Jan 212011
For reasons I hope to make clear later this year, I’ve been thinking about songs featuring the phrase “all right.” The “And it was all right” coda in The Velvet Underground’s “Rock ‘n Roll” is one of the two “all right” songs that most often run through my mind. I’ll let you list my other favorite featured “all right” in a song and all the other instances that may follow in this sure-to-be comforting Last Man Standing!
The time is yours…
Revolution, Revolution #1, and Revolution #9.
I get this one out of the way: “We’re all all right” on the outro to “Surrender” by RTH fave Cheap Trick.
TB
PS–I wrote a song for my sister called “Lindsay’s Alright” but that won’t count because nobody knows it.
Thank you for immediately covering my other most-treasured “all right.”
Another great one, TB, and because your sister is so all right, we’ll count that song too.
I immediately starting humming “that’s all right momma” from Elvis. So I’ll go with that.
I’m guessing that your other favorite is Right Back Where We started From by Maxine Nightingale (a great song). I seem to recall that you also came up with the brilliant idea that Graham Parker should cover this song.
“Alrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalright, OK now ladies…” — Outkast, “Hey Ya.”
Police, It’s Alright for You. (Or is it “all right”?)
YES, that’s a top 5 on my list, and yes, that’s the idea I’ve long had and should now suggest to our special Friend of the Hall, Martin Belmont.
Either spelling is acceptable.
Bob Marley . . . .Three Little Birds . . . “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
May we safely assume that All Right Now by Free rounds out your top 5?
Absolutely a great song. Even when I was a kid and reflexively hated anything “disco” I knew that was a great song.
It’s placement in Slapshot only elevates its stature.
The Stones “I’m Alright” or “It’s Alright” or whatever they call it. Or for that matter almost any Stones live recording where Mick prefaces or ends a song by saying “Well all right!” about 20 times.
That “Uptight Out of Sight” song by Stevie Wonder
But It’s All Right by JJ Jackson (not be confused with the MTV host).
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.
Well All Right – Blind Faith (and Buddy Holly I think)
Another great song. My favorite of the early Stevie era.
One at a time Frank, one at a time…
It’s Alright by Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions.
It’s one of the first 5 that came to mind, but I’m never sure if I actually feel all right while hearing that song:)
Frank (and some others) may not be aware of the unofficial rule that we list only one suggestion at a time, in part to avoid “hogging” ideas from others but mainly to see if we can’t top the 400+ comments that some thread once received. Nice ones, Frank – and I thought that JJ Jackson was one and the same. I’m sure you know better!
“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” is a Top 5 for me! I LOVE that song.
Oh, and “It’s Alright” is another of my most-comforting “all right” numbers.
My favorites:
All Right Now – Free
Fire – Jimi Hendrix. “All right, now dig this baby” How many times have said that on a date? Too many!
Bowie – Lady Stardust
And he was alright, the band was all together…
Sorry about that. I’ll keep my enthusiasm in check.
No way, keep it coming!
Big Star, Give Me Another Chance. (But it’s gonna be all right now, be okay…) A gorgeous song and, I think, underappreciated.
Thank you for your cooperation.
It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) by Bob Dylan. This is a song I would nominate in the category–were such a category and such a competition to exist–of Most Quoted (as well as Most Quotable) Song of the Rock Era.
“Well It’s Alllllll-right”
End of The Line-Travelin Willburys
Wilco 2-for-1 Alright!
Outtasight (Outta Mind)
Outta Mind (Outta Sight)
Gloria by Them
There’s an early Kinks track called it’s All Right:
I gotta wings
I’m gonna fly
I’m going home
And I know why
To see my baby
That’s enough
I’m going home
It’s all right
It’s all right, yeah….
It was the B-side to You Really Got Me, and it was on Kinkdom.
Can’t believe this one hasn’t been said yet, but:
“It’s allllll-riiiight, now, in fact it’s a gas…”
JJF
And one of my favorites, “I’m Alright” by The Go-Betweens.
And The Who – “The Kids Are Alright.”
Alright by Supergrass – on of their finest.
Yes! This is the one I thought of last week and couldn’t remember earlier today. In part, that’s the immediate reason why this thread launched, but there’s much more driving it. Thanks, and keep ’em coming!
That was a good, obscure Hendrix one, the prophet. And my, you look just like I imagined you’d look!
Tom Petty, Alright For Now
I’m embarrassed to add this, but some one must: Kenny Loggins – “I’m Alright,” that Caddy Shack song.
But to be improved by: The Velvet Underground – “Rock & Roll.”
Just a chance to play this before going to bed…”It was alright.”
The end of Hard Day’s Night, “you know I feel alright”.
Here are Echo and the Bunnymen with their song, “It’s Alright” –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js6fzbJcwsg
Chris Stamey — “It’s Alright”
Just to pince nez a whole bunch of songwriters at one time, ‘alright’ is not even really a word. Because of the word ‘already’ some people turn ‘all right’ into ‘alright.’ But ‘alright’ is all wrong.
In any case…
Dwight Yoakam — Alright, I’m Wrong
ESG – It’s Alright
I was thinking of that Stamey song this morning and then transitioned to having “Something Came Over Me” stuck in my head. I have such mixed feelings about his stuff.
What a nerd! Have you checked out a blog called Rock Town Hall?
Tom Petty – Breakdown, “it’s all right if you love me, it’s all right if you don’t…”
The Beach Boys, “Don’t Worry Baby”: Don’t worry baby/everything will turn out alright”…
The Doors – Roadhouse Blues “You gotta thrill my soul, all right “
The Zombies – It’s Alright With Me
Alright is in my dictionary. Alright is all right. And, by the way, let me add, “Jesus Is Just Alright.” Which leads me to ask a question that has plagued me for years: is the song putting Jesus down (as in, he’s not so great, he’s “just alright”) or exalting Him?
Shakin Pyramids “Alright All Night”….
I had a good one a few minutes ago but can’t remember what it was now. Can anyone remind me?
Was it Elton John? Saturday night’s alright alright alright…
Wish it were. Good one, though.
It was U2 “Zoo Station.” “It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright….”
Fear – NY’s Alright If You Like Saxophones
Didn’t they do exactly the same thing for “Mysterious Ways”?
It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alll-right… sje moves in mysterious ways…”
That Achtung Baby album was a real peculiarity: an album that successfully reinvigorated a creatively moribund band — a band that never (In my view) capitalized on this rejuvenation. It was like a bizarre spike of genuine goodness in the middle of a vast, career-long wasteland of mediocrity.
True–it is a feature common to both songs. Achtung Baby is my favorite U2 album and, I think, their best. But I also think Boy, War, Joshua Tree, and All That You Can’t Leave Behind are very strong and I think all of the others are good except for the last, really poor, No Line on the Horizon.
Ain’t Even Done With The Night by Johnny Cougar (“Well alright, hold tight…”)
Mod,
Have you read the liner notes to The Best of V.U.- Words and Music by Lou Reed (I know you’re not a greatest hits guy)? The whole point of the piece is how being “Alright” is key to Reed’s worldview in V.U.
From those notes:In “Beginning to see the Light”…”I met myselfin a dream / And I wanted to tell ya, everything is alright?”
In the middle of the guitar solo in Girlfriend by Matthew Sweet
“I’m Alright (Nobody Worry ‘Bout Me)” Lindsey Buckingham and the, most importantly, the theme to Caddyshack.
The Specials – It doesn’t make it alright.
Pince nez: It’s Kenny Loggins, not Lindsey Buckingham. If I were Buckingham, I’d be depressed by that post.
“It’s alright” in The Dead’s: A Touch of Gray. Excuse me while I go punch myself in the head.
Thank you for your gentle correction – Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce
I must have got it mixed up with “Holiday Road” from Vacation.
Andy Partridge – Everything will be all right (from the Fuzzy Warbles collection.)
“Guduy T’ Jane” by Slade.
“She’s a queen, can’t you see what I mean
She’s a queen
See, see, she’s a queen
And I know she’s alright, alright, alright, alright”
Nobody knows this song, but “American Pipe” by the Umajets has an “its alright, alright, alright” in the chorus.
The Red And The Black – Blue Oyster Cult the bridge being
It’s all right (answer backing vocal)
It’s all right (answer backing vocal)
All right baby
yeah, she know’s it’s all right
Wow, I’m surprised that this one hasn’t come up yet:
To move on to the “all right” spelling:
Buddy Holly – “Well…All Right.”
Or, in The Clash’s “The Right Profile”
“Everybody says is he all right…”
Jethro Tull’s “Bungle In The Jungle.”
blah blah bungle in the jungle
well that’s all right…by me!
That’s all I got.
It’s All Right (The Way That You Live) – Velvet Underground.
So, the way Lou Reed was meant to be was “all right”?
I’m with you misterioso — it’s easy to make fun of U2, but they continue to rock.
But, then again, I like Oasis, too . . .
The Stooges, “1970” – “I feel alright, I feel alright, etc., etc…”
I don’t think “Sweet Leaf” has made an appearance yet ALL RIGHT NOW.