Let's Get Together (Chet Powers song)

"Let's Get Together", also known as "Get Together" and "Everybody Get Together", is a song written in the mid-1960s by the American singer-songwriter Chet Powers (stage name Dino Valenti), from the psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.[1] A hit version by the Youngbloods, included on their 1967 debut album The Youngbloods, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969.[2][1][3]

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.[1]

Original recording history

The song was originally written and recorded as "Let's Get Together" by Chet Powers under the stage name Dino Valenti as early as 1963, but this version was not officially released until 1996 on the compilation album Someone to Love: The Birth of the San Francisco Sound on UK label Big Beat Records;[4] Powers had died two years prior in 1994.[5] The very first release of the song was an instrumental by the Folkswingers on their 1963 album 12 String Guitar! Vol. 2. A live vocal performance by the Kingston Trio in March 1964 was released on June 1, 1964 on their album Back in Town.[6] 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. Jefferson Airplane included the song in their 1966 debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.

The Youngbloods version

"Get Together"
West German picture sleeve
Single by the Youngbloods
from the album The Youngbloods
B-side"All My Dreams Blue"
ReleasedJuly 1967
Genre
Length4:37
LabelRCA Victor
SongwriterChet Powers
ProducerFelix Pappalardi
The Youngbloods singles chronology
"Darkness, Darkness"
(1969) 		"Get Together"
(1967) 		"Sunlight"
(1969)
Audio
"Get Together" on YouTube

The most notable recording of "Let's Get Together" came in 1967, when The Youngbloods released their version under the title "Get Together", from their debut album The Youngbloods. Initially released as a single in July 1967, it became a minor Hot 100 hit for them, peaking at No. 62.[9] 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.[1] It was subsequently re-released in 1969, and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 37 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. It was their only top 40 hit on the Hot 100.[10]

The Dave Clark Five version

In March 1970, British rock band the Dave Clark Five reached No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart with their version, titled "Everybody Get Together",[11] which is from their fifth UK studio album, If Somebody Loves You.

Other versions

  • We Five, produced by Kingston Trio manager Frank Werber, released the first version of the song to break into the top forty, in 1965 as the follow-up to their top ten hit "You Were on My Mind". "Let's Get Together" peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. [12] and reached No. 5 in Canada.[13] It would be the group's last hit record. It was included on their second album, Make Someone Happy.
  • Canadian group 3's a Crowd released their version as a single in 1968, titled "Let's Get Together". It peaked at No. 70 on Canada's national singles chart.[14]
  • In 1970, Gwen and Jerry Collins released the song as a single that reached No. 34 on the US Country chart.[15]
  • In 1995, Big Mountain released their version as a single that reached No. 28 on the US Adult Contemporary chart and No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100.[16] It also reached No. 32 on Cash Box.

Chart history

Weekly charts

The Youngbloods
Chart (1967) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 62
US Cash Box Top 100[18] 80
Canada RPM Top Singles[19] 40

Legacy

See also

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 270. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  3. ^ "Get Together by The Youngbloods | Billboard The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "Let's Get Together by Dino Valenti". SecondHandSongs.
  5. ^ "Dino Valenti Dies; Rock Singer Was 51". New York Times. Associated Press. November 18, 1994. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  6. ^ The Kingston Trio, Back in Town Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  7. ^ Barone, Richard (2022). Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 253. ISBN 978-1-4930-6302-4 – via Google Books. 'Get Together' ... [is] one of the purest examples of folk-rock.
  8. ^ Fontenot, Robert (October 29, 2015). "What is Folk-Rock Music?". ThoughtCo. About.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  9. ^ The Youngbloods, "Get Together" 1967 chart positions Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  10. ^ The Youngbloods, "Get Together" chart position Retrieved May 18, 2015
  11. ^ a b The Dave Clark Five, "Everybody Get Together" chart position Retrieved May 18, 2015
  12. ^ We Five charting singles Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  13. ^ "RPM Top 40 Singles - December 20, 1965" (PDF).
  14. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles – May 11, 1968" (PDF).
  15. ^ Gwen & Jerry Collins, "Get Together" chart position Retrieved May 18, 2015
  16. ^ Big Mountain, "Get Together" chart positions Retrieved May 18, 2015
  17. ^ a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  18. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 7, 1967". Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  19. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles – October 21, 1967" (PDF).
  20. ^ "Go-Set National Top 40, 6 December 1969". Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. September 20, 1969. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  22. ^ "SA Charts 1965 – March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  23. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 13, 1969[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ "RPM Top Singles of 1969". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  25. ^ Musicoutfitters.com
  26. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1969". Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  27. ^ Truitt, Eliza (September 17, 2001). "It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It". Slate.com. Retrieved September 14, 2007. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) Slate published what it claimed was a copy of the list.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Together_(Chet_Powers_song)