O-o-h Child
Encyclopedia
"O-o-h Child" is a seminal 1970 single recorded and released by Chicago soul
family group the Five Stairsteps, who released it on the Buddah
label. Written by Stan Vincent and included on the band's The Stairsteps album from 1970, it has become the Stairsteps' signature song
and has inspired more than twenty covers since its release. The song featured various members including lone female member and eldest sister Alohe, brothers Keni, Dennis, James, and lead singer Clarence Burke, Jr. singing in various parts of the song.
The lyrics tell young children that "things are gonna get easier" in times of strife. The song's uplifting message helped the song to become popular among pop and rhythm and blues audiences when it was released.
This was the Stairsteps' only single to reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
peaking at number eight on that chart while peaking at number fourteen on the R&B chart. It would be their last R&B top 40 (they had several top 40 R&B hits in the 1960s) until 1976's "From Us to You". The song is ranked #392 on the Rolling Stone
magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Chicago soul
Chicago soul is a style of soul music that arose during the 1960s in Chicago. Along with Detroit, the home of Motown, and Memphis, with its hard-edged, gritty performers , Chicago and the Chicago soul style helped spur the album-oriented soul revolution of the early 1970s.The sound of Chicago...
family group the Five Stairsteps, who released it on the Buddah
Buddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
label. Written by Stan Vincent and included on the band's The Stairsteps album from 1970, it has become the Stairsteps' signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
and has inspired more than twenty covers since its release. The song featured various members including lone female member and eldest sister Alohe, brothers Keni, Dennis, James, and lead singer Clarence Burke, Jr. singing in various parts of the song.
The lyrics tell young children that "things are gonna get easier" in times of strife. The song's uplifting message helped the song to become popular among pop and rhythm and blues audiences when it was released.
This was the Stairsteps' only single to reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
peaking at number eight on that chart while peaking at number fourteen on the R&B chart. It would be their last R&B top 40 (they had several top 40 R&B hits in the 1960s) until 1976's "From Us to You". The song is ranked #392 on the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Cover versions
- Laura NyroLaura NyroLaura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
covered the song on her 1971 album Gonna Take A MiracleGonna Take a MiracleGonna Take a Miracle is the fifth music album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. Nyro was backed up on the album by the vocal trio Labelle.... - Dusty SpringfieldDusty SpringfieldMary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
covered the song in November 1971 for possible inclusion on See All Her FacesSee All Her FacesSee All Her Faces is the seventh studio album by singer Dusty Springfield, originally released on the Philips Records label in 1972. It contains a mixture of tracks from different recording sessions; some tracks were recorded with Jeff Barry for an aborted third album for Atlantic Records, other...
but her recording went unreleased for almost 30 years until its inclusion on the posthumous Atlantic/Rhino compilation Love Songs, 16 January 2001. Producers: Johnny FranzJohnny FranzJohnny Franz was a UK record producer and A&R man at the Philips label. Although his name is not recognized by many Americans, Franz was one of Britain's most successful producers in the 1950s and 1960s...
and Dusty Springfield. - Beth OrtonBeth OrtonBeth Orton is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s. However, these were not Orton's first...
covered the song on her album The Other Side of DaybreakThe Other Side of DaybreakThe Other Side of Daybreak is a compilation released by Astralwerks in 2003 by Beth Orton. It is mainly a collection of b-sides from the singles found on 2002's Daybreaker, together with some unused remixes of tracks from the album.-Track listing:...
as a soft, acoustic guitar version. The song was featured on the pilot episode "First Responders" of The UnitThe UnitThe Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force...
, on an episode of AliasAlias (TV series)Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
entitled "Repercussions" and on a CSI: NYCSI: NYCSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
episode entitled "Unusual Suspects". - Mary WilsonMary WilsonMary Wilson may refer to:* Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx , British poet, widow of former British prime minister, Harold Wilson* Mary Wilson , American singer, member of The Supremes...
from The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
covered this song in 1989, and released it as a single. - Dino'sDino (singer)Dean Esposito , better known as Dino, is an American DJ, singer-songwriter and record producer.-Early life:Dino was born to Frank and Francis Esposito in Encino, California. The family later moved to Hawaii and Connecticut before settling in Las Vegas, Nevada, where his father became a restaurant...
version hit #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993. - Nina SimoneNina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
covered it on Here Comes the SunHere Comes the Sun (album)Here Comes the Sun is a cover album by singer-pianist Nina Simone. It features songs recorded in the RCA studios with a full orchestra and backing vocals. Although Simone covers songs by among others Bob Dylan and George Harrison, most of the versions feature alternative arrangements... - Valerie CarterValerie CarterValerie Carter to James J and Dorothy Carter, is an American singer-songwriter...
covered this song for her 1977 release Just a Stone's Throw Away. - Trey AnastasioTrey AnastasioTrey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
has covered this song live in concert numerous times. - Kelly RowlandKelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
recorded a live version of the song in RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Holland which was released on the Destiny's Child World TourDestiny's Child World TourDestiny's Child World Tour is a DVD by R&B group Destiny's Child. The video was filmed during their show at Rotterdam, Holland.-Content:This full concert showcases songs from their self-titled debut album Destiny's Child, as well as The Writing's on the Wall, and Survivor.-Track listing:# "Program...
DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. - Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning gospel musician Donnie McClurkinDonnie McClurkinDonald Andrew McClurkin, Jr. is an American gospel music singer and minister. He has won three Grammy awards, ten Stellar awards, two BET awards, two Soul Train awards, one Dove award and one NAACP Image award for his work....
covered the song featuring Kirk FranklinKirk FranklinKirk Dwayne Franklin is an American Gospel music musician, choir director, and author, and is most notably known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property and One Nation Crew .- Early years :...
from the 2004 album Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs and appeared on the soundtrack for 2005 film The Gospel, starring Boris KodjoeBoris KodjoeBoris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey-Kodjoe , better known as Boris Kodjoe, is an Austrian-born German actor and former fashion model who works primarily in the United States...
.
Used in Movies/Film
- In the 1979 movie Over the EdgeOver the Edge (film)Over the Edge is a drama film directed by Jonathan Kaplan released in 1979. Due to the negative publicity surrounding a wave of recent youth gang films, Over the Edge had a limited theatrical release in late 1979...
, the closing scene (while the prison bus drives away) is underscored by the Valerie CarterValerie CarterValerie Carter to James J and Dorothy Carter, is an American singer-songwriter...
version. - In 1991, "O-o-h Child" was featured prominently in a notable scene of the 1991 motion picture Boyz n the HoodBoyz N the HoodBoyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood film written and directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Angela Bassett and Regina King, the film depicts life in poor South Central Los Angeles, California and was filmed and released...
, directed by Academy Award nominee John Singleton. - The song is played in the 1994 film CrooklynCrooklynCrooklyn is a 1994 semi-autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, New York and the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the summer of 1973. Its primary focus is a young girl, Troy , and her family...
when the main character Troy Carmichael attends the funeral of her mother with the entire family. - In a 2005 Episode of TV series Judging AmyJudging AmyJudging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
entitled "You Don't Know Me" (Season 6, Episode 12). - In the film Bridge to TerabithiaBridge to Terabithia (2007 film)Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 fantasy drama film directed by Gábor Csupó and adapted for film by David L. Paterson and Jeff Stockwell. The film is based on the Katherine Paterson novel of the same name, and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures in the US. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia...
, music teacher Ms. Edmunds sings the song accompanied by her class. - In December 10, 2007, "O-o-h Child" was used in How I Met Your Mother in Season 3, episode 11, "The Platinum RuleThe Platinum Rule"The Platinum Rule" is the eleventh episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 55th overall. It originally aired on December 10, 2007....
".
Sampled
- In 1993, the song's chorus was used in the 2PacTupac ShakurTupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
song "Keep Ya Head UpKeep Ya Head Up"Keep Ya Head Up" is a late 1993 hit by Tupac Shakur. #11 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, with "Dear Mama" voted #4.It was first released in Shakur's 1993 album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., later appearing after his death in 1996 in his Greatest Hits compilation...
". - It was sampled in UK GrimeGrime (music)Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
artist BashyBashyAshley Thomas , better known by his stage name Bashy, is an English recording artist and actor. He rose to prominence in 2007 after the release of his controversial track "Black Boys".-Early life:...
's 2007 song "Black Boys". - Janet JacksonJanet JacksonJanet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
interpolated this song on her 2001 song "Truth".