After seven group releases, Young began the production of more than 15 solo albums including Song For Juli, Light Shine, Songbird and a live album with his great touring band titled ON THE ROAD......
Young recorded his first solo album, THE SOUL OF A CITY BOY, in four hours, accompanying himself on guitar. A second album, YOUNG BLOOD, featured supporting musicians, including John Sebastian. After the two solo albums, Young met guitarist Jerry Corbitt on the New York to Boston club circuit, and with keyboardist/guitarist Lowell "Banana" Levinger, and drummer Joe Bauer, they began to perform as The Youngbloods.
Though the song GET TOGETHER appeared on their first album in 1967, they re-released it as a single in 1969, after the heartfelt refrain of "Come on people now, smile on your brother" was used as the television theme for the National Council of Christians and Jews. GET TOGETHER became a worldwide Top Ten hit, and was immediately followed into the charts by, SUNLIGHT and DARKNESS DARKNESS, both written by Jesse for the ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN release that same year...... Having established legendary status with hit singles and albums, the three remaining Youngbloods (Young, Banana and Bauer) launched their own Raccoon Records, and released four albums between 1970 and 1972; the studio recordings, GOOD & DUSTY, and HIGH ON A RIDGETOP; and two live recordings, ROCK FESTIVAL, and RIDE THE WIND.
Young returned to recording solo albums in 1972 and released TOGETHER, which entered the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. In September 1973, hee released what many critics claim is his solo masterpiece, SONG FOR JULI. That recording stayed on the Billboard Top 200 chart for nearly a year, and was followed onto the chart by LIGHT SHINE in 1974, SONGBIRD in 1975, ON THE ROAD in 1975, and LOVE ON THE WING in 1976. Each of the aforementioned six Jesse Colin Young solo albums contained breakthrough tracks that received airplay on radio stations across America.
During the 1970s, Young helped establish the "No Nukes" movement. Involved from the very beginning, Young closed the 1979 No Nukes concert and movie joined by legends Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash singing The Youngbloods anthem GET TOGETHER.
In 1978, Young released AMERICAN DREAMS, an album calling for political involvement, followed by THE PERFECT STRANGER in 1982 with guest stars like Carly Simon. He then returned to acoustic rock with THE HIGHWAY IS FOR HEROES in 1987.
Throughout the 1980s, Young continued to tour, often appearing at fundraisers for various organizations, and sometimes performing with original Youngbloods members Jerry Corbitt and Banana (the Youngbloods acclaimed drummer Joe Bauer, had sadly passed away prematurely of natural causes).
In 1993, Young and his wife Connie, launched their own independent label, Ridgetop Music, from their mountain home in Marin County. They introduced the imprint by releasing a new Jesse Colin Young album of all original material backed by top San Francisco Bay Area musicians, called MAKIN IT REAL. The next release would be a very personal collection of mostly solo slack key acoustic songs, SWEPT AWAY. Just as Jesse's music enterprises were about to blast off with more adventurous recordings, a forest fire engulfed the Ridgetop property in October 1995. The family home and business was completely destroyed, and Jesse moved Connie and their two children to Hawaii with the clothes they had on their backs...... He built a new recording studio at his island home and in 2001 recorded ALOHA E, reflecting upon the events of September 11. That track eventually found its home in his 2004 album release of Hawaiian influenced music, LIVING IN PARADISE. Jesse then released the elegant acoustic, SONGS FOR CHRISTMAS, in which he revisits the Christmas carols of his childhood...... Jesses musical accomplishments are many, including performing with Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin in 1969; touring with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the summer of 1974; closing the NO NUKES movie in 1980; and closing the International Peace Awards in 2004. The song GET TOGETHER was heard on the FORREST GUMP soundtrack bought by 13 million people in 1994, and DARKNESS DARKNESS, written by Jesse, was the theme song for the James Cameron movie GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS in 2003. A cover of the song by Robert Plant won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal in 2003...... Throughout his many years of recording and touring, Jesse has also taken the time to dedicate his life to giving back to the world. He has performed on behalf of organizations ranging from the Dream Foundation to the Kona Pacific Waldorf School (in which Jesse and his wife helped to build, and where they both teach music). Always holding environmentalism as a must," from the time of The Youngbloods to his current endeavors as a performer and teacher, Jesse has even used solar-powered energy for his concerts! He and his wife also grow organic Kona coffee on their farm in Hawaii. In 2005, Artemis Records released THE VERY BEST OF JESSE COLIN YOUNG, 34 songs covering 40-years of singing and songwriting.
Young quit performing music in 2012 when he was diagnosed with "chronic Lyme disease". He was inspired to start performing again in 2016, after being impressed by the musicians at his son's graduation recital at the Berklee College of Music, and asked his son to put together a band of his classmates to perform at Young's performance at SXSW. After touring for a year, Young recorded a new solo record with the band, "Dreamers", released in February 2019.
More information at www.jessecolinyoung.com
Good Times
Jesse Colin Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
People when I hear about the dying
Young men, women, children
By the violence they've endured
Just start
Yes, people we
We got to stop
My God, yeah,
Do you hear me?
We got to stop killing one another
Sometimes I can't help thinking
People when I've been sittin' and drinkin'
While the powers of the world are struggling
The children of the world are starving
All the prayers of peace are rising
Don't you know?
The sons of war are dying
Hey, don't you see
We got to stop
Yes, people, we
We go to stop
My God yeah
Sisters and brothers
Do you hear me?
We got to stop
Killing one another
Sometimes I can't help but wondering
Um, what in the world is happening?
While the white man's power is ruling
The black man's power is slipping
Ooh and while the dead mans power awakens
Hey, now,
Ever man's power is growing
And growing
Hey, don't you see
We got to stop
Yes, people we,
We got to stop
I got to, yeah
Sisters and brothers
Do you hear me?
We go to stop killing one another
Learn to take care of each other
Ooh, and try to love one another
People, don't you think it's time?
Jesse Colin Young's song "Good Times" is a poignant expression of his concern for the state of the world, particularly with regard to the widespread violence, poverty, and inequality that continue to plague humanity. The song opens with Young's raw vocals crooning about his tears for the countless victims of violent tragedies around the world, and his plea for people to stop killing one another. The lyrics convey a sense of urgency and emotion, as Young implores listeners to join together in solidarity and work towards peace and justice.
The second verse speaks to a different form of suffering in the world: while the powers of the world are struggling for dominance, the children of the world are starving. Young recognizes the paradox that while prayers of peace are rising, the sons of war are dying. The third verse touches on the issue of racial inequality, with Young acknowledging that white man's power is ruling while black man's power is slipping. Yet, he also sees a glimmer of hope in the fact that every man's power is growing, and that we must recognize the interconnectedness of all peoples and learn to take care of each other and love one another.
Overall, "Good Times" is a powerful meditation on the interconnectedness of humanity and the need for greater empathy and compassion in a world plagued by violence, poverty, and inequality. Young's unadorned vocals and straightforward lyrics create a sense of intimacy and immediacy, drawing the listener in and inviting them to engage with these urgent issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I can't help cryin'
At times, it becomes difficult for me to control my emotions and I cry
People when I hear about the dying
I feel saddened when I hear about people dying
Young men, women, children
People of all ages and genders are affected
By the violence they've endured
The cause of their death is due to violence they have endured
Just start
It's time to take action
Yes, people we
All of us
We got to stop
We need to put a stop to this
My God, yeah,
My goodness, yes
Sisters and brothers
It applies to all human beings
Do you hear me?
Are you listening to what I'm saying?
We got to stop killing one another
The act of taking someone's life needs to end
Sometimes I can't help thinking
At times, I am consumed with thoughts
People when I've been sittin' and drinkin'
When I'm drinking alone, these thoughts come up
While the powers of the world are struggling
The most powerful countries are in distress
The children of the world are starving
The kids across countries are going hungry
All the prayers of peace are rising
People are praying for world peace
Don't you know?
Are you aware?
The sons of war are dying
People fighting a war are also losing their lives
Hey, don't you see
Are you paying attention?
I got to, yeah
I have to do this
Learn to take care of each other
We need to look out for one another
Ooh, and try to love one another
We should attempt to love and show compassion to our fellow human beings
People, don't you think it's time?
I believe it's time for us to take responsibility for our actions and make a change
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: George Young, Johannes Vandenberg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RaxOldies
great sound on this !!
nachodaddy
a travesty that this tune & this LP got overlooked. thanx for postin'. Cheers!
SM2-BLK-II Missile
I have the original album bought back in 73', but I can't find the whole album here. I wish I could.