But It's Alright

"But It's Alright"
Single by J. J. Jackson
from the album But It's Alright
B-side	"Boogaloo Baby"
Released	1966
Genre	Soul
Length	2:55
Label	Calla
Songwriter(s)	J.J. Jackson, Pierre Tubbs
Producer(s)	Lew Futterman
J. J. Jackson singles chronology
"Shy Guy" (1963) "But It's Alright" (1966) "It Seems Like I've Been Here Before" (1966)

"But It's Alright" (aka "It's Alright", due to its lyrics) is a song co-written by J. J. Jackson and Pierre Tubbs that became a hit on the pop and soul charts in both 1966 and 1969.

Theme

The lyrics address the singer's girlfriend, who has broken his heart by cheating on him. But the song keeps a happy, upbeat tone due to the singer's belief in karma: "It's alright" because "you've got to reap what you sow, girl" and she will find herself cheated on as well.

History

Described as being "driven by one of the catchiest guitar hooks in the history of rock & roll and a devastating vocal performance",^[1] the song was first released by Calla Records in 1966, as a single and on the album of the same name. Subsequent to acquiring the Calla Records catalogue, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts re-released the song in 1969, as a single and on the album The Great J.J. Jackson.

The single was recorded in the United Kingdom, and was one of the first R & B hit singles to have been recorded in England.^[2] The song featured some of Britain's top jazz musicians of the day, including Terry Smith on guitar, Dick Morrissey on tenor sax and John Marshall on drums.^[3]

When first released in 1966, the song reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.^[4] When re-released in May 1969, they reached number 45, and remained on the charts for nine weeks.^[5] In Canada, it reached number 63.^[6] A Spanish language version was also recorded by Jackson and released in 1969.^[7]

Huey Lewis and the News version

In 1994, Huey Lewis and the News covered the song for their album Four Chords & Several Years Ago. It was released as a single, which included the studio version and a live rendition.^[8] The single reached number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart.^[9] An EP CD single was released in Germany by Elektra Records.

Other cover versions

• In 1967, Brother Jack McDuff, with David "Fathead" Newman, covered "But It's Alright", as an instrumental version, on their album Double Barrelled Soul. The song was also released as a single.^[10]
• Also in 1967, it was also covered by Eddie Floyd and included on Floyd's Knock on Wood album.
• In 1969, a version was recorded by Wilmer & the Dukes.^[11]
• In 1976 a cover was included on The Best of Redbone by Redbone.
• In 1981, Australian band Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons covered the song, which was released as a single from their Step Lively album.^[12][13]

References

1. John Bush, Review of "But It's Alright"; AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
2. Back Tracking; ska2soul. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
3. Smith and Morrissey would later co-found the successful jazz-rock band If.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 281.
5. Joe Troiano, Review of "But It's Alright" Archived 2017-08-11 at the Wayback Machine; Joe T's Soda Shop. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
6. "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 7, 1969" (PDF).
7. Particulars of "Pero Esta Bien"/"No Esta Bien"; Discogs. Retrieved 2017-09-29. Being Spanish versions of "But It's Alright" and "That Ain't Right".
8. Particulars of "But It's Alright"; Discogs. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
9. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 145.
10. Brother Jack McDuff Quintet feat. David Newman - But It's Alright; Funky16Corners. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
11. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
12. Particulars of "But It's Alright"; Discogs. Retrieved 2017-09-20. The single release included a spoken intro on one side, and the song on the other.
13. Particulars of Step Lively; Discogs. Retrieved 2017-09-27.