Exodus (Bob Marley and the Wailers song)

"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	Tuff Gong Island
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

1. 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

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