Bob Marley & The Wailers’ ‘Exodus’ Certified Silver In The UK

Bob Marley & The Wailers’ hit song Exodus, the title track from the Reggae band’s 1977 album, is now certified Silver in the United Kingdom.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the song was issued a Brit Certified Silver Award on Friday (March 1) after it surpassed 200,000 units in the UK, as measured by The Official Charts Company.

Marley recorded the charged, horn-drenched Exodus in London, drawing parallels between the Biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt and the Rastafarian desire for repatriation, while also reflecting on his own personal “exodus” from Jamaica.

His “exodus” wasn’t solely metaphorical. In 1976, just two days before a planned peace concert aimed at uniting warring political factions, he and his wife Rita faced an assassination attempt, forcing him to seek refuge in London.

It was in this London exile that personal and cultural influences converged with the discovery of “Theme From Exodus,” the score for the 1960 film “Exodus” starring Paul Newman. As documented in Vivien Goldman’s book “The Book of Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Album of The Century,” and the recently-released “Bob Marley: One Love” biopic, his bassist, the late Aston “Family Man” Barrett, stumbled upon the soundtrack in a London thrift shop and brought it to Marley.

The attempt on the singer’s life was widely perceived to be politically motivated, and Marley spared no lyrical effort with his seething sedition on the A-Side of the album. Tracks such as The Heathen and So Much Things to Say are laced with his trademark biting barbs, while Guiltiness speaks for itself.

Exodus peaked at No. 14 on the UK Singles chart and No. 20 on the Billboard R&B chart.

The album itself peaked at No. 27 on the UK Albums charts and No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart.

With the release of the Bob Marley: One Love biopic, which covers events between 1976 and 1978, the album has reentered the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, currently at No. 4, and the UK Albums chart, currently at No. 49.

Interestingly, in 2005, Bob’s youngest son, Damian Jr. Gong Marley, shared his own Exodus remake on his Welcome To Jamrock album. The rousing instrumental and Bob’s voice were sampled in the bass-heavy track  Move!

His grandson Skip Marley recently covered the track for the Bob Marley: One Love (Music Inspired By The Film) album.