Love Letter to a Record: SULT on Bob Marley’s ‘Legend’

August 16, 2022

Music Feeds’ Love Letter To A Record series asks artists to reflect on their relationship with music and share stories about how the music they love has influenced their lives. Here, Wollongong sibling duo SULT confess their love for Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Legend (1984).

SULT is the indie-pop project of sisters Cori and Paige York. The pair recently resurfaced after a couple of years of quiet time, sharing the single ‘ICK’ in late July. Informed by negative relationship experiences, ‘ICK’ takes cues from No Doubt and girl in red.

SULT’s love letter to Bob Marley’s ‘Legend’

Allow me to set the scene: it’s 2007, I’m 14, and my pink SANYO boombox is sitting in the corner of my bedroom next to a pile of outdated drum magazines. I used to rummage through my dad’s CD collection to find albums to listen to on my boombox before bed every night.

One night, I stumbled upon Bob Marley and the Wailers’ album Legend. This was the album I would listen to every night before bed for a solid year. It was an album containing 14 of Bob Marley’s greatest hits and for me, an introduction into the world of the amazing Bob Marley. I would lay in my single bed and listen to it from start to finish, or until I fell asleep.

I think we can all agree that this album is built on positivity and happiness. As I would work my way through each song on the album, I could feel my mood lift and I would feel so at peace – it was like a little positive pep talk before bed.

‘Is This Love’ is such a positive, upbeat song and made me feel like I could escape from whatever had made me feel anxious or sad that day. ‘No Woman, No Cry’ was another uplifting track. I love this song because it’s dedicated to women. ‘Three Little Birds’ became one of my favourite songs on Legend.

Bob Marley – ‘Three Little Birds’

I remember buying a Discman just so I could continue to listen to the CD on the bus ride to school. I wasn’t exactly a great student and the journey to school felt painful and suspenseful. But with ‘Three Little Birds’ blasting through my headphones, I could soothe the ball of dread in my stomach.

‘One Love’, from the Exodus album – which I discovered after listening to this album – what a tune! Every time it came on, I felt like I was floating around the room. This song not only impacted my life, but played a large role as an anthem of love in society over the years. It was written at a time in Jamaica when people needed it the most. “Hear the children crying” was a lyric from the song that I later learnt meant that innocent people were being affected by a problem they didn’t create or take any part in.

Legend is an album that oozes positivity and is filled to the brim with uplifting, upbeat songs with passionate, meaningful lyrics that will trickle through society for years to come.

I believe this album created a safe space for me throughout the years and taught me to stay positive despite adversity. It taught me kindness and compassion for other people. I often come back to Bob Marley’s albums and will continue to view the Legend album as an anchor to love and kindness.