People Got to Be Free
Encyclopedia
"People Got to Be Free" is a song released in 1968 by The Rascals
. Written by group members Felix Cavaliere
and Eddie Brigati
and featuring a lead vocal from Cavaliere, it is an upbeat but impassioned plea for tolerance
and freedom:
It became a big hit in the turbulent summer of 1968, spending five weeks atop the Billboard Pop Singles chart
, the group's longest such stay. It was also the group's second-most successful single on the Billboard Black Singles chart
, reaching number 14 and trailing only the previous year's "Groovin'
". "People Got to Be Free" was RIAA-certified as a gold record on August 23, 1968, and eventually sold over 4 million copies. It later was included on the group's March 1969 album Freedom Suite.
The single's picture sleeve photo was previously featured in the inner album cover of the Rascals' Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits
compilation. The B-side, "My World", was a track from the group's Once Upon a Dream
album.
While "People Got to Be Free" was perceived by some as related to the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr.
and Robert F. Kennedy
earlier that year, it was recorded before the latter's death. In fact it was partly a reaction to an ugly encounter wherein the long-haired group was threatened by a group of redneck
s after their tour vehicle broke down in Fort Pierce, Florida
.
The song is clearly a product of its times; however, two decades later writer Dave Marsh
included it as number 237 in his book Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles of All Time, saying in reference to, and paraphrase of, the song's lyric, "Ask me my opinion, my opinion will be: Dated, but NEVER out of date."
After this song came out, the Rascals would only perform at concerts that featured an African American act; if those conditions were not met, the Rascals canceled several shows in protest.
The 5th Dimension recorded "People Got to Be Free" in 1970 as part of a medley with another socially relevant song, Sam Cooke
's "A Change Is Gonna Come
." The pairing reached number 60 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.
Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
recorded this song live in concert, and it has turned up on YouTube as part of The Bridge's "lost tapes" series of songs.
The Rascals
The Rascals were an American blue-eyed soul group initially active during the years 1965–72. The band released numerous top ten singles in North America during the mid- and late-1960s, including the U.S. #1 hits "Good Lovin'" , "Groovin'" , and "People Got to Be Free"...
. Written by group members Felix Cavaliere
Felix Cavaliere
Felix Cavaliere is an American songwriter, singer, music producer, and musician.Although he was a member of Joey Dee and His Starlighters best known for their hit "Peppermint Twist", he is best known for his association with The Young Rascals during the 1960s. The other members of The Rascals...
and Eddie Brigati
Eddie Brigati
Eddie Brigati is an American singer and songwriter.Most memorably, Brigati shared vocals, and played tambourine, in the pop group The Young Rascals from 1965 to 1970...
and featuring a lead vocal from Cavaliere, it is an upbeat but impassioned plea for tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
and freedom:
- All the world over, so easy to see!
- People everywhere, just wanna be free.
- Listen, please listen! that's the way it should be
- Peace in the valley, people got to be free.
It became a big hit in the turbulent summer of 1968, spending five weeks atop the Billboard Pop Singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, the group's longest such stay. It was also the group's second-most successful single on the Billboard Black Singles chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, reaching number 14 and trailing only the previous year's "Groovin'
Groovin'
"Groovin" is a single released in 1967 by The Young Rascals that became a number-one hit and one of the group's signature songs.Written by group members Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and with a lead vocal from Cavaliere, it is indeed a slow, relaxed groove, based on Cavaliere's newfound...
". "People Got to Be Free" was RIAA-certified as a gold record on August 23, 1968, and eventually sold over 4 million copies. It later was included on the group's March 1969 album Freedom Suite.
The single's picture sleeve photo was previously featured in the inner album cover of the Rascals' Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits
Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits
Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album from The Rascals, released in June 1968. It reached number one on the Billboard Pop Albums chart by September 1968. It also topped the Cash Box albums chart with a run in the Top 10 for 20 consecutive weeks-History:The album is the...
compilation. The B-side, "My World", was a track from the group's Once Upon a Dream
Once Upon a Dream (The Rascals album)
Once Upon A Dream is the fourth studio album by rock band The Rascals, released in February 1968. The album rose to number 9 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and number 7 on the R&B chart.-History:...
album.
While "People Got to Be Free" was perceived by some as related to the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
earlier that year, it was recorded before the latter's death. In fact it was partly a reaction to an ugly encounter wherein the long-haired group was threatened by a group of redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
s after their tour vehicle broke down in Fort Pierce, Florida
Fort Pierce, Florida
Fort Pierce, also spelled Ft. Pierce, is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, USA. It is known as The Sunrise City. The population was 37,959 at the 2004 census. As of 2008, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 41,000. It is the county seat of St. Lucie County.Fort Pierce is part...
.
The song is clearly a product of its times; however, two decades later writer Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh is an American music critic, author, editor and radio talk show host. He was a formative editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on...
included it as number 237 in his book Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles of All Time, saying in reference to, and paraphrase of, the song's lyric, "Ask me my opinion, my opinion will be: Dated, but NEVER out of date."
After this song came out, the Rascals would only perform at concerts that featured an African American act; if those conditions were not met, the Rascals canceled several shows in protest.
The 5th Dimension recorded "People Got to Be Free" in 1970 as part of a medley with another socially relevant song, Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
's "A Change Is Gonna Come
A Change Is Gonna Come (song)
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is a 1964 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, written and first recorded in 1963 and released under the RCA Victor label shortly after his death in late 1964. Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, the song came to exemplify the...
." The pairing reached number 60 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.
Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge is an American musical group, best known for their million selling rendition of Jimmy Webb's "The Worst That Could Happen" .-History:...
recorded this song live in concert, and it has turned up on YouTube as part of The Bridge's "lost tapes" series of songs.