Oh Jah Jah

Album: 9 (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • Released on January 27, 2015 through the distribution arm of Caribbean music specialists VP Records, this reggae track is informed by current events. Murphy told Rolling Stone why he tapped into his island roots for the song. "The lyrics lent itself to this whole reggae feel," he explained. "The first lyric in that song goes, 'The devil's on the move.' Originally it was 'Ebola's on the move,' but I was like 'Ebola's gonna be over, and the song will be dated."

    "I wrote that track the first week that Ebola jumped off, and Ferguson was going on – it was pulled out of the headlines. To say this stuff, it has to be reggae. You can't touch on none of this with an R&B track, because people will shut down to it. But do a roots reggae song that feels like Bob Marley type of stuff, you can say it."
  • Jah is the shortened form of the divine name YHWH (also spelled Jehovah, Yehowah, or Yahweh). The name is most commonly associated with the Rastafari movement but Murphy denied using it as a statement of faith. "Oh no, no. I'm not a Rasta," he said. "I'm doing a reggae track, reggae artists they say Jah, so I said Jah. I can call God Jah and not be a Rasta."

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