Bob Marley and Sepultura: representations of war in reggae and metal music

In 1976, Bob Marley adopted lyrics from Haile Selassie's United Nations Address (1963) in his song “War”, aligning the idea of war with diasporic sentiments, resistance, and postcolonialism. This transformed the song into a Reggae anthem against colonialism, making Marley a rebel symbol. In 1997, the Brazilian band Sepultura recorded a metal music version of Marley’s song, emphasizing the violent aspects of war and framing it as a struggle for subjugation. I aim to understand the nuances in meaning underpinning two versions of the same song to identify the representations of war in different circumstances. Considering Metal and Reggae specificities, I proceed with a music and lyrics analysis to investigate meaning-making processes. Then, to understand Marley’s and Sepultura’s articulations of popular music, politics, and war, I examine each conjuncture as a historical framework where disputes over power and meaning are fought. I compare them for two reasons. First, to demonstrate how popular music can make sense of historical experiences to foster different interpretations of complex concepts. Second, to shed light on ideological struggles that differentiate or equalize Reggae and Metal Music. Though both renditions address war as a consequence of the coloniality of power, Marley's version in the 1970s portrays it as a tool for liberation while Sepultura’s in the 1990s interprets war as a means of the Global North asserting its dominance. I contend that these variations are shaped by the utopian ideals associated with decolonization in Marley’s rendition, juxtaposed with the neoliberal ethos of a “slow cancellation of the future” (Fisher 2022, 19-50) evident in Sepultura's cover.