About Redemption Song - Single

“When I grew up, Juneteenth wasn’t a national recognized holiday, nor was it taught in my school in Shreveport,” Willie Jones says. “But as I got older, and heard about it, I researched it myself and realized the significance for our people.” For Apple Music’s Freedom Songs, an exclusive collection of covers and originals inspired by Juneteenth 2021, the country star chose to cover Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” a track Jones says is one of the reggae icon’s most affecting. “‘Redemption Song’ always spoke to me,” Jones says. “This the most stripped-down song Bob Marley has, just simple guitar and vocal, so I just get lost in the message. The lyric that gets me every time is ‘Emancipate yourself from mental slavery/None but ourselves can free our minds.’ That’s one of the most powerful lyrics and truest lyrics ever written and is extremely relevant as we celebrate Juneteenth.”