Tems’ Bob Marley Cover Hits Four Billboard Charts

Tems‘ No Woman No Cry has debuted on four Billboard charts after it premiered in the first teaser trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever last week.

The Bob Marley cover debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart, No. 3 on the R&B Digital Song Sales Chart, No. 50 on the US Digital Song Sales Chart, and at No. 7 on the US Afrobeats Songs Chart, which are all dated August 6.

Neither Bob’s original song, nor any of its over 70+ covers had previously entered a Billboard chart.

With No Woman No Cry, Tems currently holds ten spots on the Afrobeats Songs Chart, including her solo track Free Mind at No. 2, and Essence with WizKid at No. 3.

The Nigerian singer also currently holds two spots on the Billboard Hot 100, with Wait For U, her collab with Future and Drake at No. 5, and Free Mind at No. 77.

Tems’ cover was released on July 25, as part of a three-track prologue soundtrack, ahead of the Black Panther sequel.  A Body, A Coffin by Amaarae, and Soy by Santa Fe Klan also appear on the prologue.

It was produced by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson (Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake).

Marley’s late friend Vincent “Tata” Ford was credited as the songwriter of the cover.

The original song was first released on October 25, 1974, on Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Natty Dread album.

A year later a live recording of the track from the album Live!, which took place at the Lyceum Theatre in London during Marley’s Natty Dread Tour, was released as a single.  It spent nine weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 22, and became the best-known version of the song.  It was included in several compilation albums, including the Diamond-selling Legend in 1984.

An official music video for the Lyceum recording was released in honor of International Reggae Day in July 2020.  It has since amassed over 27 million views on YouTube.

In April this year, No Woman, No Cry became the fifth Bob Marley & The Wailers single to be certified platinum in the UK.

Jamming (1977), Is This Love (1978), and Could You Be Loved (1980) are all currently certified platinum, having sold more than 600,000 units each, while Three Little Birds was certified double platinum earlier this year after it sold more than 1,200,000 units in the country.