Concrete Jungle (song)

Concrete Jungle (in German about "concrete jungle") is a song by the Wailers . It was released as the first of nine songs on the studio album Catch a Fire (1972).

Concrete Jungle is one of the better known songs by Bob Marley . It was played regularly on the 1973 and 1975 tours and was an integral part of every appearance on the 1978 and 1979 world tours. A live recording of Concrete Jungle can be heard on the live album Babylon By Bus (1978) .

Surname

The name of the song touched the one hand by the impressions which Marley during his first stay in the United States (in Delaware with his mother) from the many skyscrapers of concrete had. Most importantly, an urban development project in Kingston , in the course of which the Newland Town and Arnett Gardens neighborhoods in the Greenwich Park Road district had largely been demolished, prompted the band to write a song about the development of the city into a veritable concrete jungle.

Statistical data

The album version is in the key of E minor ; The song was also played in E minor on live performances. The duration of the album version is just over four minutes.

Lyrics description

The lyrics are about the sadness of life in the big city full of concrete skyscrapers, where life is full of confusions and illusions and harder than anywhere else, and where neither sun nor moon shine. Although there are no chains on your feet, you are not free. There is no such thing as tenderness and caresses, and one keeps wondering where love can be found.

Music description

The piece was produced by Chris Blackwell ; Sound engineer Tony Platt is responsible for the recording . It begins with a chasing bass drum rhythm, accompanied by the organ and the electric bass that finally sets in , until it changes into a classic reggae rhythm with the typical offbeat instrumentation and the one drop of the drums . Compared to later songs, Concrete Jungle has a relatively high tempo . Marley sings the main part and is accompanied in the background by Tosh and Wailer (on later appearances by the I-Threes ). The part of the rhythm guitar is somewhat similar to the part of the song Sun Is Shining .

Other versions

There is a so-called "Jamaican" version of Concrete Jungle , which was only available there when Catch a Fire was first released in Jamaica. The "Catch a Fire Deluxe Edition" contains the songs from the original 1972 release in Europe and the USA on the first CD, and the same songs from the Jamaican record (also 1972) on the second CD. The duration is about the same, but the key is F minor . The biggest difference can be heard at the beginning: the rhythm guitar kicks in during the chasing bass drum intro and is even more similar to the rhythm guitar of Sun Is Shining .

Another version can be found on a few special editions. This consists of the instrumental of the "Jamaican" version and an alternative vocal part; Also included are acoustic guitars to be heard as an accompaniment. The duration of this version is also a little over four minutes and the key is again E minor .