Could You Be Loved

"Could You Be Loved" is a song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released in 1980 on their last album Uprising and is included on Bob Marley & The Wailers' greatest-hits album Legend. It was written in 1979 on an aeroplane while The Wailers were experimenting on guitar.

"Could You Be Loved"
Single by Bob Marley and the Wailers
from the album Uprising
B-side	"One Drop"
Released	1980
Genre	Reggae disco[1]
Length	3:56
Label	Island
Songwriter(s)	Bob Marley
Producer(s)	Chris Blackwell Bob Marley

In the middle of the song, background singers quote a verse from Bob Marley's first single "Judge Not": "The road of life is rocky; And you may stumble too. So while you point your fingers, someone else is judging you".

Instruments used on the original record of this song are guitars, bass, drums, acoustic piano, the Hohner clavinet and an organ, as well as the Brazilian cuíca.

Appearances in other media

Marley's song was played straight after the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones used this song for his walkout music at UFC 152.

The song has been played in various movies including:

• I Love You to Death (1990)
• Joey Breaker (1993)
• How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
• The Bachelor (1999)
• Blue Crush (2002)
• 50 First Dates (2004)
• Catch a Fire (2006)
• Fool's Gold (2008)
• Fire in Babylon (2010)
• Just Go with It (2011)

The song appears in the 2013 video game Just Dance 2014.

Ska punk band Sublime mentioned "Could You Be Loved" in their song "Don't Push" (from their 1992 album 40oz. to Freedom), saying "If I was Bob Marley I'd say could you be loved."

Track listings

7" Single

1. Could You Be Loved – 3:35
2. One Drop – 3:50

7" Single

1. Could You Be Loved – 3:35
2. No Woman, No Cry (Live '75) – 3:57

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1980) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] 95 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] 3 France (IFOP)[4] 10 Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 13 Ireland (IRMA)[6] 3 Italy (FIMI)[7] 6 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 4 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 2 Norway (VG-lista)[11] 10 Spain (AFYVE)[12] 6 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 11 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 2 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 5 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[16] 6 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[16] 56

Year Chart Peak position 1981 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 33 1984 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 71 1985 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 16 1991 France (SNEP)[18] 46 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 30 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 27 Year-end charts Chart (1980) Rank Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[20] 38 Italy (FIMI)[7] 34 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 23 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 50 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 18

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[24]	Platinum	50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25]	Gold	10,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)[26]	Platinum	600,000
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Joe Cocker version

"Could You Be Loved"
Single by Joe Cocker
from the album Across from Midnight
Released	1997
Length	4:35
Label	CMC International
Songwriter(s)	Bob Marley
Producer(s)	Chris Lord-Alge Roger Davies Jeffery CJ Vanston
Joe Cocker singles chronology
"Into the Mystic" (1996) "Could You Be Loved" (1997) "N'oubliez jamais" (1997)

British singer Joe Cocker covered "Could You Be Loved" on his 1997 album Across from Midnight. The single peaked at number 1 in Hungary.

Track listings

CD-Singles

1. Could You Be Loved (Single Version) – 4:35
2. Could You Be Loved (Radio Edit) – 4:18
3. The Way Her Love Is – 2:44

Charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[27]	39
Germany (Official German Charts)[28]	77
Hungary (Mahasz)[29]	1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[30]	88
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31]	46
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[32]	86

Notable cover versions

• Marley's four eldest children Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers have performed the song numerous times during their tours. Their performance versions appear on the concert DVDs "Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers Live", "Marley Magic: Live In Central Park At Summerstage", "One Love: The Bob Marley All-Star Tribute", and their live album "Live Vol. 1".
• British pop duo Shakespears Sister recorded a cover of the song, which was included on the CD editions of their 1989 album Sacred Heart.
• American rock band Toto covered the song on their 2002 Through the Looking Glass album.

Notable live covers

• Lauryn Hill covered the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2011 as a tribute to Marley on the anniversary of his death.
• Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Sting, Damian Marley and Ziggy Marley sang the song in the 2013 Grammy Awards as a tribute to Bob Marley.

References

1. O'Brien Chang, Kevin; Chen, Wayne (1998). Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music. Temple University Press. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-1-5663-9629-5. ['Uprising'] saw a return to a wide and varied musical vision, from the disco oriented 'Could You Be Loved' to the hard-core reggae of 'Bad Card' and the acoustic balladry of 'Redemption Song'.
2. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 3". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
3. "Ultratop.be – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
4. "Le Détail par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Bob Marley & the Wailers" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
5. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Could You Be Loved". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
7. "I singoli più venduti del 1980" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
10. "Charts.nz – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
11. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved". VG-lista. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
12. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
13. "Swedishcharts.com – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
14. "Swisscharts.com – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
16. "Bob Marley – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
18. "Lescharts.com – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved LP Version" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
20. "Jaaroverzichten 1980" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
21. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
22. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
23. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1980" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
24. "Italian single certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 1 May 2020. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Could You Be Loved" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
25. "New Zealand single certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
26. "British single certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
27. "Austriancharts.at – Joe Cocker – Could You Be Loved" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
28. "Offiziellecharts.de – Joe Cocker – Could You Be Loved". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
29. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 29. 19 July 1997. p. 14. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
30. "Dutchcharts.nl – Joe Cocker – Could You Be Loved" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
31. "Swisscharts.com – Joe Cocker – Could You Be Loved". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
32. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2016.