The success of Bob Marley and The Wailers “Could You Be Loved” arrived at one billion views on the Spotify platform, which became the second song by the reggae legend to achieve this achievement after “Three Little Birds”.
Originally published on the twelfth album of the group led by Marley, Uprising (1980), was included on the classic greatest hits album Legend (1984) and later in the box set Songs of Freedom (1992).
The song was composed by Bob in 1979 on a plane during one of the band's last tours before his death in 1981, and includes an excerpt from Marley's first single “Judge Not”:
“The road of life is rocky; And you may stumble too. So while you point a finger, someone else is judging you” ( “The road of life is rocky; and you too can stumble. So while you point your finger, someone else is judging you”) .
According to the album notes Songs of Freedom, “Could You Be Loved” was “consciously recorded with a sound that would appeal to African American radio programmers”, with a contemporary disco rhythm, with captivating keyboards and Marley's signature voice that pushed it to become a hit, according to what was published by Dancehall Mag.
While Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, who sampled the song in his song 2002, “And Be Loved”, once commented on his innovation saying: “I don't think he's ever gotten further away from traditional reggae than with this song.. My father was way ahead of his time.”.
At the beginning of this year, the song was certified 2X Platinum in the United Kingdom and is certified 5X Platinum in New Zealand (150.000 units), Platinum in Italy (50.000 units), Gold in Germany (250.000 units), Denmark (45.000 units) and Brazil (30.000 units).
The enduring popularity of Could You Be Loved is further evidenced in their recent animated music video, inspired by the defense of women's football by Cedella Marley.
The aforementioned video, which premiered in 2022, has already obtained more than 84 million views on YouTube.
