We Can Be Together
| "We Can Be Together" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Jefferson Airplane | |
| from the album Volunteers | |
| A-side | "Volunteers" |
| Released | October 1969 |
| Recorded | April 1969 |
| Studio | Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, California |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 3:50 |
| Label | RCA Victor |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Al Schmitt |
"We Can Be Together" is a song written by Paul Kantner that was released by [[Jefferson Airplane as the first track or their 1969 album Volunteers and also as the B-side of their "Volunteers" single.[1]
Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald described the lyrics as "a virtual "state of the union" address for the counterculture of the late '60s."[1] 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][3] RCA ended up allowing the use of the obscenity in the song because they had previously permitted obscenities in the cast recording to the musical Hair and so had no response to the band when they asked why it was ok in Hair but not in their song.[2] Another phrase in the song that caused some controversy was "tear down the walls", which Kantner took from a Fred Neil album title, and which could be interpreted as either a call to violence or a more metaphoric call to remove barriers.[2]
Greenwald said that musically it is "a basic, three-chord folk-rock anthem" but noted that the bluegrass riff that Kantner learned from David Crosby made it "different" and "unusual".[1] The same riff formed the basis of "Volunteers", which also has a similar chord structure and rhythm to "We Can Be Together".[4]
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it Jefferson Airplane's 4th best song, describing it as a "call for unity among like-minded protesters" and saying that it "the group's growing unrest with the world around them."[3]
While the word "motherfucker" was indeed sung and not censored on the single, it was mixed lower in the mix as compared to the album mix, which had no volume manipulation and presented the song "un-buried".The Airplane performed "We Can Be Together" uncensored on The Dick Cavett Show on August 19, 1969.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Greenwald, Matthew. "We Can Be Together". Allmusic. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
- ^ a b c Tamarakin, Jeff (2003). Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane. Simon and Schuster. pp. 194–196. ISBN 0-671-03403-0.
- ^ a b Gallucci, Michael (January 28, 2016). "Top 10 Jefferson Airplane songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
- ^ Greenwald, Matthew. "Volunteers". Allmusic. Retrieved 2025-01-11.