You’ve definitely heard it. That laid-back, bass-heavy groove, the rattling percussion, and the smooth vocals pleading with a glass of claret to help forget a lost love. It’s a staple of every backyard BBQ and beach bar from Kingston to Kalamazoo. And if you’re like millions of people who grew up in the early days of the internet, you probably think the red red wine song bob marley version is the definitive one.
There is just one problem. Bob Marley never recorded it.
Honestly, he never even sang it. Not once. Not in a studio, not at a soundcheck, and not as a secret demo found in a dusty basement in Trenchtown. The "Bob Marley" version of "Red Red Wine" is one of the most persistent musical myths in history, a digital ghost that has haunted Napster, Limewire, and YouTube for over two decades.
How did a song written by a Jewish guy from Brooklyn end up being the world’s most famous "fake" Bob Marley track?
The Brooklyn Roots of a Reggae Classic
To understand the confusion, we have to go back to 1967. Long before the dreadlocks and the "One Love" peace rallies, a young songwriter named Neil Diamond was grinding away in the Brill Building. He wrote "Red Red Wine" as a somber, acoustic-driven folk ballad.
It wasn't a party song. It was a depressing tune about a man drinking himself into oblivion to numb the pain of a breakup. Diamond’s original version peaked at a measly #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was basically a footnote in his career.
Then, the song took a flight to Jamaica.
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In 1969, Tony Tribe—a Jamaican rocksteady singer—gave the track a complete facelift. He added the "chugging" reggae rhythm, sped up the tempo, and turned Diamond’s mopey ballad into a dancefloor filler. This version was a minor hit in the UK and, more importantly, it was the version that a young band from Birmingham called UB40 grew up listening to.
Why Everyone Thinks It's Bob Marley
If you go to YouTube right now and search for the red red wine song bob marley, you’ll find videos with hundreds of millions of views. The thumbnails usually feature a black-and-white photo of Bob smoking, looking contemplative.
The audio in those videos? It’s almost always UB40.
So why the mix-up?
Basically, it’s a relic of the early file-sharing era. Back in the late 90s, when people were downloading MP3s on dial-up, metadata was a mess. If a song sounded "reggae," people just tagged it as "Bob Marley" because he was the only reggae artist many people knew by name. It was lazy digital cataloging that turned into an urban legend.
The misconception is so deep that it’s often cited as an example of the Mandela Effect. You’ll find people who swear they saw Bob perform it in a grainy concert video. They didn't. They’re likely remembering the 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert where UB40 performed the song. Because Mandela and Marley are both iconic figures associated with social justice and reggae culture, the memories just... merged.
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The UB40 Version That Fooled the World
UB40’s 1983 cover is the one that really stuck. Interestingly, the band didn't even know Neil Diamond wrote it. They thought they were covering Tony Tribe. They actually thought "N. Diamond" on the songwriting credit was a Jamaican artist named Negus Diamond.
When they found out it was the "Sweet Caroline" guy, they were genuinely shocked.
Their version is famous for the "toast" (a reggae style of rapping) by Astro. He’s the one saying, "Red red wine, you make me feel so fine, you keep me rocking all of the time." This part of the song is pure 80s British reggae, yet it’s the exact part people often misattribute to Marley or his Wailers.
Comparing the Versions (No Tables Here)
If you listen to the tracks side-by-side, the differences are pretty stark.
Neil Diamond’s 1967 original is dark. There’s a choir in the background (added by his label against his will) and it feels like a lonely night in a smoky bar.
Tony Tribe’s 1969 version is the bridge. It introduces the "skank" guitar rhythm that defines the genre.
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UB40’s 1983 version (and its 1988 re-release) is the polished, pop-reggae juggernaut we know today. It uses electronic drums and a very specific 80s synthesizer bassline that Bob Marley—who died in 1981—never would have used in that specific way.
Bob’s music was often much more organic, centered around the interplay of the Barrett brothers' drum and bass "riddims." UB40’s sound was cleaner, more "Midlands England" than "Kingston Jamaica."
Why the Myth Still Matters
It sounds like a trivial "well, actually" fact, but the red red wine song bob marley confusion says a lot about how we consume culture. It’s a reminder that Bob Marley’s shadow is so massive that he absorbs almost everything in the reggae genre by default.
For the Marley family, it’s a bit of a headache. For UB40, it’s probably a bit annoying that their biggest hit is frequently credited to someone else. But for Neil Diamond? He’s the real winner. He once said the UB40 version is one of his favorite covers of his work. He even started performing the song in a reggae style during his own concerts because he liked their arrangement better than his own.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Fans
Next time you’re at a party and someone puts on "Red Red Wine" and says, "Man, I love Bob Marley," you have a choice. You can be the "actually" person (use this power wisely) or just enjoy the music. But if you want to be a true student of the genre, here is what you should actually do:
- Check the release dates. Bob Marley passed away in May 1981. The version of "Red Red Wine" everyone knows wasn't recorded until 1982 and released in 1983. The math just doesn't work.
- Listen to Tony Tribe. If you want the real "reggae" origin of the song, his 1969 version is a masterpiece of the era.
- Stop trusting YouTube titles. Viral videos are often uploaded by people who don't know the artists; they use famous names like Marley to get clicks.
- Explore the "Labour of Love" album. If you like UB40's "Red Red Wine," check out the rest of that album. It’s a fantastic crash course in 60s and 70s reggae classics that many people think are originals.
The song is a classic no matter who sang it. But giving credit where it's due—to a Brooklyn songwriter and a group of guys from Birmingham—honors the weird, winding road that music takes across the globe.
To dig deeper into the real Marley catalog, look for the "Tuff Gong" label or the "Island Records" era. That's where the real soul of reggae lives. Everything else is just a very convincing, wine-soaked illusion.