If you go to YouTube right now and search for red red wine bob marley lyrics, you’ll find videos with tens of millions of views. They have Marley’s face on the thumbnail. They have his name in the title. They even have fans in the comments arguing about which year Bob recorded it.
But here’s the thing. Bob Marley never sang "Red Red Wine." Not once. Not a studio demo, not a live bootleg, not even a casual rehearsal tape.
It’s one of the biggest "Mandela Effects" in music history. Honestly, it’s kinda fascinating how a song written by a Jewish guy from Brooklyn and made famous by a multi-racial band from Birmingham ended up being credited to the King of Reggae for over two decades.
The Neil Diamond Connection You Didn't Expect
Most people think of UB40 when they hear those opening notes. Younger generations might even think it’s a modern TikTok sound. But the track actually belongs to Neil Diamond. Yeah, the "Sweet Caroline" guy.
He wrote it in 1967. Back then, it wasn't a groovy reggae anthem. It was a somber, acoustic-heavy folk ballad about a guy trying to drown his sorrows. The lyrics were dark. They were about real, heavy loneliness.
"Red, red wine, you make me feel so fine / You keep me rocking all of the time"
Wait. Those aren't Neil’s lyrics.
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That’s where the confusion starts. If you look up the original Neil Diamond version, you won't find that famous "toasting" (reggae rapping) section. You’ll find a guy sounding genuinely depressed over a glass of merlot. Diamond’s version peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 and then mostly faded into the background of his massive catalog.
How It Became a Reggae Song
If Bob didn't do it, how did it get that signature island rhythm?
In 1969, a Jamaican artist named Tony Tribe covered it. He was the one who gave it the rocksteady beat. It was a minor hit in the UK, reaching #46. Fast forward to 1983, and a band called UB40 decided to cover Tribe’s version for their album Labour of Love.
Here’s the kicker: UB40 didn't even know Neil Diamond wrote it.
The band saw the writing credit "N. Diamond" on the record and literally thought it was a Jamaican artist named Negus Diamond. They only found out the truth years later. Their version became a global monster, hitting #1 in the UK in '83 and then, after a random radio DJ in Phoenix started playing it again, hitting #1 in the US in 1988.
So, Why Do People Search for Red Red Wine Bob Marley Lyrics?
It’s the "Limewire Effect."
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Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, peer-to-peer file-sharing sites like Napster, Limewire, and Kazaa were the Wild West. People would upload files with whatever names they thought would get downloads. Since Bob Marley was the face of reggae, almost every popular reggae song that wasn't obviously someone else got labeled as "Bob Marley."
- "Bad Boys" by Inner Circle? Labeled Bob Marley.
- "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin? Labeled Bob Marley.
- "Red Red Wine" by UB40? Definitely labeled Bob Marley.
Because these mislabeled files stayed on people's hard drives for years, the mistake became "fact" for an entire generation of internet users. When YouTube arrived, people uploaded those same files with the same wrong titles. The algorithm saw people searching for red red wine bob marley lyrics and started suggesting it, creating a feedback loop of misinformation that persists in 2026.
The Real Lyrics vs. The "Marley" Version
When people look for the "Marley" lyrics, they are almost always looking for the 1983/1988 UB40 version featuring the "toast" by Astro (Terence Wilson).
The Verse (The Neil Diamond Parts):
Red, red wine, go to my head
Make me forget that I still need her so
Red, red wine, it's up to you
All I can do, I've done
Memories won't go, memories won't go
The Rap/Toast (The Astro Parts):
Red red wine you make me feel so fine
You keep me rocking all of the time
Red red wine you make me feel so grand
I feel a million dollars when you're just in my hand
That "million dollars" line is iconic. It’s pure 80s British reggae. It’s definitely not the vibe of 1970s Kingston political reggae that Bob Marley was known for. If you listen closely to the voice, Ali Campbell (the lead singer of UB40) has a very distinct, smooth, higher-pitched tenor. Bob’s voice was raspier, more rhythmic, and carried a completely different weight.
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Why This Misconception Still Matters
It actually tells us a lot about how we consume culture. We tend to group things into "buckets." Reggae = Bob Marley. It’s a bit of a disservice to both artists.
Bob Marley’s estate has never claimed the song because they are sticklers for his legacy. Meanwhile, UB40 has spent decades explaining that they aren't Bob Marley. Neil Diamond, for his part, actually loves the UB40 version so much that he started performing it with a reggae arrangement during his live shows.
It’s a rare case where a cover version completely overwrites the original in the public consciousness—and then gets handed to a third person who didn't even have anything to do with it.
Actionable Steps for Music Fans
If you want to get your playlists right and stop the spread of music myths, here is how you can verify your library:
- Check the Release Dates: Bob Marley passed away in May 1981. The version of "Red Red Wine" everyone knows was released by UB40 in 1983. Physics doesn't allow for Bob to have recorded the 80s synth-reggae version.
- Listen to the "Toast": If the song has a fast-talking rap section in the middle mentioning "a million dollars," it’s 100% the UB40 version.
- Update Your Metadata: If you have a file or a YouTube playlist titled "Bob Marley - Red Red Wine," do the world a favor and rename it.
- Explore the Original: Go listen to Neil Diamond’s 1967 version on Spotify or Apple Music. It’s a completely different emotional experience and helps you appreciate how much the song evolved.
- Look for the "Negus" Myth: Next time you're at trivia, use the "Negus Diamond" story. It’s a great piece of music history that explains why UB40 didn't credit Neil Diamond as a "pop" writer initially.
Correcting your library isn't just about being a "know-it-all." It’s about respecting the actual history of the artists who spent time in the studio creating these sounds.