We’re at the point now where we can all agree that Billy Preston is a forgotten soul hero, right? He can even make this minor track from 1970s’ Encouraging Words – with a title that sounds like a threat – into something that just makes you want to dance. It’s the enthusiasm in the playing; it sounds as if everyone is ridiculously excited to be performing, and giving it their all and then some. There’s a palpable joy in the song, pushing the whole thing forwards with organ stabs and horns that push you out your chair. You can hear the Ray Charles influence on Preston here – Maybe not so much in the vocals, but definitely the piano and push and pull structure of the whole thing; if you can imagine Charles performing with Sly’s Family Stone, the result would probably be something not unlike this song, really.
366 Songs 175: That’s The Way God Planned It
I’m not the most religious person – Is it agnostic, to believe in something, but not necessarily have any love for the organized religions as such? If so, then, yeah; that’s me – but this has long been one of my favorite songs, and it’s all because of the performance. Billy Preston was, for awhile, not just a spectacular keyboard player (Seriously, just listen to him here) but an amazing vocalist and one working in a style that put him somewhere in the middle of an imaginary spectrum between the Beatles and Sly and The Family Stone… which is to say, pretty much my ideal kind of music. The That’s The Way God Planned It and Encouraging Words albums that he released through Apple, both produced by (and featuring guitar from) George Harrison, are two of my favorite albums of all time, and “That’s The Way God Planned It” shows why. There’s something so effortless about the way this song sounds, but so insistent and irresistible, with Preston sounding so… happy, I guess?
There’s joy in Preston’s music; the joy of performance, the joy of life, the joy of God, maybe…? But it’s contagious. There may be bands and performers who are closer to my heart than Billy Preston, but I’m not sure that there are any who make me happier.