Get Together (Youngbloods song)

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"Get Together"
File:Youngbloods Get Together.jpg
Single by the Youngbloods
from the album The Youngbloods
B-side
  • "All My Dreams Blue" (original)
  • "Beautiful" (re-issue)
ReleasedJuly 1967 (original)
June 1969 (re-issue)
Recorded1966
GenreFolk rock, psychedelic rock[1]
Length4:37
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)Chet Powers
Producer(s)Felix Pappalardi
The Youngbloods singles chronology
"Darkness, Darkness"
(1969) 		"Get Together"
(1967) 		"Sunlight"
(1969)
Audio
"Get Together" on YouTube

"Get Together", also known as "Let's Get Together" and "Everybody Get Together", is a song by American rock band the Youngbloods, originally included in their 1967 debut album The Youngbloods. It was written in the mid-1960s by American singer-songwriter Chet Powers (stage name Dino Valenti), from psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.[2] The single was The Youngbloods' only Top 40 on Billboard Hot 100—peaking at number five in 1969.[3][2][4]

Background

The song is an appeal for peace and brotherhood, presenting the polarity of love versus fear, and the choice to be made between them. It is best remembered for the impassioned plea in the lines of its refrain ("Come on people now/Smile on your brother/Everybody get together/Try to love one another right now"), which is repeated several times in succession to bring the song to its conclusion.[2]

Original recording history

The song was originally recorded as "Let's Get Together" by the Kingston Trio in a live performance in March 1964 that was released on June 1, 1964, on their album Back in Town.[5] While it was not released as a single, this version was the first to bring the song to the attention of the general public. The Kingston Trio often performed it live.

Cover versions

  • A version of the song first broke into the top forty in 1965, when We Five, produced by Kingston Trio manager Frank Werber, released "Let's Get Together" as the follow-up to their top ten hit "You Were on My Mind". While it did not achieve the same level of success as the other, "Let's Get Together" provided the group with a second top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at number 31[6] and number 5 in Canada.[7] It would be their last hit record. This was included on their second album, Make Someone Happy.
  • The most notable recording came in 1967, when the Youngbloods released their version of the song under the title "Get Together". It became a minor Hot 100 hit for them, peaking at number 62 and reaching 37 on the US adult contemporary chart.[8] However, renewed interest in the Youngbloods' version came when it was used in a radio public service announcement as a call for brotherhood by the National Conference of Christians and Jews.[2] The Youngbloods' version, the most-remembered today, was re-released in 1969, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.[9]
  • In 1968, The Sunshine Company recorded a version of the song, under the title "Let's Get Together".
  • Also in 1968, the Canadian group 3's a Crowd released their version of the song as a single, titled "Let's Get Together". It peaked at number 70 on Canada's national singles chart.[10]
  • In 1970, Gwen and Jerry Collins released a version of the song as a single that reached number 34 on the US country chart.[11]
  • In March 1970, the Dave Clark Five reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart with their version retitled "Everybody Get Together".[12]
  • In 1995, Big Mountain released a version of the song as a single that reached number 28 on the US adult contemporary chart and number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100.[13] It also reached number 32 on Cash Box.[14]

Chart history

Weekly charts

The Youngbloods
Chart (1967) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 62
US Cash Box Top 100[16] 80
Canada RPM Top Singles[17] 40

Legacy

See also

References

  1. ^ Fontenot, Robert (October 29, 2015). "What is Folk-Rock Music?". ThoughtCo. About.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Cole, Tom (April 10, 2019). "Beyond The Summer Of Love, 'Get Together' Is An Anthem For Every Season". American Anthem. NPR. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  3. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 270. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  4. ^ "Get Together by The Youngbloods | Billboard The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  5. ^ The Kingston Trio, Back in Town Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  6. ^ We Five charting singles Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  7. ^ "RPM Top 40 Singles - December 20, 1965" (PDF).
  8. ^ The Youngbloods, "Get Together" 1967 chart positions Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  9. ^ The Youngbloods, "Get Together" chart position Retrieved May 18, 2015
  10. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles – May 11, 1968" (PDF).
  11. ^ Gwen & Jerry Collins, "Get Together" chart position Retrieved May 18, 2015
  12. ^ a b The Dave Clark Five, "Everybody Get Together" chart position Retrieved May 18, 2015
  13. ^ Big Mountain, "Get Together" chart positions Retrieved May 18, 2015
  14. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  15. ^ a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  16. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 7, 1967". Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  17. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles – October 21, 1967" (PDF).
  18. ^ "Go-Set National Top 40, 6 December 1969". Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  19. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. September 20, 1969. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  20. ^ "SA Charts 1965 – March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  21. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 13, 1969[permanent dead link]
  22. ^ "RPM Top Singles of 1969". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  23. ^ Musicoutfitters.com
  24. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1969". Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  25. ^ Truitt, Eliza (September 17, 2001). "It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It". Slate.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007. Slate published what it claimed was a copy of the list.

External links

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