"Wake Up and Live" is the closing track of Bob Marley and the Wailers' 11th studio album, Survival (1979). While the album is known for its intense political themes, this track serves as an upbeat, motivational call to action.
Album: Survival (1979)
Songwriters: Bob Marley and Anthony "Sangie" Davis.
The song was born from a serendipitous moment in 1978. Sangie Davis was driving Bob Marley through Kingston, Jamaica, in a Volkswagen bus.
Davis drew inspiration from the numerous road signs they passed (e.g., "Life is one big road with lots of signs... don’t you complicate your mind").
The title "Wake Up and Live" was famously inspired by a roadside advertisement Davis saw for Andrews Liver Salt, which used the slogan "Wake up and live."
"Wake Up and Live" was a staple of Marley’s live performances during the Survival and Uprising tours. Most notably, it served as the high-energy finale for the Amandla Festival of Unity in 1979, a benefit concert held at Harvard Stadium to support the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.