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The Staple Singers — I'll Take You There
Album: Bealtitude: Respect Yourself
Avg rating:
7.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2852









Released: 1972
Length: 4:19
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Oh . . . mmm
I know a place
Ain't nobody cryin'
Ain't nobody worried
Ain't no smilin' faces
Mmm, no no
Lyin' to the races

Help me, come on, come on
Somebody help me now ''(I'll take you there)''
Help me, ya'all ''(I'll take you there)''
Help me now ''(I'll take you there)''
Oh ''(I'll take you there)''
Oh oh mercy ''(I'll take you there)''
Oh, let me take you there ''(I'll take you there)''
Oh-oh! Let me take you there! ''(I'll take you there)''

Play your, play your piano now
All right
Ah . . . do it . . . do it
Come on now
Play on it, play on it
Daddy daddy now
Daddy daddy daddy

Ooh, Lord
All right now
Baby, easy now
Now, come on, little David
All right
Dum-dum-dum-dum
Sock it, sock it

Ah, oh, oh!
I know a place, ya'all ''(I'll take you there)''
Ain't nobody cryin' ''(I'll take you there)''
Ain't nobody worried ''(I'll take you there)''
No smilin' faces ''(I'll take you there)''
Uh-uh ''(Lyin' to the races)
(I'll take you there)''
Oh, no

Oh ''(I'll take you there)''
Oh oh oh ''(I'll take you there)''
Mercy now ''(I'll take you there)''
I'm callin' callin' callin' mercy ''(I'll take you there)''
Mercy mercy ''(I'll take you there)''
Let me ''(I'll take you there)''

Oh oh, I'll take you there
''(I'll take you there)''
Oh oh oh oh
Wanna take you there
''(I'll take you there)''
Just take me by the hand, let me
''(I'll take you there)''
Let me, let me, let me lead the way, oh
''(I'll take you there)''
Let me take you there
''(I'll take you there)''
Let me take you there!
''(I'll take you there)''
Ain't no smilin' faces
''(I'll take you there)''
Up in here, lyin' to the races
''(I'll take you there)''
You oughta, you gotta gotta come let me, let me
''(I'll take you there)''
Take you, take you, take you over there
''(I'll take you there)''

Ooh, oh, oh, all right
''(I'll take you there)''
Oh-oh! All right!
''(I'll take you there)''
Oh! Oh! ''(I'll take you there)''
Mmmm, uh, oh! Yeah!
''(I'll take you there)''
Whoa!
''(I'll take you there)''
Let me lead the way
''(I'll take you there)''
Comments (290)add comment
Interesting that NWA lifted the synthesizer riff in Boyz N The Hood in 1987 when the Staple Singers track was just 15 years old.  And now Boyz N The Hood is 37 years old.
The composer of the song is Al Bell - a co-owner of the Stax  label.  He was inspired to write the song after the untimely death of his brother.  He said he was hoping for a better place in the future where powerful racist politicians did not lie to the people (“Lyin to the races”).  The song is a perfect match for The Staples with their long history of Civil Rights activism with Martin Luther King and many others.
 tm wrote:

Bass player is David Hood from Muscle Shoals, Alabama...  Great bass line and deep in that pocket.


Thank You for the info!
 Prius wrote:
Great funky bass line 



YES!
A simple but powerful bass line!! I love playing this!
 Prius wrote:
Great funky bass line 


... needs samping
Bass player is David Hood from Muscle Shoals, Alabama...  Great bass line and deep in that pocket.
Love the photo of Don Cornelius in the Wiki summary.

#oneCoolDude
 Bleyfusz wrote:

Heh. She's changing her story. Like Dylan never did anything like that, too.
7 -> big phat TEN
 cdunson wrote:

Another song that makes a whole lot more sense to me now than it did it my acid-rock only youth, when it came out. Love it.




I Agree! Same here!
 Steely_D wrote:


So did Bob Dylan. He asked her. She declined, thinking that Dr. King wouldn't approve.

This is true.


Is it?

https://www.theguardian.com/mu...
This is a song that has not lost its edge and will always resonate with anyone with some soul.
One of a very few songs that have the power to lift my spirits no matter the mood it found me in.
If you love the Staples Singers, I definitely recommend checking out Hulu's documentary, "Summer of Soul"It's the doc that Questlove directed and it's a compilation of amazing concert footage that delivers a completely ripping Mavis Staples.  
 JFL wrote:

I want to marry a woman who sounds like Mavis Staples.



So did Bob Dylan. He asked her. She declined, thinking that Dr. King wouldn't approve.

This is true.
 Prius wrote:
Great funky bass line 



Another song that makes a whole lot more sense to me now than it did it my acid-rock only youth, when it came out. Love it.
I want to marry a woman who sounds like Mavis Staples.
 Ok_Sobriquet wrote:

The bass, the horns, the vocals. This song is gospel pop perfection.





Couldn't have said it better.
:onthenose:
Dancing at my standing desk! 
Excellent riff... But a little monotonous by the end. I like it, but it could stand to be one minute shorter.
i wanna go! gnomesayin'
 DanFHiggins wrote:
Sometimes you just have to feel it
 
It's called "Soul." Amirite?
The bass, the horns, the vocals. This song is gospel pop perfection.
Sometimes you just have to feel it
 sgaustein wrote:
I tend to think that songs where 90% is a few notes repeated over and over are just lazy composing
 
Are you 12? There's more to music than the number of different notes in a song. Maybe take up mathematics and forget about music appreciation? Dude..
 sgaustein wrote:
I tend to think that songs where 90% is a few notes repeated over and over are just lazy composing
 

I tend to think it's called a 'groove'
 sgaustein wrote:
I tend to think that songs where 90% is a few notes repeated over and over are just lazy composing
 
wow......not even listening to the lyrics?  Damn you need some music appreciation courses!
1972, and still feels alive and shakin'. Long life, Mavis Staples.
 sgaustein wrote:
I tend to think that songs where 90% is a few notes repeated over and over are just lazy composing
 

Sorry to tell you but a comment like that suggests you have zero understanding of music
Any song that can immediately make you jump and start dancing is a 10 
I tend to think that songs where 90% is a few notes repeated over and over are just lazy composing
can't sit still.  What a voice!
excellent way to start out my day. Thank you RP 
Masterpiece 
Ain't no smilin' faces
Lyin' to the races.

Please take us there on Nov. 3, 2020.
Please, take me!
Great funky bass line 
 hobiejoe wrote:
MrsHJ, Sprog2 and I visited Muscle Shoals on our way from Beez and Bighead's to visit Hairfarmer in Memphis in May. Not hard, as satnav takes you straight through MS going from Gadsden to Memphis, and well worth a visit, it drips musical history.

 
Both New Orleans and Muscle Shoals are on my "musical bucket list" from the South of the US.  And all the Blues/Jazz that became R&B/Soul/Funk is some sort of great American History lesson there....Long Live RP and FUNKY music!!
MrsHJ, Sprog2 and I visited Muscle Shoals on our way from Beez and Bighead's to visit Hairfarmer in Memphis in May. Not hard, as satnav takes you straight through MS going from Gadsden to Memphis, and well worth a visit, it drips musical history.

Happy 80th birthday Mavis Staples!  Mercy.
From the opening bass line, Mavis and family takes you there.
 Stefen wrote:
What is "Lyin' to the races"?
 
heh
What is "Lyin' to the races"?
 idiot_wind wrote:
The Staples, Al Green, Roberta Flack, Donnie Hathaway, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, Spinners, O'Jays, etc.

There was a time when R&B and funk was something special.      

 
{#Yes}  seemed people had open minds, and vision, and compassion and hope, right? what'dya think, is it too late ...
 LYS wrote:

Cross-post—ABSOLUTELY the best

 
Merci.
 Grammarcop wrote:
Mercy. 

 
Cross-post—ABSOLUTELY the best
MERCY!
Mercy. 
No wonder Bob Dylan wanted to marry her.

And she turned him down because she thought Reverend King wouldn't approve.
'Respect Yourself' would be good to hear too!!{#Bananajam}
Staples A1 Supreme!  (man what a fabulous song : )
Love this song! Great bass guitar, great vocals, pretty much great everything.
No sexier song ever written, to these ears. Ultimate 10.
 colt4x5 wrote:
 

Rest easy. Nothing kills any project of Mavis Staples. 
 

 
My thoughts exactly. I'm still tired of this from its utter and constant overexposure by CKLW back in the day.
Didn't take this seriously when I first listened to it back in the 70s & 80s, but the greatness shines through more and more with the passing years. pxd
This is just about as good as it gets, folks. Great music.
This tune just smolders. Nice!
  This song will always remind me of this amazing day in DC.
It was the parting song that Mavis Staples sang. 
The Staples, Al Green, Roberta Flack, Donnie Hathaway, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, Spinners, O'Jays, etc.

There was a time when R&B and funk was something special.      
You said you'd take me there.  Are we there yet?

{#Wink}
 jagdriver wrote:
AM radio killed this song.

  

Rest easy. Nothing kills any project of Mavis Staples. 
 
First time I've heard this outside of a commercial setting!  Nice to hear the whole thing!
Bill:

You must watch a lot of Austin City Limits, too.

This follows Bonnie Raitt tonight (and I am sure lots of other nights).

That ACL show with Bonnie and Mavis Staples just blew my mind.  I am glad I recorded it and can watch if over an over.
If Mowtown jellied up with Rolling Stones...the soul of Mowtown with the repitition and looseness of Rolling Stones. There you have it. I like this better live...saw Mavis Staples do this in Chicago, when she double billed with Neko Case. It was really fun.
They took me!
They TOOK ME!

Mercy! 
 wallaby wrote:
The best loudspeakers and amplifiers "in the world", are designed, manufactured, and sold all over the world, from the company factory in a small hamlet in northern Ontario, Canada, (population 120).
 They are of exceptional value and may only be purchased on-line, (free shipping and 30 day try-out return).  All of this by people who truly know, love, and devote their lives to great sound.
Bose design speakers to sell, only.  Bass doubling and the Q factor at the lower frequencies is phenomenal...  wobble, wobble.  Truly "shithouse" , mate!

 
Axiom

Find them at:   axiomaudio.ca ;  axiomaudio.com
The best loudspeakers and amplifiers "in the world", are designed, manufactured, and sold all over the world, from the company factory in a small hamlet in northern Ontario, Canada, (population 120).
 They are of exceptional value and may only be purchased on-line, (free shipping and 30 day try-out return).  All of this by people who truly know, love, and devote their lives to great sound.
Bose design speakers to sell, only.  Bass doubling and the Q factor at the lower frequencies is phenomenal...  wobble, wobble.  Truly "shithouse" , mate!
AM radio killed this song.
 WonderLizard wrote:

That's David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, one of my idols on bass. Man could cut a groove. However, I'm going to second LowPhreak's suggestion that you shitcan the Bose rig for something doesn't use engineering tricks to accentuate the bass and costs less to boot.

 
Father of Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers.
recognizable with just one note. classic
I saw Miss Mavis last year. This song, it's bouncing groove and it's sing along chorus just always brings the crowd to their feet.
A perfectly produced pop tune- add a voice like Mavis' and it is oh so sweet! In the same league with "Lady Marmalade" Patti Labelle and Allen Touissaint.
I got nothing good to say about Bose or Boston Acoustics or JBL.   Americans can't build good loudspeakers :)

Great tune BTW :)
 

LowPhreak wrote:

HAha! Get a real stereo! Bose sucks.

 


I've heard this song a million times. I always thought (when I bothered to think about it at all), that it was a "come with me into a better future" type of song. Then Bill plays it right after "I Will Follow You into the Dark". Holy crap. Now I see that it's not about a better future, but about DEATH. The only better world they're singing about, is the one you reach by dying.
Everyone in my church has false teeth
We be dancing' in the kitchen!
 maxmox wrote:
Listening to the insistent bass line through a compact Bose rig and at the best available download quality. PUMPIN'{#Dancingbanana_2}

 
That's David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, one of my idols on bass. Man could cut a groove. However, I'm going to second LowPhreak's suggestion that you shitcan the Bose rig for something doesn't use engineering tricks to accentuate the bass and costs less to boot.
Sweetheart, your voice always take me there .....
 maxmox wrote:
Listening to the insistent bass line through a compact Bose rig and at the best available download quality. PUMPIN'{#Dancingbanana_2}

 
HAha! Get a real stereo! Bose sucks.
 jedley wrote:

Please stop saying every damn song is "good for the ears", I beg you. The English language does have quite a rich vocabulary - check it out!

 

This damn song is soooo good for the external auditory meatus...  we be dancing...
 
ONE OF THE BEST FROM THE BEST....{#Yell}  {#Drummer}{#Bananajam}{#Dance}{#Dancingbanana}{#Jump}
Sexiest song ever.  Godlike.
Listening to the insistent bass line through a compact Bose rig and at the best available download quality. PUMPIN'{#Dancingbanana_2}
The Staple Singers do an awesome cover of Slippery People by Talking Heads.  Can't find a digital version, but if anyone does, it's worth an upload.
Imagine that, I never gave this song much thought until I heard it here. It is is a fun little groovy number.
 brulie wrote:
I've not scoured the comments to see if anyone else has already pointed out the great stop-animation short that uses this song perfectly. It's called Ode to GI Joe, and I think I will forever imagine GI Joe dolls dancing to Mavis and company!! Check it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOt3S0Uq4KA
 
The youtube version i found has no audio... but this one does.
https://misternizz.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/gregory-grants-ode-to-gi-joe-original/
great video 

I've not scoured the comments to see if anyone else has already pointed out the great stop-animation short that uses this song perfectly. It's called Ode to GI Joe, and I think I will forever imagine GI Joe dolls dancing to Mavis and company!! Check it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOt3S0Uq4KA
Seems like there is a bit of Soul revival going on lately. I hope it keeps going. We miss Mr. Jamerson....
Great mainstream Stax. Hot R&B.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Bill!  Think the Staple singers will help us get that Death Cab dweeb vocalist into the dark faster?  Hope springs eternal.

I'm sure there is a theme, but this set has been an emotional roller coaster ride. Wheeeee?


Oh yes!
I thought, great, it's the Liquidator by Harry J's All stars from 1969, happy memories, then some women started shrieking over it and turned it into sucko barfo.{#Eek}
Loves me some Mavis.
please play lots lots more, my soul is in dire need (and I really do need to shake my ass)
Real music from real people, too many good points to list. Always play this at parties!
 misterbearbaby wrote:
Nice to hear some music where they come in On The One after all those vaguely Icelandic,toy pianos and whining.  Music from real people, not art-school people.
 

Exactly I fully agree with youmisterbearbaby ... this is REAL SOUL.. not the modernistic crap that has stolen the soul label.
Nice to hear some music where they come in On The One after all those vaguely Icelandic,toy pianos and whining.  Music from real people, not art-school people.


 coding_to_music wrote:


Yuppers

Great stuff 
 
Second that motion!!!
 nagsheadlocal wrote:
Anyone needing a demo of how a bass player and a drummer should work together, this is as good as it gets.

 
 

Yuppers

Great stuff 
Mercy!
and then an engine tech switched #2 on...  {#Surprised}

My will says to play this at my funeral.  As they lower me into the ground....Slowly.


very nice............very
Oh, man, this is just SO perfect for today!  It's 79 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, my chores are done, and I still have a little money in the bank.  Mavis's vocal is icing on the cake....  Yum times ten...{#Bounce}{#Sunny}{#Cheers}
Just what I needed this morning - a honking brass section and a thumping backbeat to get me going.
 newwavegurly wrote:
A reminder of a particular person these days. Nice.
 
Full circle. Starting to come full circle.
 
Love this tune. 
Listen to Pops (Roebuck) Staples play guitar on this - he was actually one of the outstanding blues guitarists of the mid-20th century — loved the Lord, though, so he would never say he was a blues-man.

His version of Dylan's "Masters of War" is a powerful and articulate anti-war song, and worth a listen — an anti-war Christian - that's what I'm talkin about. 
 pinto wrote:

Look at that album cover.  They must have borrowed costumes from the set of Good Times....

 
The 70s were like that.  Compared to some of the fashions going 'round in those days, those threads are paragons of subtlety and restraint.

They used to play this in the Pink Teacup in NYC (1972) this was a soul food shop in Greenwich village (open 24 hrs). Everybody wore pink to match the "decor" and the dishes. When this came on the juke EVERYBODY rocked. More pie please!

No, not this song AGAIN! {#Mad}
 dmax wrote:
Bob Dylan asked Mavis Staples to marry him, but she declined, thinking that MLK wouldn't have approved.

It's true. 
 
maybe she couldn't understand what he said.
Just a few weeks ago we saw Mavis Staples in a small venue (Town Hall) here in Seattle. She sang this song. At 71 she still blew the doors off the place! Fantastic.
 Ropes wrote:
Yes yes yes. What a great way to start my day.
 
Look at that album cover.  They must have borrowed costumes from the set of Good Times.  They also must have recorded this when they were bordering on fogey-hood.  I hit the "tour schedule" link and my curiosity was confirmed - "we found 0 matches for your search".  Guess they're the dinnertime act at the old folks home somewhere in Los Angeles.

Yes yes yes. What a great way to start my day.