Al Green | "Let's Stay Together"
Aug 23, 2016 5:39:03 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2016 5:39:03 GMT -5
Surprised I couldn't find a thread for this.
#1 on the Hot 100 and Soul Singles chart in 1972.
Classic. Love it.
Ranked #13 on Pitchfork's newly released 200 Best Songs of the 1970's:
#1 on the Hot 100 and Soul Singles chart in 1972.
Classic. Love it.
Ranked #13 on Pitchfork's newly released 200 Best Songs of the 1970's:
Faith can be hard. There are trust issues, hiccups, dwindlings. And, in a way, faith in love can be even tougher to uphold than faith in God, since there are two fallible humans at the center of the struggle. But Al Green makes it all sound so easy, and “Let’s Stay Together” holds firm because it raises secular love to churchly levels. It is a vow, something to believe in. The song makes infatuation seem like it can last forever. This is a durable idea: The song hit #1 on the pop charts in 1972, making Green a star; last year, it still ranked among the 50 most popular wedding songs on Spotify.
The bond that upholds “Let’s Stay Together” has everything to do with Green’s voice, of course—that raspy, quavering thing, rising and falling with the grace of a blue jay in springtime. It would be foolish not to trust this man. The expert house band at Memphis’ Hi Studios plays its part, too, sliding into an easygoing gallop that offers its own take on eternity. Investigate further, though, and it turns out that Green’s faith isn’t as simple as it may seem. For one, he reportedly was known for spending hundreds of hours perfecting vocals for each of his songs, yet still making the final takes sound as spontaneous as a first date. And then there are the singer’s own personal shortcomings. Later in the ’70s, Green dated a married woman who infamously scalded him with hot grits before killing herself with the singer’s gun. And when he tried wedded bliss out for himself in 1977, it was a disaster, with Green eventually admitting to domestic abuse in court. “Let’s Stay Together,” like so much great pop, is wishful fantasy. Just as the song fully opens up about three minutes in, it unceremoniously fades out. –Ryan Dombal
The bond that upholds “Let’s Stay Together” has everything to do with Green’s voice, of course—that raspy, quavering thing, rising and falling with the grace of a blue jay in springtime. It would be foolish not to trust this man. The expert house band at Memphis’ Hi Studios plays its part, too, sliding into an easygoing gallop that offers its own take on eternity. Investigate further, though, and it turns out that Green’s faith isn’t as simple as it may seem. For one, he reportedly was known for spending hundreds of hours perfecting vocals for each of his songs, yet still making the final takes sound as spontaneous as a first date. And then there are the singer’s own personal shortcomings. Later in the ’70s, Green dated a married woman who infamously scalded him with hot grits before killing herself with the singer’s gun. And when he tried wedded bliss out for himself in 1977, it was a disaster, with Green eventually admitting to domestic abuse in court. “Let’s Stay Together,” like so much great pop, is wishful fantasy. Just as the song fully opens up about three minutes in, it unceremoniously fades out. –Ryan Dombal
