This came together when producer Terry Melcher was hired to work on a song with The Beach Boys for the Tom Cruise movie Cocktail. The Beach Boys' best days were behind them, and they had been playing fairs and nostalgia shows. They were one of the most popular bands of the '60s, and had a bunch of songs dealing with recreation and fun, which is why they were asked to record for the movie.
Redemption Song" is the last track on Bob Marley's ninth Island music album, Uprising. At the time he wrote the song, circa 1979, Marley had already been diagnosed with the cancer that was to later take his life, and according to Rita Marley, he was already secretly in a lot of pain and dealt with his own mortality, a feature which is clearly apparent on the album, particularly on this song.
![Blake Lewis\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/7LtsjB-GeK0/2.jpg "Blake Lewis\")
