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Bob Marley & The Wailers’ 1978 track Is This Love is now certified 2X Platinum in the United Kingdom, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) announced on Friday (August 30). The certification marks a milestone of 1,200,000 units sold, as measured by The Official Charts Company.
The song appeared on the group’s Kaya album and later as the first track on the iconic compilation Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers. It has long been a fan favorite for its catchy, memorable melody and romantic lyrics.
“Is This Love is a great song, and I was always very happy with Kaya, the album it came from,” Island Records founder Chris Blackwell noted in the liner notes for Africa Unite: The Singles Collection. “It had a very summery, carefree feel. When the album came out, several reviewers said he’d gone soft. But Bob was feeling great at that time, and those songs reflected how he was feeling.”
The song spent nine weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1978, peaking at No. 9.
Its music video, shot in London at the Keskidee Centre, featured nine-year-old Naomi Campbell, who, years later, expressed nervousness about meeting the Reggae legend.
“I remember being really nervous, being brought to this room to meet Bob Marley and I was like ‘I don’t want to meet him, he’s got worms in his hair.’ He was so handsome, he had this presence very much like a lion,” the supermodel recalled.
Is This Love has been covered by several other artists, including English singer Corinne Bailey Rae, whose 2011 version won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.
The iconic lyrics of Is This Love have also been sampled and interpolated in several other artist’s songs, including OutKast’s Return Of The G (1998), James Blunt’s Stay The Night (2010), and Toosii’s This Is Love (2023).
The song has also appeared on the soundtracks of several films, including Bob Marley: One Love (2024), Just Go With It (2011), In Her Shoes (2005), 50 First Dates (2004), Six Days Seven Nights (1998), and In the Name Of The Father (1993).
Interestingly, Is This Love joins Three Little Birds (1977) and Could You Be Loved (1980) as Marley’s most commercially successful singles in the UK, each reaching a milestone exceeding 1.2 million units. Four other tracks have reached Platinum in the country, each surpassing 600,000 units: No Woman, No Cry (1974), Jamming (1977), One Love (1977), and Buffalo Solider (1983).
Additionally, Stir It Up, Waiting In Vain, and Redemption Song have achieved Gold status, while Get Up, Stand Up, I Shot The Sheriff, and Satisfy My Soul are certified Silver (200,000 units).
English (US) ·