GET TOGETHER ― THE YOUNGBLOODS
Genre ― Folk Rock / Psychedelic Rock
Video
"Get Together", also known as "Let's Get Together", is a song written in the mid-1960s by American singer-songwriter Chet Powers, also known as Dino Valenti.
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, which is repeated several times in succession to bring the song to its conclusion.
Recording History ―
The song was originally recorded as "Let's Get Together" by the Kingston Trio and released on June 1, 1964, on their album Back in Town. 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.
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 #31. It would be their last hit record.
"Let's Get Together" was the third song on side 2 of the Jefferson Airplane's first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, released in August 1966. As Tim Jurgens said in his review of the album in the January 1967 issue of Crawdaddy, "Jefferson Airplane Takes Off is the most important album of American rock issued this year (1966); it is the first LP to come out of the new San Francisco music scene..". He called "Let's Get Together" a "most sensitive, hopeful and contemporary ballad", and wondered why it isn't sung in church. However, the song wasn't released as a single, although the album did make the top 100 of 1966, as #97.
In 1967, the Youngbloods released their version of the song under the title "Get Together". It became a minor Hot 100 hit for them, peaking at #62 and reaching #37 on the US adult contemporary chart. 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. The Youngbloods' version, the most-remembered today, was re-released in 1969, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Another version was released in 1967 by the Chicago psychedelic group H. P. Lovecraft on their debut album.
In 1968, the Sunshine Company released a version of the song titled "Let's Get Together" as a single that reached #112 on the Billboard chart.
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 #70 on Canada's national singles chart.
In 1970, Gwen & Jerry Collins released a version of the song as a single that reached #34 on the US country chart.
In March 1970, the Dave Clark Five reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart with their version retitled "Everybody Get Together".
In 1995, Big Mountain released a version of the song titled as a single that reached #28 on the US adult contemporary chart and #44 on the Billboard Hot 100.
And on Inauguraton Day 2017, the group Bahari released their version of the song.
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 #31. It would be their last hit record.
"Let's Get Together" was the third song on side 2 of the Jefferson Airplane's first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, released in August 1966. As Tim Jurgens said in his review of the album in the January 1967 issue of Crawdaddy, "Jefferson Airplane Takes Off is the most important album of American rock issued this year (1966); it is the first LP to come out of the new San Francisco music scene..". He called "Let's Get Together" a "most sensitive, hopeful and contemporary ballad", and wondered why it isn't sung in church. However, the song wasn't released as a single, although the album did make the top 100 of 1966, as #97.
In 1967, the Youngbloods released their version of the song under the title "Get Together". It became a minor Hot 100 hit for them, peaking at #62 and reaching #37 on the US adult contemporary chart. 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. The Youngbloods' version, the most-remembered today, was re-released in 1969, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Another version was released in 1967 by the Chicago psychedelic group H. P. Lovecraft on their debut album.
In 1968, the Sunshine Company released a version of the song titled "Let's Get Together" as a single that reached #112 on the Billboard chart.
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 #70 on Canada's national singles chart.
In 1970, Gwen & Jerry Collins released a version of the song as a single that reached #34 on the US country chart.
In March 1970, the Dave Clark Five reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart with their version retitled "Everybody Get Together".
In 1995, Big Mountain released a version of the song titled as a single that reached #28 on the US adult contemporary chart and #44 on the Billboard Hot 100.
And on Inauguraton Day 2017, the group Bahari released their version of the song.
Controversy ―
Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the media conglomerate company Clear Channel Communications included the Youngbloods' version of the song on a list of "lyrically questionable" songs that was sent to its 1,200 radio stations in the United States.
In popular culture ―
- The Youngbloods version of the song has been featured in several films, including Purple Haze, Forrest Gump, The Dish, Stephen King's Riding the Bullet, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and most recently Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.
- In The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror II", Lisa wishes for world peace and her wish comes true. All people on Earth start singing "Get Together" and dance in a large peace sign.
- 1989: Indigo Girls on the Epic Records release of their album Strange Fire. The song also appears on the soundtrack for The Wonder Years.
- The South Park episode "Smug Alert!" contains a parody of the song which repeats the line "come on people now" several times.
- In 2008, the Youngbloods version of the song was used in a commercial for Luvs diapers.
- A snippet of the Youngbloods version of the song was used in a 2014 commercial for KFC.
- A snippet of the Youngbloods version of the song was played in the beginning of Bart's dream in The Simpsons episode "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?"
- Krist Novoselic sings part of the chorus of this song at the beginning of Nirvana's recording of their song, "Territorial Pissings."
- The Christian hard rock group David and the Giants released a cover of the song on their CD Giant Hits.
- Christian Slater echoes the chorus in the 1990 movie Pump Up the Volume
From Wikipedia and Google
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