Exodus (Bob Marley and the Wailers song)

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Exodus (Bob Marley and the Wailers song) - Wikipedia

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"Exodus"

Single by Bob Marley and the Wailers

from the album Exodus

B-side

"Exodus" (instrumental version)

Released

1977

Genre

Reggae fusion^[1]

Length

7:40

Label

Songwriter(s)

Bob Marley

Bob Marley and the Wailers singles chronology

"Who the Cap Fit"
(1976)

"Exodus"
(1977)

"Waiting in Vain"
(1977)

"Exodus" is a song written by reggae musician Bob Marley and recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers, for the Exodus (1977) album. Released as a single, it reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. "Exodus" was Marley's first single to receive widespread airplay on black radio stations in the US, expanding the artist's predominantly white college age and Caribbean expats fanbase in the country.^[1]

Overview

The song ties together the Biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt to the hope of Rastafarians to be led to freedom. After an assassination attempt in Jamaica in 1976, Marley fled to London where he recorded the song and album of the same name.^[2] He had conceived "Exodus" as the album title before even writing the song. The song has a revolutionary theme punctuated by its chorus of "Exodus, movement of Jah people."^[3]

Udiscovermusic wrote that the song was "a rippling, surging, seven-minute call to arms for a nation of displaced souls on the march to a new spiritual homeland. 'We know where we're going/We know where we're from/We're leaving Babylon,' Marley sang against a cyclical riff that was turned, like clay on a potter's wheel, to perfection."^[4] In a retrospective review of the album, Patricia Maschino of Billboard wrote that the title track was a "scorching mash-up of funk, reggae and disco, punctuated by blasts of regal horns."^[1]

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is composed in the key of A minor with Marley's vocal range spanning from G₄ to A₅.^[5]

Charts

Chart performance for "Exodus"
Chart (1977)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)^[6]	14
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)^[7]^{[nb 1]}	3
US R&B (Billboard)^[8]	19

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[9]	Silver	250,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

^ The first iteration of the Bubbling Under chart that was discontinued in 1985. Billboard's website does not list any archives of the first iteration in regards to the current iteration.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Meschino, Patricia (3 June 2017). "Bob Marley's Exodus Turns 40: Classic Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
^ Haider, Arwa. "Bob Marley's Exodus: An album that defined the 20th Century". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
^ Bush, John. "Exodus - Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
^ "Bob Marley & The Wailers – Exodus". Udiscovermusic. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
^ "Digital Sheet Music – Bob Marley – Exodus". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^ "Bob Marley Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
^ "Bob Marley". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^ "British single certifications – Bob Marley and The Wailers – Exodus". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 March 2024.

v t e Bob Marley and the Wailers
Bob Marley Peter Tosh Bunny Wailer Other vocalists: Junior Braithwaite Cherry Smith Beverley Kelso Constantine "Vision" Walker Rita Marley Marcia Griffiths Judy Mowatt Musicians: Aston "Family Man" Barrett Carlton Barrett Earl Lindo Tyrone Downie Alvin "Seeco" Patterson Al Anderson Earl "Chinna" Smith Donald Kinsey Junior Marvin
Studio albums	The Wailing Wailers (1965) Soul Rebels (1970) Soul Revolution Part II (1971) The Best of the Wailers (1971) Catch a Fire (1973) Burnin' (1973) Natty Dread (1974) Rastaman Vibration (1976) Exodus (1977) Kaya (1978) Survival (1979) Uprising (1980) Confrontation (1983)
Compilations	African Herbsman (1973) Rasta Revolution (1974) Legend (1984) Rebel Music (1986) Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On (1995) 21 Winners: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers (1997) One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers (2001) Gold (2005)
Live albums	Live! (1975) Babylon by Bus (1978) Talkin' Blues (1991) Live at the Roxy (2003) Live Forever: September 23, 1980 • Stanley Theatre • Pittsburgh, PA (2011) Easy Skanking in Boston '78 (2015)
Remix albums	Chances Are (1981) Chant Down Babylon (1999) B Is for Bob (2009)
Box sets	Songs of Freedom (1992) The Complete Bob Marley & the Wailers 1967–1972 (1997–2002)
Singles	"Judge Not" "Simmer Down" "Guava Jelly" "Stir It Up" "Get Up, Stand Up" "I Shot the Sheriff" "No Woman, No Cry (Live '75)" "Jah Live" "Exodus" "Waiting in Vain" "Jamming"/"Punky Reggae Party" "Is This Love" "Satisfy My Soul" "So Much Trouble in the World" "Could You Be Loved" "Redemption Song" "Three Little Birds" "Forever Loving Jah" "Buffalo Soldier" "One Love/People Get Ready" "Iron Lion Zion" "Sun Is Shining" "Turn Your Lights Down Low" "Slogans" "Is This Love"
Other songs	"Rude Boy" "Mr Brown" "Small Axe" "No Woman, No Cry" "Turn Your Lights Down Low" "Sun Is Shining" "One Drop" "War" "Hammer"
Performances	Smile Jamaica Concert (1976) Exodus Tour (1977) One Love Peace Concert (1978) Uprising Tour (1980)
Associated acts	The Skatalites The Upsetters Word, Sound and Power The Wailers Band The Original Wailers
Related people	Chris Blackwell Errol Brown Allan Cole Coxsone Dodd Vincent Ford Neville Garrick Joe Higgs Lee Jaffe Arthur Jenkins King Sporty Leslie Kong Johnny Nash Jimmy Norman Lee "Scratch" Perry Mortimer Planno Karl Pitterson Alex Sadkin
Related articles	Discography Band members Outline of Bob Marley 1976 assassination attempt Marley Natural Upsetter Records Tuff Gong Bob Marley Museum Statue of Bob Marley Tribute to the Legend: Bob Marley Marley soundtrack Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley One Love: The Bob Marley Musical Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical Bob Marley: One Love soundtrack
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