"Guava Jelly" is a song recorded by the Jamaican group Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released as a 7" vinyl single through Tuff Gong and Green Door Records. It was issued commercially with B-side track "Redder Then Red", which was misspelled on its initial printing, in 1971. It was written and produced by Marley and features uncredited lyrical contributions from Bunny Livingston. A reggae composition like the majority of Marley's works, "Guava Jelly" contains a rocksteady and island-like production with lyrics loosely based around sexual intercourse. His use of the term "guava jelly" was likely referring to a specific type of sexual lubricant. It was favorably viewed by several reviewers, with many of them finding the composition to be sexual and about love. The group placed "Guava Jelly" on several compilation albums, including Africa Unite: The Singles Collection in 2005, and Owen Gray and Herbie Mann created their own versions in 1974 and 1975, respectively.
American artists Johnny Nash and Barbra Streisand also recorded "Guava Jelly" and released their versions as commercial singles in 1972 and 1974, respectively. Nash's version was featured on his eleventh studio album, I Can See Clearly Now (1972), and was distributed in the 7" format in Jamaica and South Africa as the record's fourth and final single. Rita Marley, Bob's wife, was upset that Nash had recorded it since he might be credited for the single's success and not Marley. Streisand's rendition was included on her sixteenth studio album, ButterFly (1974), and released as the record's lead single on 16 December 1974. It divided music critics in the way that several thought her voice was not suited for reggae music. In 1991 the singer would appear on Larry King Live and admit her disappointment in ButterFly and the songs that appeared on it.
Background and composition
"Guava Jelly" was released in two different formats in 1971. The standard edition includes the track as both the A-side and B-side tracks, while the version released in the United Kingdom includes "Redder Than Red" as its B-side, although it was misspelled as "Redder Then Red" on the release. It was written and produced by Marley, although longtime collaborator and friend Bunny Livingston contributed by writing additional lyrics and was uncredited for his work. It is written in the key of C major with Marley's vocals ranging from G4 to A5; it is additionally accompanied by the instrumentation of a piano and a guitar.
A reggae and rocksteady recording, "Guava Jelly" features influence from Jamaican music, which is reflected in the lyrics; Marley wanted the sound of the single to more heavy on rocksteady than reggae, although he does refer to it as "moderate reggae" in later years. Mervin Stoddart, who wrote Bob Marley's Lyrics: Understanding and Explaining Their Pedagogical Value, stated that the single was inspired and emphasized by the "sweetness of love making". He also stated that "Non-Jamaican listeners might concentrate 'more on the beauty of the tune rather than the slightly risqué lyrics'". Authors Ian McCann and Harry Hawke predicted that "innocent" listeners would not recognize the explicit lyrics because of its "island charm". Marley begins the track by singing the line: "You said you love me" and follows with: "I said I love you". By incorporating "the concerns of soul" into the lyrics, he sings into the chorus: "Here I am / Me said, 'Come rub in 'pon me belly' / 'With you guava jelly, Damsel'". His use of the word Damsel refers to a woman in a relationship experiencing "emotional pain". Furthermore, authors Monique Guillory and Richard Green found the song's title refer to a type of sexual lubricant.
Reception
Writer John Masouri found that "Guava Jelly" was one of Marley's most commercial recordings from 1971, and used Nash and Streisand's admiration as evidence. Agreeing, Chris Salewciz (who wrote a biography about Marley in 2014) described the composition as "sexy". Jo-Anne Greene from AllMusic described the composition as a "rich, romantic piece" and enjoyed Marley's "fiery, sexy performance". She later noticed its impact in the music industry by writing: "'Jelly' quivered its way across the sound systems and beyond. In later years Jelly would be covered time and again by some of the biggest names in the music business."