(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
The Staple Singers - "I'll Take You There"
Hit Number 1: June 3, 1972
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
A backstory can change the entire meaning of a song. Sometimes those backstories can change my opinion of songs, and we've seen that before with the Four Seasons' "Rag Doll" in 1964, which still remains as one of my favorite backstories I've told in this series. "I'll Take You There", as cheery as it sounds, was inspired by sad events. Al Bell, the head honcho at Stax Records in Memphis for many years, had just attended the funeral of his little brother after he was shot to death. He went out to the backyard of his father's home where an immobile bus was parked, sat on the hood and began to think about everything that had happened. All of a sudden things started happening. He began to hear music inside his head, and began to hear the words "I know a place, ain't nobody worried, ain't nobody crying, and ain't no smiling faces lying to the races, I'll take you there." He said he tried to think of other verses, but couldn't. It was almost like that was all he was supposed to come up with.
The Staple Singers, who were signed to Stax, were a family band who initially made gospel music, but switched to what was called "inspirational soul music" after hearing the preaching of Martin Luther King Jr. Much of their songs from their hit era involved music such as this. When the band was wrapping up a recording session, Bell approached them about his song that he came up with, since it would seem to fit right into their catalog. The band agreed, but lead singer Mavis Staples was having a hard time getting into the song, possibly due to how repetitive the song is. It wasn't until after Bell sang the song to the rest of the band, and they began to establish a bright, steady rhythm to the song that Mavis finally began to "feel" the song. Before long, she was wailing, shouting and scatting her way through the song without any problems. Bell would later say "She took it to heights that only a Mavis Staples can take it."
There are different theories on what "I'll Take You There" is about, with the most popular one being that this "place" is heaven. It makes sense, this is supposedly a place with no worries or problems. That gives "I'll Take You There" a sense of optimism and hope. However, even though the Staple Singers said they switched from gospel to soul, I still get big time gospel vibes from this. I mean, the song is said to be about heaven for crying out loud. The only thing I can picture is the one highly-regarded place that most of us are said to go to once we finish our time here on Earth. It's said that there will be no more pain, worries or suffering. The religious person in me wants to believe that when Bell sat on that bus's hood all those years ago, his brother paid him a visit and helped him come up with this song. It's chill-inducing to think that that might be possible.
Coming into this review, I didn't care for "I'll Take You There" too much. I thought it was too dry, without any serious personality to it. But I read about the backstory of it, and it's changed my whole perspective of the song. That's part of why I love doing these reviews, I'm learning so much about these songs. Mavis Staples belts the crap out of the song, and personally, I love to believe that God is in the studio with her. Her family members sing backing "I'll take you theres", and overall it's a very nice, fun performance put on. Particularly, I like the drum work the most out of the musical production. Something about it is very impressive to me. At the end of the day, I get bright and sunny vibes from a song that's about a bright and sunny place.
The only knock I have against "I'll Take You There" is how repetitive it is. I'm not sure the groove they came up with here is strong enough to carry the same lines being sung over and over again, but the backstory of how "I'll Take You There" came about is what keeps me from being too rude to it. The groove is still a good one, and the drum work paired up with Mavis Staples' voice, not to mention the song's ties to God, are all great qualities the song has. Also, it put the Staple Singers on the map, and they became pretty big in the music industry for a few years. We'll even get to hear from them again in this blog.
GRADE: 7/10
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