Meaning of “Could You Be Loved” by Bob Marley
Could You Be Loved is one of reggae legend Bob Marley‘s most popular and misunderstood songs. Over the years, there have been several interpretations of the song. One of the most common interpretations is that Marley wrote the song on an airplane while he was leaving Brazil to show appreciation to the Brazilian people for the immense love and hospitality they showed him when he visited the country for a concert.
Another very common interpretation is that the song encourages Rastafarians to be strong and they shall overcome all the hurdles that ‘Babylon’ puts in their way to bring them down. It is noteworthy that according to Rastafarians, the term ‘Babylon’ refers to the oppressive aspects of the white imperial power.
It can also refer to corrupt institutions or governments of the world that oppress the weak and poor.
Our Favorite Line from the Song: 
Facts about “Could You Be Loved”
Bob Marley wrote the song in 1979. It is widely believed that Marley wrote the song while he was on an airplane.
The song was produced by English music producer Chris Blackwell and Marley.
Could You Be Loved was released as a single from the 1980 album Uprising by Bob Marley and the Wailers. That album was the last album of Marley that was released during his lifetime. It actually contains his iconic song “Redemption Song“.
The lyrics in the song in which Marley sings about the road to life being rocky was taken from his first single Judge Not, which came out in 1962.
The song performed well on the charts. It peaked at the 5th position on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it reached the 6th position on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Party. The song has been covered several times by various artists, including:
- Joe Cocker
- Toto
- Shakespears Sister
- Ziggy Marley
- The Melody Makers
Just after the final football match between Spain and Netherlands at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final held in Johannesburg, South Africa, the song was played.
At the 2013 Grammy Awards, a number of famous singers, including Sting, Bruno Mars and Rihanna performed the song live to pay tribute to Marley.
Could you be loved and be loved. Bob is talking about his wife. After a discussion his wife doesn’t want to make love, thats why he wrote (You don’t miss the water until your well runs dry), after discussing with the wife that he needed to make love and only wanted her but she couldn’t and decided that he have sex with other women but stay married because he loves her. So he wrote (The road of life is rocky and you may stumble too
So while you point your fingers someone else is judging you). So he telling us to not to judge him Obviously this played on his mind, she loved him but couldn’t be loved.