"Buffalo Soldier" is a reggae song written by Bob Marley and Noel "King Sporty" Williams and recorded by Jamaican band Bob Marley and the Wailers. It did not appear on record until the 1983 posthumous release of Confrontation when it became one of Marley's best-known songs. The title and lyrics refer to the black US cavalry regiments, known as "Buffalo Soldiers", that fought in the Native American Wars after 1866. Marley linked their fight to a fight for survival and recasts it as a symbol of black resistance.[1]
| "Buffalo Soldier" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Bob Marley and the Wailers | ||||
| from the album Confrontation | ||||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Marley & King Sporty | |||
| Bob Marley and the Wailers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Buffalo Soldier" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editThe origin of the term "Buffalo Soldier" is theorized as given to black troops by Native Americans.[2][3] The name was embraced by the troops, who were well acquainted with "the buffalo's fierce bravery and fighting spirit".[2] The Buffalo Soldier's duties were settling railroad disputes, building telegraph lines, repairing and building forts, and otherwise helping settlers colonize lands taken from Native Americans. They were also tasked with protecting the colonizing settlers from Native Americans.[2]
The song's bridge, with the lyrics woe! yoe! yo!, was rumoured to be inspired by the chorus from The Banana Splits' "The Tra-La-La Song", the 1968 theme from their TV show, written by Mark Barkan and Ritchie Adams. There has been no proof of this, and an August 2008 story by the BBC seems to cast doubts on this origin story while acknowledging that the two riffs are extremely similar and that Marley could very well have heard the tune, as could his producer.[4]
Reception
editCash Box said that the song's "socio-political theme, steady rhythmic stream and strong but sweet vocals re-emphasize what Marley's magic was all about."[5]
Music video
editA music video was produced for "Buffalo Soldier" to promote the single.[6]
Charts
edit| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 18 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8][9] | 14 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] | 29 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ) [8][9] | 3 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[8][9] | 10 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[11][12] | 4 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[13] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
In popular culture
editThis song was later remade in 1997 in Tamil as "Akila Akila" for the Tamil film Nerrukku Ner (1997).
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Black Heretics, Black Prophets: Radical Political Intellectuals - Bogues, Anthony, Page 198, via Google Books. Accessed 28 June 2008.
- ^ a b c National Park Service, Buffalo Soldiers (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2007, retrieved 1 May 2007
- ^ Brief History (Buffalo Soldiers National Museum) (PDF), 2008, retrieved 30 November 2009
- ^ "Did the Banana Splits inspire Bob Marley?". BBC News Magazine. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 14 May 1983. p. 8. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Bob Marley & The Wailers - Buffalo Soldier (Official Music Video)". YouTube.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 192. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b c "BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - BUFFALO SOLDIER (SONG)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "Bob Marley & The Wailers - Buffalo Soldier". hitparade.ch. 1995-2020 Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Bob Marley & the Wailers". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 161. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ "Buffalo Soldier". Songfacts. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Buffalo Soldier". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Bob Marley – Buffalo Soldier" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 January 2022. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Buffalo Soldier" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^ "British single certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Buffalo Soldier". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 June 2022.