Guava Jelly

Album: Songs Of Freedom (1971)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this early reggae/rocksteady tune from Bob Marley & The Wailers, Marley reassures his crying lady that he loves her and wants to prove it with a lovemaking session involving guava jelly.
  • Written by Marley and Wailers percussionist Bunny Livingston, this was issued as a non-album single, backed by "Redder Then Red," in 1971. The following year, Johnny Nash recorded it for his I Can See Clearly Now album, along with three other Marley tunes (including "Stir It Up"). It was released as the B-side to his single "There Are More Questions Than Answers," which was a Top 10 hit in the UK. In 1973, Nash's version was released again as a single exclusively in Jamaica.

    Nash was a Texas-born reggae and pop singer who moved to Jamaica with the intent of popularizing the local rocksteady sound in the US. After meeting Bob Marley & The Wailers at a party, Nash's manager hired Marley to work on the singer's forthcoming album in exchange for a deal with CBS Records and a supporting gig on Nash's UK tour. Although the tour didn't help break the band internationally, it did come with an unexpected benefit for the Wailers. While in London, they met with Chris Blackwell of Island Records, who had licensed some of their earlier releases, to discuss royalties, but they left the meeting with a hefty advance to record a new album, which turned out to be the reggae landmark Catch A Fire.
  • Barbra Streisand covered "Guava Jelly" for her 1974 ButterFly album, which found her experimenting with different genres, with this song representing reggae. She also issued it as the album's lead single, but it failed to chart.
  • Jamaican singer Owen Grey also recorded this in 1974. His version was used in the 1986 Robin Williams movie Club Paradise.
  • Johnny Nash's version was used in the first episode of the 2010 miniseries This Is England '86.
  • The Wailers included this on a couple of their compilation releases, including the 1992 boxset Songs Of Freedom.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?