Bob Marley’s ‘Jamming’ Certified Platinum In The UK

Bob Marley & The Wailers’ classic song, Jamming, is now the fourth single from the iconic Reggae band to reach the platinum milestone in the United Kingdom.

On Friday (September 17), the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) revealed that Jamming has reached sales of over 600,000 units, as measured by the Official Charts Company in the UK.

First released on June 3, 1977, on the landmark Exodus album, the song had reached No. 9 on the UK pop chart. It later appeared on the Diamond-selling greatest hits compilation album, Legend in 1984. Then, in 1987, it peaked at No. 85 on Dutch charts after it was re-released in the Netherlands as a tribute to Marley.

The song famously includes the line, “No bullet can stop us now,” alluding to the fact that just six months before its release, Bob, his wife Rita Marley, manager Don Taylor and friend Lewis Griffiths were all shot after gunmen invaded his Kingston home, which doubled as a studio and rehearsal space. Miraculously, everyone recovered from their wounds—including Rita who was shot point-blank in the head—but the failed assassination attempt led to a self-imposed British exile.

This isn’t the first platinum UK single for Bob Marley. Jamming now stands among Three Little Birds (1977), Is This Love (1978), and Could You Be Loved (1980), which have all sold more than 600k units in the UK.

The song received a new, official music video on July 1 to mark International Reggae Day this year. With artwork and animation by Danny Sangra, the new visuals reimagined live performance footage that was captured at Boston’s Music Hall on June 8, 1978. You can check it out below.

Jamming has also been a staple in popular culture, in everything from an episode of The Simpsons, during coverage of NBA games on ABC, and in films such as Along Came Polly, Captain Ron, and more.

American singer Stevie Wonder famously released Master Blaster (Jammin’), as a tribute to Bob Marley, and as the lead single on his 1980 album Hotter Than July. The song, which bared a similar feel to Marley’s Jamming, reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

Bob Marley died in 1981 of cancer at the age of 36.