Reggae icon Bob Marley has secured a new milestone in New Zealand decades after first performing in the country, as his classic song Stir It Up has been certified double platinum.
On February 12, Stir It Up by Bob Marley and the Wailers was certified double platinum in New Zealand for combined sales and streaming exceeding 60,000 units. The achievement comes despite the track never having charted in the country during its original release period.
Although Marley enjoyed popularity in New Zealand and performed there in 1979, Stir It Up did not chart locally. The only versions known to have reached the New Zealand charts were covers by Australian band The Black Sorrows, whose rendition peaked at number 20 in 1993, and Jamaican singer Diana King, whose version featured on the Cool Runnings soundtrack and reached number 24 in 1994.
Marley first recorded Stir It Up in 1967 and released it on the Trojan label. The song gained wider international recognition after being covered by American singer Johnny Nash in 1972 for his album I Can See Clearly Now. Nash’s version charted in multiple territories, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 7 in Canada, number 13 in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, and number 48 in Australia in 1973.
The Black Sorrows’ 1993 cover also found success internationally, reaching number 58 in Australia, number 53 in Germany and number 9 in Iceland.
Another notable cover came from Trinidadian-German Eurodance artist Haddaway, best known for the hit What Is Love. His version of Stir It Up, released on his 1993 album The Album, reached number 7 on the Canada Urban Dance chart and number 25 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Maxi Singles Sales chart.
Bob Marley and the Wailers later re-recorded Stir It Up for their landmark 1973 album Catch a Fire, helping to cement the song as one of Marley’s signature hits and a staple of global reggae music.
