I've Seen All Good People
Encyclopedia
"I've Seen All Good People" is a song
performed by the band Yes
and written by Jon Anderson
and Chris Squire
. It is included on 1971 The Yes Album
. It is said that the song originated from Gary S. Thomas, who commonly remarks on the goodness of people.
— such as the phrases "move me onto any black square", "make the white queen
run so fast", and "the goal is for us all to capture all we want". It can be attributed to Lewis Carroll
's "Through The Looking Glass". In looking glass land if you want to be "satisfied" and "on your way" you must walk backwards on life's chessboard to move ahead. That is "don't surround yourself with yourself"; i.e. live worry free and "give peace a chance". This is opposite of what we were taught: fight with might and force to get ahead. Just before the three minute mark of the song, at the final part of "Your Move", the chorus of John Lennon's
Give Peace a Chance
can be heard in the background.
In the studio recording on The Yes Album
, the song opens with Jon Anderson singing the sentence "I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my way" twice a cappella
, in three-part harmony. This is followed by a solo intro by Steve Howe on a 12-string laúd
. As the laúd begins a repeated four-bar phrase
, it is joined by bass drum
as Anderson resumes singing the lyrics, solo and in three-part harmony. Dual recorder
s enter on the third verse. Finally, a Hammond organ
joins them, playing the same chords as the laúd until the first part of the song ends on a loudly sustained and unresolved
organ chord.
The second part, "All Good People", consists of many repetitions of the sentence "I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my way" sung to the same melody as before, but over a driving rock accompaniment, ending in a powerful vocal harmony and organ phrase which begins on a chord progression
of E, D, C, G, then A. Each repetition of the verse is one whole step lower than the previous as the song fades out.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
performed by the band Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
and written by Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
and Chris Squire
Chris Squire
Christopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
. It is included on 1971 The Yes Album
The Yes Album
The Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
. It is said that the song originated from Gary S. Thomas, who commonly remarks on the goodness of people.
Structure and lyrics
The first part of the song, "Your Move", uses various allusions to the game of chessChess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
— such as the phrases "move me onto any black square", "make the white queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
run so fast", and "the goal is for us all to capture all we want". It can be attributed to Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's "Through The Looking Glass". In looking glass land if you want to be "satisfied" and "on your way" you must walk backwards on life's chessboard to move ahead. That is "don't surround yourself with yourself"; i.e. live worry free and "give peace a chance". This is opposite of what we were taught: fight with might and force to get ahead. Just before the three minute mark of the song, at the final part of "Your Move", the chorus of John Lennon's
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
Give Peace a Chance
Give Peace a Chance
"Give Peace a Chance" is a song written by John Lennon, originally under the moniker Lennon–McCartney, released as a single in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple 13 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1809 in the United States. It is the first solo single issued by Lennon, and...
can be heard in the background.
In the studio recording on The Yes Album
The Yes Album
The Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
, the song opens with Jon Anderson singing the sentence "I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my way" twice a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, in three-part harmony. This is followed by a solo intro by Steve Howe on a 12-string laúd
Laúd
The word laúd is the Spanish word for lute. It is most commonly used to refer to a plectrum-plucked chordophone from Spain. It belongs to the cittern family of instruments. It has six double courses , similarly to the bandurria, but its neck is longer...
. As the laúd begins a repeated four-bar phrase
Phrase (music)
In music and music theory, phrase and phrasing are concepts and practices related to grouping consecutive melodic notes, both in their composition and performance...
, it is joined by bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
as Anderson resumes singing the lyrics, solo and in three-part harmony. Dual recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
s enter on the third verse. Finally, a Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
joins them, playing the same chords as the laúd until the first part of the song ends on a loudly sustained and unresolved
Resolution (music)
Resolution in western tonal music theory is the move of a note or chord from dissonance to a consonance .Dissonance, resolution, and suspense can be used to create musical interest...
organ chord.
The second part, "All Good People", consists of many repetitions of the sentence "I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my way" sung to the same melody as before, but over a driving rock accompaniment, ending in a powerful vocal harmony and organ phrase which begins on a chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of E, D, C, G, then A. Each repetition of the verse is one whole step lower than the previous as the song fades out.
Covers
- Yes themselves chose some elements of "Your Move" to be re-done and reworked for their song "Nine Voices (Longwalker)" from The LadderThe Ladder* "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002...
album. - "Your Move" was covered by the band Shaw BladesShaw BladesShaw–Blades is an American musical duo/group formed by Tommy Shaw of Styx and Jack Blades of Night Ranger, both of whom played in the supergroup Damn Yankees. It is an informal duo which has produced two albums between other projects, 1995s Hallucination & 2007s Influence, the latter of which...
and by actor Robert Downey, Jr. on his album The FuturistThe Futurist (Robert Downey Jr. album)-Personnel:*Robert Downey, Jr. — vocals, keyboards*Mark Hudson — acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, background vocals*Cameron Stone — cello*Jeff Bunnell — fluglehorn*Jim Cox and Tom Canning — Hammond B-3 organ*Armand Sabal-Lecco — bass...
. - The opening lyrics are sung by Sarah SilvermanSarah SilvermanSarah Kate Silverman is a Jewish American comedian, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion....
on her DVD, Jesus Is Magic at the end of her "Amazing Grace" performance. Off stage are 2 other singers, one of which is the brother of Jimmy Kimmel, her boyfriend at the time. On stage, Sarah appeared to be singing from various body parts via strategically held/placed microphones. She comments in the DVD's extras that the use of these 2 lines was the single greatest expense of the entire movie ($15,000) - The song is covered by the American rock band Ra on their album Black SheepBlack Sheep (Ra album)Black Sheep is a rarities album by American rock band Ra; being their fifth release total, including their live album. It includes a collection of B-sides and demos that go back to 1994. Ra's newest single "Supernova" is featured on the album - "Supernova" was digitally released on June 9, 2009.The...
under the name "Seen All Good People". - The song is covered by Matthew SweetMatthew SweetSidney Matthew Sweet is an American alternative rock/power pop musician. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s...
and Susanna HoffsSusanna HoffsSusanna Lee Hoffs is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.-Early life:...
on their album Under the Covers, Vol. 2Under the Covers, Vol. 2Under the Covers, Vol. 2 is the second collaboration between alternative rock artist Matthew Sweet and Bangles singer Susanna Hoffs. Released by Shout! Factory on July 21, 2009, it contains 16 cover versions of favorite songs from the 1970s.... - The first portion of the song, "Your Move" is covered instrumentally by Yes guitarist Steve HoweSteve Howe (guitarist)Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
on his album Natural TimbreNatural TimbreNatural Timbre is an instrumental album released by Steve Howe in 2001. Steve uses only acoustic guitars . While some tracks feature only guitars, others have his son Dylan Howe on drums and Anna Palm on violin....
. - The song is covered by Lili HaydnLili HaydnLili Haydn is a violinist, vocalist, composer, guitarist, and actress. As a child, she pursued a career as an actress; at age eight she discovered the violin and began to focus on classical music. By the time Haydn was fifteen, she had played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.After graduating from...
during the final scene of the 2011 Documentary, "Zeitgeist: Moving ForwardZeitgeist: Moving ForwardZeitgeist: Moving Forward is the third installment in Peter Joseph's Zeitgeist film series. The movie was independently released in over 60 countries and in over 30 languages starting on January 15, 2011 with over 340 screenings worldwide...
"
In popular culture
- The song was used on FringeFringe (TV series)Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
, season 2, episode 4, "Momentum Deferred". - The song is used in a 20092009 in televisionThe following is a list of events affecting American television in 2009. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
TV commercial for ChaseChase (bank)JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
's INK program for small businesses. - The song is featured in the 1995 movie NixonNixon (film)Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
. - The final harmony of the song plays in the film Mr. DeedsMr. DeedsMr. Deeds is a 2002 American comedy film, directed by Steven Brill and starring Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder. The movie, which is loosely a remake of the 1936 film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, also stars Peter Gallagher, John Turturro, Allen Covert and Steve Buscemi...
, as Longfellow Deeds first arrives via helicopter into New York City. - The song is included in the 2000 movie Almost FamousAlmost FamousAlmost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
and is also on the soundtrack albumAlmost Famous (soundtrack)- Personnel :* Billy Crudup - lead guitar* Jason Lee - lead singer* John Fedevich - drums* Mark Kozelek - bass guitar- Personnel :* Peter Frampton* Mike McCready...
. - The song was featured in the 1999 movie DickDick (film)Dick is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Andrew Fleming from a script he wrote with Sheryl Longin. It is a parody retelling the events of the Watergate scandal which ended the presidency of Richard Nixon and features several cast members from Saturday Night Live.Kirsten Dunst and Michelle...
. - The song is featured in the 2011 biographical documentary "Bobby Fischer Against the World".