It hits you deep. It seeps in slowly.—My encounter with Bob Marley & The Wailers — Kazuo Nara

Ikeda-san (Namio) asked me to "write about this one album." I felt honored, but as expected, choosing "this one album" is difficult.

Choosing This One Album

Looking back on my musical journey, several memorable encounters come to mind. After much deliberation, I arrived at the album that feels right for who I am at this moment: Bob Marley & The Wailers' Live and in the Studio.

It Came Through the Radio

I still vividly remember the moment when “No Woman No Cry” came through the radio in my teens. I don't know why, but it hit me deep. Then “Get Up, Stand Up” played, and this time it fired me up. I was clenching my fists.

I couldn't explain it, and I didn't know the reason. But something was definitely coming from deep within my body. That was the beginning of "that feeling."

It Hits You Deep. It Seeps in Slowly.

It hits you deep. It seeps in slowly. It fires you up. You clench your fists.

When music moves you, there's a sensation of something coming from the core of your body. Your body reacts before your mind can think. The number of times you encounter such music in a lifetime isn't that many. Bob Marley was one of the first to teach me that "feeling" when I was a teenager.

Freedom, Peace, and Love, Naturally

Bob Marley & The Wailers sing about freedom, peace, and love naturally. Rather than shouting messages at the top of their lungs, they dissolve these truths into the sound as something that simply exists. I think that's why it hasn't faded after all these decades.

"That feeling" that came through the radio is definitely connected to my music today.

Editor's Note

As a singer-songwriter from Aomori, I've continued singing for a long time. Recently, I released "If We Empty All the World's Oceans and Pour All the Blood That's Been Spilled" as a digital single. Turning questions about peace into sound is an impulse that has always been within me.

"That feeling" that Bob Marley left with teenage me—I'm still living and singing its continuation today.

I (Namio) used to run an independent label. During that time, I released several CDs, and one of the artists was Nara-san, who contributed this piece. We've known each other for about 30 years, and he's still actively pursuing his artistic endeavors—someone I deeply respect.

— Namio