music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Amen" is a traditional gospel song that was popularized by The Impressions with their 1964 version.

"Amen"
Single by The Impressions
from the album Keep On Pushing
B-side	"Long, Long Winter"
Released	1964 (1964)
Recorded	November 1964
Genre	Soul, R&B
Length	3:32 (album version) 2:48 (single version)
Label	ABC-Paramount
Songwriter(s)	Jester Hairston (label mistakenly credits Jerry Goldsmith)[1]
Producer(s)	Johnny Pate
The Impressions singles chronology
"You Must Believe Me" (1964) "Amen" (1964) "People Get Ready" (1964)

It was recorded earlier, in June 1948, and released in January 1949 by the Wings Over Jordan Choir.[2][3]

Background

The song was arranged by Jester Hairston, for the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field (1963), which popularized the song. Curtis Mayfield said "I'd gone to see 'Lilies of the Field,' and the song in it, 'Amen,' was very inspiring for me as was the movie . . . Of course, I'd decided to do a version of it. We put it together in the studio starting off with a musical 'swing low sweet chariot', and then we fell into that particular song with somewhat of a marching rhythm."[4] The song was the first Impressions' hit that Mayfield did not write. Mayfield inserted the title of the song "Keep on Pushing", which was recorded by the Impressions, in-between the lyrics of the song.

The song went to number one on Cashbox Magazine's R&B chart for three weeks and reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1964.[5] The B-side, "Long, Long Winter", peaked at #35 on the Cashbox R&B chart. A new version was released by The Impressions in 1969 under the title "Amen (1970)", reaching #44 on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles chart in January 1970.

Cover versions

• Prior to the Impressions' version, Marv Meredith's "Salvation Rock" (essentially a version of "Amen") reached the Music Vendor national Top 100 (December 1960).
• Johnny Cash recorded a version with a choir for his 1965 album Orange Blossom Special.
• Also a minor chart hit for Lloyd Price and Erma Franklin in 1964 (Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles at #124)
• In 1968, Otis Redding had a posthumous hit with his version of the song, reaching #15 on the R&B chart.[6]
• In 1969, The Winstons recorded an instrumental funk cover, which included the widely sampled "Amen break".
• Elvis Presley would often perform "Amen" as part of a medley with "I Got A Woman" in his live performances from 1972-77.
• James Booker recorded the song on his album Classified (1982).

References

External links

• The Impressions - Amen on YouTube

---