Bob Marley’s iconic ‘One Love’ anthem ‘reimagined’ to help kids hit by coronavirus pandemic

“One love, one heart,” Jamaican reggae superstar Bob Marley sang in his iconic 1977 hit, “One Love/People Get Ready.” It was a call for peace and social unity, and on Friday, the United Nations joined forces with Marley’s children Stephen and Cedella Marley, and her son Skip, to release a reimagined version of the song to raise money for children affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Marley was born 75 years ago, the same year the U.N. was founded, and rose to global popularity before his death in 1981 at the age of just 36. His children have pledged proceeds from the “One Love” remake to the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“I listen to a lot of music, and sometimes I feel things, and sometimes I don’t,” Cedella Marley said in an interview on CBSN. “But with this one, I had to listen to it over and over, because it was really that good.”

She said that 100% of the proceeds from the song would go to UNICEF. “It all goes to helping children that have been affected by this pandemic. It’s in UNICEF’s hands. We’re doing our part and we know they’re going to do their part,” Cedella said.

The Marleys lead the artistic effort along with the family brand, Tuff Gong International, and Amplified Music. The unifying remake of the hit record will help support UNICEF’s “Reimagine” campaign. It’s a global fundraiser aiming to “reimagine” a fair and safe world for children who have been harshly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore called “One Love” one of the world’s “most iconic solidarity anthems,” adding that the song is also “about children, and their hopes and dreams for a better, more united and equal world.”