music.wikisort.org - Composition"Abraham, Martin and John" is a 1968 song written by Dick Holler. It was first recorded by Dion, in a version that was a substantial North American chart hit in 1968–1969. Near-simultaneous cover versions by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Moms Mabley also charted in the U.S. in 1969, and a version that same year by Marvin Gaye became the hit version in the UK. It was also a hit as part of a medley (with "What the World Needs Now Is Love") for Tom Clay in 1971, and has subsequently been recorded by many other artists.
1968 song, a memorial for assassinated Americans
"Abraham, Martin and John" |
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 Side A of US single |
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B-side | "Daddy Rollin' (In Your Arms)" |
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Released | August 1968 |
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Recorded | Allegro Sound Studios; Engineer Bruce Staple |
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Genre | Folk rock |
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Length | 3:15 |
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Label | Laurie |
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Songwriter(s) | Dick Holler |
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Producer(s) | Phil Gernhard |
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"Two Ton Feather" (1966) |
"Abraham, Martin and John" (1968) |
"Purple Haze" (1968) |
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"Abraham, Martin and John" |
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B-side | "Much Better Off" |
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Released | May 9, 1969 |
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Recorded | 1969 |
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Studio | Motown |
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Genre | R&B |
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Length | 2:51 |
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Label | Tamla |
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Songwriter(s) | Dick Holler |
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Producer(s) | Phil Gernhard |
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"Abraham, Martin and John" |
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B-side | "Sunny" |
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Released | June 1969 |
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Recorded | 1969 |
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Genre | Easy listening |
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Length | 3:48 |
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Label | Mercury |
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Songwriter(s) | Dick Holler |
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Producer(s) | Phil Gernhard |
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The song itself is a tribute to the memory of four assassinated Americans, all icons of social change: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. It was written in response to the assassination of King and that of Robert Kennedy in April and June 1968, respectively.[1]
Lyrics
Each of the first three verses features one of the men named in the song's title, for example:
- Anybody here, seen my old friend Abraham?
- Can you tell me where he's gone?
- He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good, they die young
- You know I just looked around and he's gone
After a bridge, the fourth and final verse mentions "Bobby" (referencing Robert F. Kennedy), and ends with a description of him walking over a hill with the other three men.
Dion recording
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
The original version, recorded by Dion, featured a gentle folk rock production from Phil Gernhard and arrangement from John Abbott. The song features a flugelhorn, an electric organ, bass, and drums.
Although it was quite unlike the rock sound that Dion had become famous for in the early 1960s, and even more unlike Holler and Gernhard's previous collaboration in the 1966 novelty smash "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron", "Abraham, Martin and John" nonetheless was a major American hit single in late 1968. It reached number 4 on the Hot 100 and number 1 on Chicago station WLS[2] and was awarded an RIAA gold record for selling a million copies. In Canada, it topped the charts, reaching number 1 in the RPM 100 on November 25, 1968.[3] In 2001, this recording would be ranked number 248 on the RIAA's Songs of the Century list. The record was also popular with adult listeners, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Easy Listening survey. The personnel on the original recording included Vinnie Bell and Ralph Casale on guitar, Nick DeCaro on organ, David Robinson on drums, Gloria Agostini on harp, and George Marge on oboe and English horn.
Weekly charts
Chart (1968–69) |
Peak position |
Canada RPM 100[3] |
1 |
New Zealand (Listener)[4] |
12 |
US Billboard Hot 100[5] |
4 |
US Billboard Adult Contemporary |
8 |
US Billboard R&B |
32 |
US Cash Box Top 100[6] |
2 |
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- Smokey Robinson & the Miracles recorded a version that became an American Top 40 single in 1969, reaching number 33[9] while reaching number 16 on the US R&B charts[10]
- Marvin Gaye, with an orchestral arrangement by Norman Whitfield, also recorded a version in 1969 that became a top-ten hit (reaching number 9) in the United Kingdom in 1970 (Gaye's version was never released in the U.S. as a single but was featured on his 1970 album, That's the Way Love Is, and was one of his first experiments with social messages in his music which would culminate in his 1971 album, What's Going On.)
- Moms Mabley, best known as a comedian, performed a completely serious version that hit the U.S. Top 40. It reached number 35 in July 1969 and number 18 on the R&B charts, making Mabley (at 75) the oldest living person to have a U.S. Top 40 hit.[11] [12]
- Ray Charles recorded his version of the song on his 1972 album A Message from the People.
- Marillion released two versions in 1999. A live recording was on their Unplugged at the Walls album, and a studio version on their fan club Christmas CD the same year.
- Whitney Houston performed the song in her live concert in 1997 which aired on VH1 and HBO as Whitney Houston: Live Washington DC..
- Wilson Pickett recorded a variation of the song, "Cole, Cooke & Redding" (US number 91 / Canada number 58), as the B-side of his 1970 version of The Archies' hit "Sugar, Sugar". His version altered the lyrics to eulogize the titular three deceased icons of black music.
- Harry Belafonte recorded the song in his 1970 album Belafonte By Request released by RCA Records
- Bob Dylan and Clydie King in the Dylan concert movie "Trouble No More" released by Sony in 2017
- Leonard Nimoy included this song in his 1970 LP, "The New World Of Leonard Nimoy" (Dot Records, DLP 25966)
- Beverly Knight performed the song with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Gaye's 1969 recording on the 2021 album Motown with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: A Symphony of Soul (Motown/Island Records/UMC)
- Rosey Grier, who had been one of Robert F. Kennedy's bodyguards and helped subdue Sirhan Sirhan after the shots that killed Senator Kennedy following his victory in the 1968 California Democratic primary were fired, recorded a version for his 1986 gospel album Committed.
As part of medleys
The song is also featured on Tom Clay's 1971 "What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin, and John", a medley combining Dion's recording with Jackie DeShannon's recording of Burt Bacharach's "What the World Needs Now Is Love", along with vocals by The Blackberries. Clay's recording features narration (an adult asking a child to define several words associated with social unrest), sound bites from speeches given by President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., along with sound bites from the live press coverage of Robert Kennedy's assassination, and his eulogy by his brother Edward M. Kennedy. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[13] on August 14, 1971 and number 32 on the R&B charts.[14] It reached number 3 in Australia.[15]
See also
- Civil rights movement in popular culture
- Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln
- Cultural depictions of John F. Kennedy
References
- "How Robert Kennedy Inspired 'Abraham, Martin and John'". The New York Times Company. June 5, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- "89 Hit Parade". WLS. December 2, 1968. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- "Flavour of New Zealand, 17 January 1969 - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
- "Cash Box Top 100 12/21/68". Tropicalglen.com. December 21, 1968. Archived from the original on October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
- Whitburn, Joel The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 1992, p. 317
- Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of TOP 40 R&B and Hip Hop Hits, Billboard Books, New York 2006, p. 400
- Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 1992 p. 287
- Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip Hop Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 2006, p. 363
- Whitburn, Joel The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 1992, p. 102
- Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of TOP 40 R&B and Hip Hop Hits, Billboard Books, New York 2006, p.109
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 66. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
Further reading
- Collins, Ace. Songs Sung, Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs. HarperResource, 2003. ISBN 0060513047
External links
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Discography |
1950s | |
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1960s | |
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1970s | |
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1960s: (Tamla) | |
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1970s: (Tamla) | |
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1980s: (Tamla/ Columbia) | |
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Posthumous | |
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Category
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Speeches, writings, movements, and protests |
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Speeches |
- "Give Us the Ballot" (1957)
- "I Have a Dream" (1963)
- "How Long, Not Long" (1965)
- "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" (1967)
- "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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Writings |
- Stride Toward Freedom (1958)
- "What Is Man?" (1959)
- "Second Emancipation Proclamation"
- Strength to Love (1963)
- "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963)
- Why We Can't Wait (1964)
- Conscience for Change (1967)
- Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967)
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Movements and protests |
- Montgomery bus boycott (1955–1956)
- Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom (1957)
- Albany Movement (1961–1962)
- Birmingham campaign (1963)
- March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963)
- St. Augustine movement (1963–1964)
- Selma to Montgomery marches (1965)
- Chicago Freedom Movement (1966)
- Mississippi March Against Fear (1966)
- Anti-Vietnam War movement (1967)
- Memphis sanitation strike (1968)
- Poor People's Campaign (1968)
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People |
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Family |
- Coretta Scott King (wife)
- Yolanda King (daughter)
- Martin Luther King III (son)
- Dexter King (son)
- Bernice King (daughter)
- Martin Luther King Sr. (father)
- Alberta Williams King (mother)
- Christine King Farris (sister)
- A. D. King (brother)
- James Albert King (grandfather)
- Alveda King (niece)
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Other leaders |
- Ralph Abernathy (mentor, colleague)
- Ella Baker (colleague)
- James Bevel (strategist / colleague)
- Dorothy Cotton (colleague)
- Jesse Jackson (protégé)
- Bernard Lafayette (colleague)
- James Lawson (colleague)
- John Lewis (colleague)
- Joseph Lowery (colleague)
- Benjamin Mays (mentor)
- Diane Nash (colleague)
- James Orange (colleague)
- Bayard Rustin (advisor)
- Fred Shuttlesworth (colleague)
- C. T. Vivian (colleague)
- Wyatt Walker (colleague)
- Hosea Williams (colleague)
- Andrew Young (colleague)
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Assassination |
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- Lorraine Motel (now National Civil Rights Museum)
- Riots
- Funeral
- James Earl Ray
- Jack Kershaw
- U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Records Collection Act
- Loyd Jowers
- Conspiracy theories
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Media |
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Film | |
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Television | |
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Plays |
- The Meeting (1987)
- The Mountaintop (2009)
- I Dream (2010)
- All the Way (2012)
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Illustrated |
- Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story (1957 comic book)
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Music | |
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Related |
- Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. v. CBS, Inc.
- King v. Trustees of Boston Univ.
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Related topics |
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- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
- National Historical Park
- King Center for Nonviolent Social Change
- Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
- National Civil Rights Museum
- Big Six
- Authorship issues
- FBI–King suicide letter
- Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
- Season for Nonviolence
- U.S. Capitol Rotunda sculpture
- Oval Office bust
- Homage to King sculpture, Atlanta
- Hope Moving Forward statue, Atlanta
- Statues of Martin Luther King Jr.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, San Francisco
- Landmark for Peace Memorial, Indianapolis
- The Dream sculpture, Portland, Oregon
- Kennedy–King College
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Washington, D.C.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San Jose
- Memorials to Martin Luther King Jr.
- King County, Washington
- Eponymous streets
- America in the King Years
- Civil rights movement in popular culture
- Lee–Jackson–King Day
- High schools named after King
- Schools in France named after King
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Robert F. Kennedy |
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November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968
- 64th United States Attorney General, 1961–1964
- United States senator from New York, 1965–1968
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Life |
- 1948 Palestine visit
- Senate Committee investigation of Labor and Management
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- Civil rights
- Freedom Riders
- Voter Education Project
- Baldwin–Kennedy meeting
- 1964 Democratic National Convention
- Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
- Mississippi Delta tour
- Kennedy Compound
- Hickory Hill home
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Electoral |
- 1964 U.S. Senate election
- 1968 presidential campaign
- primaries
- Boiler Room Girls
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Speeches |
- Law Day Address (1961)
- Day of Affirmation Address (1966)
- Conflict in Vietnam and at Home (1968)
- University of Kansas (1968)
- Ball State (1968)
- On the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (1968)
- "On the Mindless Menace of Violence" (1968)
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Books |
- The Enemy Within (1960)
- The Pursuit of Justice (1964)
- To Seek a Newer World (1967)
- Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis (1969)
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Assassination |
- Sirhan Sirhan
- Ambassador Hotel
- Conspiracy theories
- Gravesite
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Legacy and memorials | |
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Popular culture | |
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Family, family tree |
- Ethel Skakel (wife)
- Kathleen Kennedy (daughter)
- Joseph P. Kennedy (son)
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (son)
- David Kennedy (son)
- Michael Kennedy (son)
- Kerry Kennedy (daughter)
- Chris Kennedy (son)
- Max Kennedy (son)
- Doug Kennedy (son)
- Rory Kennedy (daughter)
- Maeve Kennedy McKean (granddaughter)
- Joseph P. Kennedy III (grandson)
- Max Kennedy Jr. (grandson)
- Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (father)
- Rose Kennedy (mother)
- Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (brother)
- John F. Kennedy (brother
- presidency)
- Rosemary Kennedy (sister)
- Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish (sister)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver (sister)
- Patricia Kennedy Lawford (sister)
- Jean Kennedy Smith (sister)
- Ted Kennedy (brother)
- Patrick J. Kennedy (grandfather)
- Mary Augusta Kennedy (grandmother)
- John F. Fitzgerald (grandfather)
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Category |
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