Ease on Down the Road
"Ease on Down the Road" | ||||
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Single by Consumer Rapport | ||||
B-side | "Go On with Your Bad Self" | |||
Released | March 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1975 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label |
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Songwriter(s) | Charlie Smalls | |||
Producer(s) |
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Consumer Rapport singles chronology | ||||
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"Ease on Down the Road" | ||||
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Single by Diana Ross & Michael Jackson | ||||
from the album The Wiz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
B-side | "Poppy Girls" (instrumental by Quincy Jones) | |||
Released | September 21, 1978 | |||
Recorded | 1977 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | MCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Charlie Smalls | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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Diana Ross singles chronology | ||||
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"Ease on Down the Road" is a song from the 1975
Two versions of the song have been released as charting singles: one associated with the Broadway show by studio group Consumer Rapport in 1975, and a second recorded by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson for the feature-film adaptation of The Wiz (1978).
History
Early versions
The earliest version of the song was recorded by
Diana Ross and Michael Jackson version
In 1977, "Ease on Down the Road" was recorded as a duet between Diana Ross and Michael Jackson and released as the theme song of the 1978 film adaptation of The Wiz. As with the rest of the music in the film, the film version of "Ease on Down the Road" was produced by Quincy Jones. The recording was one of Jackson's first collaborations with Quincy Jones, who became his main producer during the late 1970s and 1980s.
Released as a single by
In
Charts
Consumer Rapport version
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Disco File Top 20[6] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 42 |
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 19 |
Diana Ross and Michael Jackson version
scope="col"Chart (1978) | scope="col"Peak position |
---|---|
Turkey Top 20 Chart
|
1 |
UK Singles Chart[7]
|
45 |
US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 41 |
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 17 |
In popular culture
- Della Reese performed the song in the 1975 episode "Della, Della, Della" of the situation comedy Sanford and Son along with Fred G. Sanford.[9]
- In 1977, the song was performed by the cast of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour in a skit based on Pinocchio.[10][11]
- In 1979, Kathy Romanko and the Crystal Pryzm covered the song on their album Portraits.[12]
- In 1980, The Muppet Show featured the song, played by guest Jean-Pierre Rampal, during episode 510, in a retelling of Pied Piper of Hamelin.
- Stephen King references the song in the Dark Tower novel The Gunslinger.
- The song appears on Richard Simmons Broadway video Broadway Sweat.
- The song appears in NBC's 2015 production of
- In 2015, The Wizard of Oz (1939). At the end of the sketch, they sang it again while teaching the 1939 Scarecrow (played by Ryan Gosling) how to dance the Dab.[13]
References
- ^ a b Thomas, Leah (3 December 2015). ""Ease On Down The Road" Performances In 'The Wiz Live!' Will Have The Famous Song Stuck In Your Head All Week". Bustle. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ "Cover versions of Ease On down the Road by Renée Harris, Charles Valentino, Ben Harney & Ken Prymus | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
- ^ "'Ease on Down the Road' by Consumer Rapport Hit". The Pittsburgh Courier. 21 June 1975. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 132.
- ^ William Ruhlmann (1978-09-18). "The Wiz [Original Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 63.
- ^ "Michael Jackson — full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ ""Sanford and Son" Della, Della, Della (TV episode, 1975". IMDb.com. 31 October 1975. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "YouTube: The Brady Bunch Variety Hour: Pinnochio". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
- ISBN 9781550228885.
- ^ "Portraits by Kathy Romanko". BlogSpot. 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Watch The Wiz From Saturday Night Live - NBC.com". 6 December 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2016.