Two versions of this song charted in Australia, although we are familiar with many others. The highest ranked single was by Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart. Other versions on this page are by Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bob Dylan, Human Nature, and the original by the Impressions, of which songwriter Curtis Mayfield was a member.
Single:
People Get Ready by Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart entered the Australian singles chart* on 29 July 1985 and peaked at #23.
Album:
The song is on Beck’s album Flash which entered the Australian albums chart* on 26 August 1985 and peaked at #36.
Songwriter:
Curtis Mayfield
Producer:
Jeff Beck
Record label of Australian release:
Epic
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
BONUS VIDEOS AND AUDIO BELOW – scroll down for versions by Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Impressions, Bob Dylan and Human Nature
Songfacts:
Impressions lead singer Curtis Mayfield wrote this song. Mayfield got his start performing with the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers, competing with other gospel acts in the Chicago area. Grounded in church music, he wrote many songs in that style, including People Get Ready. The song embodies a deep sense of spirituality and community, but with enough popular appeal to make it a hit.
Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart did a successful version. After Curtis Mayfield was paralysed in 1990 (a light rig fell on him, crushing three vertebrae), royalties from this song – especially the Beck/Stewart version – helped keep him financially sound, which he credited for helping him fend off depression and remain active as a songwriter and singer despite his condition.
Bob Marley was huge fan of The Impressions, and especially of this song (he could hear it in Jamaica on Miami radio stations). In 1965, he incorporated the verse lyrics of People Get Ready into One Love, a song he recorded with his group The Wailers. In 1977, Marley released a new version of the song for his album Exodus.
Aretha Franklin, Maria Muldaur, The Walker Brothers, the Everly Brothers, and Eva Cassidy are among other artists to cover this song.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/the-impressions/people-get-ready
Lyrics:
People get ready
There’s a train a comin’
You don’t need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels hummin’
You don’t need no ticket
You just thank the Lord
Click for full lyrics
BONUS VERSIONS
Bob Marley & The Wailers recorded a couple of interpretations of People Get Ready as One Love/People Get Ready. Marley entered the Australian singles chart* on 28 May 1984 and peaked at #24.
Bob Marley & The Wailers extended version:
People Get Ready by The Impressions:
Australia’s Human Nature released People Get Ready as the fifth single from their Telling Everybody album in 1997. It reached #35 on the Australian singles chart*.
Bob Dylan recorded People Get Ready twice; first in 1967 during the sessions that later became The Basement Tapes, and again in 1989 for the soundtrack to Flashback. A live version by Dylan was included in his 1978 film Renaldo and Clara and on his 14-CD box set, Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings.
The Basement Tapes by Bob Dylan & The Band entered the Australian albums chart* on 28 July 1975 and peaked at #13.
Bob Dylan’s Flashback version:
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