Get Up, Stand Up

For other uses, see Get Up, Stand Up (disambiguation).

"Get Up, Stand Up"
Single by The Wailers
from the album Burnin'
Released	1973
Format	12"
Recorded	Harry J. Studios, Kingston, Jamaica, April 1973
Genre	Reggae
Length	3:15
Label	Tuff Gong Records/Island Records
Writer(s)	Bob Marley
Producer	Chris Blackwell and The Wailers
The Wailers singles chronology
"Concrete Jungle" (1973) "Get Up, Stand Up" (1973) "I Shot the Sheriff" (1973)
Burnin' track listing - "Get Up, Stand Up" (1) "Hallelujah Time" (2)

"Get Up, Stand Up" is a reggae song written by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

The song originally appeared on The Wailers' 1973 album Burnin'. It was recorded and played live in numerous versions by The Wailers and Bob Marley & The Wailers, along with solo versions by Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. It was later included on the compilations Legend and Rebel Music, among others. The song is in the key of C minor.

Premise and usage in concerts

Marley wrote the song while touring Haiti, deeply moved by its poverty and the lives of Haitians, according his then-girlfriend Esther Anderson. The song was frequently performed at Marley's concerts, often as the last song. "Get Up, Stand Up" was also the last song Marley ever performed on stage, on September 23, 1980 at the Stanley Theater, now the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

On his DVD Live at the Hollywood Bowl, artist Ben Harper relates a childhood experience in which, during a 1978 Bob Marley concert at the Starlight Amphitheater, Peter Tosh showed up unannounced as this song was being performed, took the microphone from Marley and started singing the last verse of the song to thunderous applause. Tosh was on tour opening for the Rolling Stones at the time.

Recordings by the Wailers

The song was re-recorded and re-released by the three major Wailers on their own solo releases, each with varying arrangements and approaches to the third verse. Bob Marley and the Wailers released a Bob Marley only version on Live! in 1975, this version was notable for the "WO-YO!" refrain after the third verse. Tosh would include his own solo version on his sophomore release, Equal Rights in 1977. Bunny Wailer was the last to release his own version on Protest. This version actually featured Tosh due to his involvement in recording the album before his death.

Covers, remixes, parodies

• The song was parodied on an episode of the television series Futurama, entitled "The Route of All Evil". In the episode, Jamaican accountant Hermes Conrad alters the lyrics of the song by singing "Stamp it, file it, send it over night."
• The song is found on Toots & the Maytals' LP Pass the Pipe. Although sung with completely different lyrics and melody, the songwriting credit is given to the Wailers.
• The song was remixed with "Welcome to Jamrock" by Marley's son Damian for his album of the same name and later included on the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack.
• The song has been covered by Tracy Chapman.
• The title line was referenced in Common's song Book of Life from the album Resurrection.
• A smooth jazz version of the song has been covered by Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin and featured on the compilation CD, A Twist of Marley.
• Toronto based Reggae/Metal band Zeroscape covered the song on their new Friday Night EP.
• Cover by Axis of Justice with Serj Tankian
• A cover version is included in the album Tribute to the Legend: Bob Marley by Cultura Profética.
• Bob Marley's son Ziggy Marley does a jazz compilation with a heavy reggae based influence in which he uses the hook to "Get Up, Stand Up".
• The song has been covered by The Butts Band for their 1975 album Hear And Now.
• Shaggy made a cover of this song, which is featured on Mr. Lover Lover – The Best of Shaggy... Part 1.
• Covered by Ojos de Brujo for their 2007 live album Techari (lyrics are in Spanish).

References

• "Slippin' Into Darkness". Songfacts. Retrieved 2007-03-21. 
• "Get Up, Stand Up lyrics by Bob Marley". Retrieved 2008-05-05. 

External links

• Recording history of Get Up, Stand Up at The 60's Jamaican Music Reference.