Top 10 Best Reggae Songs Of All Time

No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley and The Wailers is one of the best reggae songs of all time. It is also one of the most popular songs globally.

The song is ranked number 37 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of all time. The song was recorded in 1974, it is from the album Natty Dread released in the same year.

The song has been covered by multiple artists including Boney M, Fugees, and Stephen Marley.

Marley is one of the greatest artists of all time. He made beautiful songs in his solo career and with his band "The Wailers."

Wavin Flag by K'naan is next among our top 10 reggae songs ranking. The track was the anthem of the 2010 Fifa World Cup anthem.

It also became a charity single to support an earthquake in Haiti in 2010. The song was produced by Kerry Brother Jr and Bruno Mars.

K'naan is a Somali-Canadian musician. He received Artist of the Year in 2010 for the popularity of the world cup anthem.

The song is a liberating listen, that emphasizes unity, individual freedom, and optimism. It is still quite popular as the song has more than 1.7 billion views on Youtube.

The classic Buffalo Soldiers by Bob Marley ranks high amongst famous reggae songs. The title is given to African-American troops for their fierce fighting.

The title refers to the black cavalry troops who were referred to as buffalo. It talks about racism and struggles that the Black man had to go during the mid-1800s.

It is a sentimental song that talks about forgotten American history. Marley also talks about the bravery which outgunned and outmatched troops won multiple wars from the black cavalry.

A Place Called Africa by Junior Byles is next on this list of popular reggae songs. Here, the singer stresses the origin of African Americans.

It talks about their proud heritage and ancestors were torn apart by slavers in the 1800s. 

The lyrics of the song go like this:

There's a place called Africa, so far away

Mama says that's where I'm from.

The words speak volumes of depth and perception in the work of the artists. The song explores the crisis of identity faced by people who are unknown of their respective origins.

Cry Tough by Anton Ellis is next up on our reggae music list. The song is from the album of the same title.

The record starts off with a melodious vocal of Ellis and the back vocalist support with a raspy voice for the song. It was said to be a popular prison song in the early 90s.

The lyrics talk about getting older and slower. It points to the obvious fact that the world moves quite fast which might be a tough adjustment for old people.

I Can See Clearly Now is a popular classic reggae song by Johnny Nash. It was later covered by Jimmy Cliff and featured at no. 18 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Originally, the song was recorded by Nash and the fabulous five members. The track indoctrinates the influence of reggae and Bob Marley's style.

The song was certified RIAA-gold whereas, Cliff's version was certified Platinum in New Zealand. The beautiful arrangement of Cliff and the sophisticated lyrics of Nash was a good blend of sounds that performed quite well in terms of its performance.

Toast by Koffee is a recent addition to this reggae songs list. The popular and lauded song was released in 2019.

It is part of her Grammy-winning album titled "Rapture" which won the award for Best Reggae Album.

Similarly, Koffee's 2022 album "Gifted" was also nominated for Best Reggae Album at Grammys 2023. Unfortunately, it did not win the award but the amassed mainstream hype from its songs.

Toast talks about life's blessings. The reggae song includes the Jamaican language and the English language. The transition of the Jamaican and English sounds makes the song a beautiful listen.

Night Nurse is a reggae song that was featured in the list of top 40 albums on UK charts during its initial release. The song is by Gregory Issacs.

The lyrics of the song express a vote of thanks to all the night nurses along with it also indulges the amorous feelings of Gregory toward the night nurse who cares for him.

It was one of the biggest hits in Jamaica. The track was also certified Silver in the UK (BPI). The song was also covered by Jamaican two male bands Sly and Robbie. The song also helped Gregory to increase his fame globally.

Mr. Boombastic is a modern reggae song by Shaggy. Shaggy's song was hit all over the world.

The song placed in the third position on Billboard Hot 100 for R&B/ Hip-hop songs. the song reached number eight in RPM Dance/Urband charts.

The reggae genre has also branched out into Reggae fusion and Reggae pop thus there are multiple sub-genre of the music category.

Rolling Stone dubbed the song "a stripped-clown masterpiece." similarly, the song's music video was uploaded to Shaggy's Youtube channel in March 2009, and it has already amassed 182 million views on Youtube.

Hold Me Tight is a classic reggae song by Johnny Nash. It is a timeless love song, with upbeat music and smooth vocals.

It featured in first position on the Canadian chart, 5th position on Billboard Hot 100, and 5th position on UK Singles Chart.

The song was listed at position 47 on the Top 100 Singles of 1968. The track is still being loved and rediscovered by the fans of reggae artists.

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