Volunteers (song)

"Volunteers"
Single by Jefferson Airplane
from the album Volunteers
B-side "We Can Be Together"
Released October 1969 (1969-10)
Format 7-inch single
Recorded April 16 & June 9, 1969[1]
Studio Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, California
Genre Psychedelic rock, folk rock
Length 2:03
Label RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Al Schmitt
Jefferson Airplane singles chronology
"Plastic Fantastic Lover"
(1969)		 "Volunteers"
(1969)		 "Mexico"
(1970)

"Volunteers" is a Jefferson Airplane single from 1969 that was released to promote the album Volunteers two months before the album's release. It was written by Marty Balin and Paul Kantner together. Marty was woken up by a truck one morning, which happened to be a truck with Volunteers of America painted on the side.[2] Marty started writing lyrics down and then asked Paul to help him with the music.

B-Side "We Can Be Together"

"We Can Be Together" is the B-side of the "Volunteers" 45 and the first track on Volunteers. The song's music and lyrics were written by Paul Kantner. Kantner was inspired by the Black Panther Party's use of the phrase "Up against the wall, motherfucker" and included it in the chorus.[2] The Airplane performed "We Can Be Together" uncensored on The Dick Cavett Show on August 19, 1969.

While the word "motherfucker" was indeed sung and not censored on the 45, it was mixed lower in the mix as compared to the LP mix, which had no volume manipulation and presented the song "un-buried".

Personnel

Additional personnel

Cover versions

Notes

  1. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Jefferson-Airplane-Volunteers/release/8351142
  2. 1 2 Tamarakin, Jeff (2003). Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-03403-0.
  3. ↑ "Marty Balin, Better Generation". Retrieved November 25, 2016.
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