ve never known happiness.

The lyrics are deep and meaningful and Bob Marley sings them with such unrivalled conviction, pain and emotion. 

Another poignant lyric in the song is:

I’ve got to pick myself from off the ground, yeah
In this yah concrete jungle

These lyrics highlight two things to me, the bitter feeling of knowing no one is there to help but themselves and second, the sheer resilience of individuals in such situations that pick themselves up from the disadvantage, poverty, and discrimination they face.

Whilst Bob Marley’s voice is unmatched, a moment must be spared to discuss the background vocals, the bass guitar and the guitar solos. Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer’s background vocals are just as important and the higher key provides a great contrast. 

Additionally, the bass guitar in this song is an important constant throughout the song, there in the background but still a key element. The guitar solo also adds an extra element to the song and arguably moves this song beyond the genre of reggae to the realm of rock and perhaps a new audience. It’s no wonder rock bands at the time were influenced by reggae music and vice versa. A good example being The Clash’s version of ‘Police and Thieves’, originally sung by Junior Murvin. 

So if you have time, listen to the song, maybe a few tunes as each time you may hear and appreciate different elements of the song. I particularly encourage you to watch the performance of Concrete Jungle on The Old Grey Whistle Test, which can be found on YouTube. The live performance shows the emotion in a new way!