Jamming (song)

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
"Jamming"
re
Single by Bob Marley and The Wailers
from the album Exodus
B-side"Punky Reggae Party"
ReleasedJune 3, 1977
Recorded1976–1977
GenreReggae
Length3:31
LabelTuff Gong/Island
SongwriterBob Marley
Bob Marley and The Wailers singles chronology
"Waiting in Vain"
(1977)		 "Jamming" / "Punky Reggae Party"
(1977)		 "Is This Love"
(1978)
Music video
"Jamming" on YouTube
"Jammin'"
Single by Bob Marley featuring MC Lyte
from the album Chant Down Babylon
ReleasedMarch 2000
Recorded1999
StudioMarley Music Studios
Kingston, Jamaica
Genre
Length4:08
Label
Songwriters
ProducerStephen Marley
Bob Marley singles chronology
"Rainbow Country"
(2000)		 "Jammin'"
(2000)		 "I Know a Place"
(2001)
MC Lyte singles chronology
"Party Going On"
(1998)		 "Jammin"
(2000)		 "Time For A Change"
(2000)

"Jamming" is a song by the reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers from their 1977 album Exodus. The song also appears on the compilation album Legend. The song was re-released 10 years later as a tribute to Bob Marley and was again a hit, including in the Netherlands, where it was in the charts for 3 weeks.[1] In Jamaican patois, the word jamming refers to a getting together or celebration,[2] and the song urges Rastafarians to unite.[3]

The song includes the lines, "No bullet could stop us now"[4] and "Your life is worth much more than gold".[5] On December 3, 1976, Marley and others including his wife Rita Marley and manager Don Taylor, were shot by unknown gunmen who had broken into his home, he subsequently recovered.[6] He wrote the song whilst staying in Nassau, after the assassination attempt.[7] It was recorded at Island Records studio in London, in early 1977.[4] The song also contains references to romantic relationships, via lyrics such as "True love I know exists, is the love I can't resist, so jam by my side".[8]

Jamming was performed live at the Rainbow Theatre by Bob Marley and The Wailers at the end of the bands tour for Exodus, in June 1977.[9] Another performance of Jamming occurred at the One Love Peace Concert, that was held in Jamaica on April 22, 1978. During the performance he invited politicians from rival parties, Michael Manley and Edward Seaga, on stage and joined their hands together in a show of unity, after considerable political unrest had impacted the country.[10] The United Nations gave him the Peace Medal of the Third World, in recognition of this.[11][12] The band also played it live at the Boston Music Hall in June 1978.[13]

In the 1970s Stevie Wonder played and performed with Bob Marley and subsequently wrote and released Master Blaster (Jammin'), as a tribute to him, with lyrics inspired by Jamming. After Bob Marley died he performed the song in honour of him. He later admitted that he had wanted Bob Marley to feature on the track.[14][15] Rita Marley performed the song at tribute concert Marley Magic: Live In Central Park At Summerstage,[16] and it has also been performed by Marley's children, including Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers on Live Vol. 1.[17] The song is featured in Bob Marley: One Love.[18] Jamming has also been covered by many different musicians, including Monty Alexander.[19]

Charts

Weekly charts

Original version

Chart (1977–78) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[20] 99
UK Singles (Official Charts)[21]9
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22]38
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23]85

with MC Lyte

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24]54
Spain (Promusicae)[25]10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26]59
UK Hip Hop/R&B (Official Charts)[27]9
UK Dance (Official Charts)[28]12
UK Singles (Official Charts)[29]42

Fisher version

Weekly chart performance for "Jamming" (Fisher version)
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Honduras Anglo Airplay (Monitor Latino)[30]7

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[31] 3× Platinum 90,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[32]
Fisher rework 		Gold 15,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[33] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "Jamming in the Dutch chats in 1987". dutchcharts.nl.
  2. Jabari Authentic Jamaican Dictionary of the Jamic Language, page 70, Ras Dennis Jabari Reynolds, Around the Way Books, 30 May 2006
  3. "Jamming – Bob Marley". www.wow-vinyl.com. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  4. Amelinckx, Andrew (2023-08-26). "The Meaning Behind Jamming By Bob Marley". Grunge. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  5. Welsh, Evan (2019-07-16). "Revisit: Bob Marley & The Wailers: Legend". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  6. Dasgupta, Pubali (2021-12-03). "The harrowing story of Bob Marley's assassination attempt". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  7. Browne, David; Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Grow, Kory; Hermes, Will; Marchese, David; Weingarten, Christopher; Wolk, Douglas (2020-02-05). "The 50 Greatest Bob Marley Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  8. Philp, Geoffrey (2023). "Bob Marley's Journey of Love:". Poets. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  9. Kahn, Andy (2023-05-11). "Watch Bob Marley & The Wailers' Landmark 1977 Tour-Closing Concert At The Rainbow Theatre". JamBase. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  10. "Bob Marley headlines One Love Peace Concert | April 22, 1978". www.history.com. 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  11. Nattoo, Michael (2022-12-07). "Ten Classic Bob Marley Performances". DancehallMag. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  12. "Soul Rebel: Remembering the courageous revolutionary, Bob Marley". Band on the Wall. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  13. Nattoo, Michael (2023-04-18). "Watch: Bob Marley And The Wailers 'Skanking In Boston' In Never-Before-Seen Footage From 1978". DancehallMag. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  14. "Stevie Wonder & Bob Marley: The Untold Story Behind "Master Blaster (Jammin')"". The Reggae Museum. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  15. Patti, Mike (2021-04-15). "Stevie Wonder's "Master Blaster" Tribute to Bob Marley - The Pier". Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  16. "Marley Magic: Live in Central Park at Summerstage". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  17. "Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  18. Atkinson, Katie (2024-01-26). "Watch Kingsley Ben-Adir's Bob Marley 'Jamming' in the Studio in 'One Love' Sneak Peek". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  19. "Covers of Jamming by Bob Marley and The Wailers on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  20. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 3". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  21. "Official Singles Chart on 29/1/1978 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  22. "Bob Marley & The Wailers – Jamming" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  23. "Bob Marley & The Wailers – Jamming" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  24. "Bob Marley with MC Lyte – Jammin'" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  25. "Bob Marley with MC Lyte – Jammin'". Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  26. "Bob Marley with MC Lyte – Jammin'". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  27. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart on 18/6/2000 – Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  28. "Official Dance Singles Chart on 18/6/2000 – Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  29. "Official Singles Chart on 18/6/2000 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  30. "Top 20 Honduras Anglo música". Monitor Latino. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  31. "New Zealand single certifications – Bob Marley And The Wailers – Jammin'". Radioscope. Retrieved 6 April 2025. Type Jammin' in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  32. "New Zealand single certifications – Bob Marley and the Wailers – Jamming (Fisher Rework)". Radioscope. Retrieved 17 July 2026. Type Jamming (Fisher Rework) in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  33. "Portuguese single certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Jamming" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  34. "British single certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Jamming". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 May 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Jamming Bob Marley & The Wailers in the "Search:" field.
  35. "Captain Ron - Original Motion Picture Score + Soundtrack (EXPANDED EDITION) (1992) CD -". themusicshopandmore.com. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  36. funnycommercials1 (2008-06-13). Vodafone Commercial - Bob Marley Spoof We're Roamin'. Retrieved 2025-04-22 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. "Bob Marley's 15 best songs, ranked". Gold Radio. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  38. "Miami Vice | Season 1 | Episode 2: Cool Runnin' | Soundtrack". Tunefind. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  39. Mallick, Dani. "Bob Marley's 'Jamming' Certified Platinum In The UK". DancehallMag. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  40. "BUDWEISER FROGS SUPERBOWL Commercial". YouTube. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  41. Howard, Jake (2024-01-28). "Fisher Remixes Bob Marley Classic "Jammin'" For New "One Love" Film". Surfer. Retrieved 2026-10-11.