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A 420 Playlist To Spark Up Your Day

Bob Marley, with his guitar in the yard at Tuff Gong (his home and headquarters). Kingston, Jamaica, March 1976.
David Burnett
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Contact Press Images
Bob Marley, with his guitar in the yard at Tuff Gong (his home and headquarters). Kingston, Jamaica, March 1976.

Happy April 20, or — in certain circles — 420 day. The history around April 20's unofficial designation as Weed Day around the world is a little hazy. Some say it started with the Grateful Dead. Others say 420 is police code for "pot smoking in progress." Still other stories start with "The Waldos," a group of five friends who say they coined the term 420 in 1971 to refer to a certain hour of the afternoon. There are probably as many stories about 420 day's origins as there are strains of the herb.

We'll leave it to you to celebrate 420 in whatever way you choose. But we couldn't help but notice that Mary Jane sure does show up in a lot of music — and what better day to light up some of those songs than today? We've put together a special 420 Spotify playlist to listen to whether or not you partake. From Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" (hint: multiply 12 x 35) to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, to Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, and Arlo Guthrie, we hope this playlist sparks up your day.

Copyright 2021 XPN. To see more, visit XPN.

Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage, as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6 and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.
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