Listen to the Music

"Listen to the Music"
Single by The Doobie Brothers
from the album Toulouse Street
B-side "Toulouse Street"
Released September 2, 1972 (1972-09-02)
Format 7-inch single
Recorded 1972
Genre Rock
Length

4:44 (album version)
3:47 (single edit)

3:26 (45 version)
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Tom Johnston
Producer(s) Ted Templeman
The Doobie Brothers singles chronology
"Nobody"
(1971)		 "Listen to the Music"
(1972)		 "Jesus Is Just Alright"
(1972)

"Nobody"
(1971)		 "Listen to the Music"
(1972)		 "Jesus Is Just Alright"
(1972)

"Listen to the Music" is a song recorded by The Doobie Brothers on their second album Toulouse Street. This song was The Doobie Brothers' first big hit in 1972, it remains a concert staple and is one of The Doobie Brothers' biggest hits. This song is usually played as the last song at The Doobie Brothers' concerts. It was written by Tom Johnston.

Song

Writer Tom Johnston described the motivation for the song as a call for world peace:

"The chord structure of it made me think of something positive, so the lyrics that came out of that were based on this utopian idea that if the leaders of the world got together on some grassy hill somewhere and either smoked enough dope or just sat down and just listened to the music and forgot about all this other bullshit, the world would be a much better place. It was very utopian and very unrealistic (laughs). It seemed like a good idea at the time."[1]

The studio recording used both a banjo and a prominent flanging effect, audible from the bridge until the fadeout. When released as a single by Warner Bros. Records, the song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1972.[2]

The commercial success of "Listen to the Music" helped the album Toulouse Street rise on the charts. The song remains a staple of adult contemporary and classic rock radio. The band also uses it as an encore song during live shows. It was written and sung by guitarist and vocalist Tom Johnston. Patrick Simmons, the second guitarist and vocalist in the group, sings the bridge of the song.

During the 1982 Farewell Tour, the song was the last one played on the set list as the encore with drummer Keith Knudsen singing the lead vocal.

Personnel

The Doobie Brothers:

Additional personnel:

Chart performance

Remix

The song received a remix by Steve Rodway a.k.a. Motiv8 in 1994, which eventually peaked at #37 UK.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Mastropolo, Frank (November 29, 2012). "Doobie Brothers' Tom Johnston Reflects on 'Listen to the Music' at 40". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Doobie Brothers - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  4. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Listen to the Music". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  5. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  6. ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 11, 1972
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  8. ↑ Zywietz, Tobias (March 22, 2005). "Chart Log UK: Dio - Dyverse". Chart Log UK. The Official Zobbel Website.
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