Marijuana and music have always gone hand-in-hand. A lot of people can’t help but put Bob Marley and Reggae together with Marijuana and its defense thanks to his lyrics, photos and public appearances. It’s been shown over time that Marley isn’t the only singer that found his inspiration in cannabis. Some artists are more public about it, some sing in its defense, and some even smoke it on live TV. Today we’re going to give you a list of the best songs that talk about smoking a joint every now and then.
Louis Armstrong – Muggles 1928
The roaring 20s were more roaring than you think due to the fact that marijuana was not yet illegal. The father of Jazz, Louis Armstrong composed an instrumental song dedicated to weed; Muggles. Even though there are no lyrics, everyone knows that this song is dedicated to cannabis due to the fact that in those times, muggle didn’t mean non-magic people in Harry Potter; instead, it meant joint.
Black Sabbath – Sweet Leaf 1971
Marijuana wasn’t the only drug that Ozzy Osborne did, without a doubt, but it was one of his favorites, his and his entire metal band, Black Sabbath. In honor of this amazing plant they decided to write a hymn, Sweet Leaf, in which you can hear the guitarist coughing at the beginning after taking a drag from an extremely strong joint. This song is a kind of love letter to marijuana.
Bob Marley – The Wailers & Kaya 1971
If you’re looking for an important figure in the world of reggae, Bob Marley is without a doubt the first person to come to mind. This musical genius made his sound reach hearts all over the world. Bob Marley revived the Rastafari movement through the music of his culture, reggae, when Rastafarist movements were slowly fading away. His songs are famous for transmitting messages of freedom, peace and love. Bob Marley was a regular marijuana consumer, he loved this natural plant and according to Rastafari ideologies, you can’t waste anything that grows from the earth.
Peter Tosh and Legalize It in 1976
Peter Tosh sang directly, without hiding his ideologies, in favor of legalizing marijuana. Tosh was a Rastafarian way before Marley. His first solo CD was titled the same as this song, Legalize it, a hymn dedicated to legalizing marijuana.
Los Rodríguez – Aquí no podemos hacerlo 1995
This is the first Spanish song in which Andrés Calamaro from Los Rodríguez sings about weed; most people believe he’s singing about a black woman, but when you take into account blues’ double meanings and the reggae base of the song, it’s clear that he’s singing about hash rather than a woman.
Melendi – Lagrimas Desordenadas 2006
We couldn’t finish this article without including Melendi, who was thrown off of a plane for lighting up a joint on board. In “Lágrimas desordenadas” he talks about a garden of happiness, and this combined with the knowledge that he was a heavy smoker… the answer is pretty clear.
What about you? What songs do you know about marijuana?
Translation: Ciara Murphy
