The Rascals bring us today’s classic song of the day, “People Got to Be Free.” Released as a single in July of 1968, this single went all the way to #1 (for five weeks!) on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
“People Got to Be Free” was written by Rascals Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, and sung by Mr. Cavaliere. The song is a plea for peace and freedom and tolerance in a chaotic world:
All the world over, so easy to see
People everywhere just wanna be free
Listen, please listen, that’s the way it should be
There’s peace in the valley, people got to be free
Felix and Eddie wrote “People Got to Be Free” in 1968, partly a reaction to the long-haired group’s encounter with a bunch of rednecks when the band’s tour bus broke down in Fort Pierce, Florida. It also came from Felix’s experience working on Bobby Kennedy’s presidential campaign earlier that year. In his own words:
“I was working for Bobby Kennedy’s campaign, and you know that Robert Kennedy got assassinated. I just felt compelled to say something. The record company didn’t really like the idea, but they let it [be released as a single] and it became number one in all the places that were oppressed, such as South Africa, Berlin and Hong Kong, So I was always very proud of that. [Writing this song] was a direct result of the assassination. In my eyes, Bobby Kennedy was an idealistic person who had visions for how our country should be, and his brother as well. So I was attracted very much to that. I just thought that it would be a good direction for me, and the United States of America.”
And here’s a treat, your daily bonus video of the day, the Rascals performing “People Got to Be Free” live on the ABC-TV program The Music Scene in 1969. These guys were dynamic live performers and this is a song that is every bit as important today as it was more than fifty years ago.
