Music composed by Quincy Jones for the film in 1967, lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and of course Ray Charles and his backup singers deliver some extraordinary vocals.
What a great song it is! I’ve always liked it a lot, although I think I only listened to it when watching the film because I’m pretty sure the single didn’t get much airplay when I listened to the radio 30 or 40 years ago.
I remembered it last night and listened at least a dozen times, especially after I figured out the lyrics. I’d post them here, because what’s online is pretty much a mess, but I’m not sure if that would be considered copyright infringement on the SDMB (it it’s not, I’ll post them). Beautiful, inpiring lyrics. I read online that the producers or somebody insisted that the words “all mean and white” were going to cause trouble and that the Bergmans changed the line to “all mean and bright.”
I’m posting this so that someone else can have as much fun as I did last night and also because I think the musical style sounds very similar to that of The Beatles’ Oh! Darling (1969), which has been discussed here before. I’ve read that Billy Preston is playing organ on the Ray Charles recordings. Have a listen and tell us what you think!
Ray Charles single:
The soundtrack (sounds more polished):
The Beatles’ Oh! Darling:
And what a refrain. I kind of forget about it, and every time it comes around I have to sing along: In the HEAT…” The chords are really interesting, too.