Is "one love" by Bob Marley really an appropriate assembly song choice?

[twentypence]

It's primary school, there are lots of lovely age appropriate things to sing.

"one love" is neither in a suitable key for children when sung along with the CD, and I was always pretty sure that the refrain was about getting it on.

[NoBiggy]

Wasn't it the theme song adopted for the Millenium celebrations?

I thought it was an "everybody hold hands" type of song.

[juuule]

I've just read the lyrics and it seems okay to me.

[Hassled]

I think it's a lovely song - surprisingly hard to sing though, which would be my only issue for children. And having had "Lord of the Dance" stuck in my head for three consecutive days now I would much prefer One Love

[kslatts]

I think it would be a good choice, I'd rather listen to that being sung in the school concert than some of the very irritating songs they sing at dd's primary school, especially as dd2 insists on practising them over and over again at home.

[harpomarx]

I think it is much more age appropriate than Damian Marley's Pimpa's Paradise, which dd (4) is very fond of singing along with

[mrz]

One Love, One Heart
Let's get together and feel all right
Hear the children crying (One Love)
Hear the children crying (One Heart)
Sayin' give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Sayin' let's get together and feel all right
Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (One Love)
There is one question I'd really like to ask (One Heart)
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own?
Believe me
One Love, One Heart
Let's get together and feel all right
As it was in the beginning (One Love)
So shall it be in the end (One Heart)
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
One more thing
Let's get together to fight this Holy Armageddon (One Love)
So when the Man comes there will be no no doom (One Song)
Have pity on those whose chances grove thinner
There ain't no hiding place from the Father of Creation
Sayin' One Love, One Heart
Let's get together and feel all right
I'm pleading to mankind (One Love)
Oh Lord (One Heart)
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Let's get together and feel all right

seems to me that the words are very suitable

[nervousal]

eems perfectly OK to me - and a refreshing change from all the usual rubbish hymns.

[MrsWeasley]

Our HT plays lots of different types of music in assemblies. It allows the children to hear different styles/genre etc
Friday is the childrens choice

[Boco]

At dds school they were singing 'thank you for the music' at their end of term assembly.

[gagarin]

age appropiate songs? Maybe for 4 year olds - but primary goes up to 11 and by then their muiscal taste is very sophisticated.

Lots of primary school kids prefer the more cutting edge music to sing along to - so I think Bob Marley is a really good compromise!

[MarsLady]

Lovely song. Let's face it children will sing what they sing. I can just hear the rousing chorus "One Love....be alright!!!" coming from them all.

Great lyrics which tick pretty much all the boxes. Love one another, don't listen to those calling you names and putting you down, let's all be one and everything will be okay. Excellent! Well done that teacher!

[ilovemydog]

Lovely.

As opposed to when DD was listening to Jay Z at Glastonbury, '99 problems and the bitch ain't won...' and she is repeating some of the choice words...

[Cappuccino]

lololol at Thank You For the Music

a dance school in my hometown did the cheesiest dance to that at fetes and the like

I can still see them in their leotards grinning

[Hassled]

At a summer concert some years ago DS1's school choir sang "My Way" which was just so bizarre and inappropriate that there was low-level giggling from the entire audience throughout .

[Cappuccino]

my dd often chews it up and spits it out

very appropriate imo

[Hassled]

[bikerunski]

My nephew (then 7) entertained our campsite with his rendition of "Gay Bar" a couple of years ago. Now that is age inappropriate...

[MamaG]

At DD's old school they sang a song in reception - can't remember the name of it but it went

"last night I heard my Mama singing a song - oooh-E chirpy chirpy cheep cheep. Woke up this morning and my mama was gone"

[zippitippitoes]

chirpy chirpy cheep cheep by middle of the road

yellow hotpants complusory

[Cammelia]

One Love by Bob Marley, a great song

[edam]

Seems fine to me (lovely song) but would imagine it's quite hard for children to sing.

[Kbear]

DD's school sing "Weather with you" by Crowded House in assembly and other songs like that and the headteacher plays along on his guitar! DD was STUNNED when I was singing it one day - HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT MUMMY? Like only 9 year olds would know it. So funny!

I think encouraging them to sing is a good thing and if it take Bob Marley and Crowded House and Abba, that's fine with me.

Can't beat a bit of "Thine is the Glory" though!!!

[stephla]

I heard that song on the radio a week or so ago, I do love it and did think it was like a modern day hymn..but Twentypence, I do see your point.

Why are the children crying? Is the "hopeless sinner" him or is it Judas or is it the guy who tried to shoot Bob Marley? And yes, in what sense is he talking about getting together & feeling all right? And the "no hiding place from the Father of Creation" is not exactly a happy message of racial unity and love!

Given the choice, I might prefer my kids not to be troubled by these issues and to spend their time singing something more straightforwardly joyous.

[Bowddee]

Not at 3am in the morning when it's coming from next door.