Reach Out of the Darkness

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"Reach Out of the Darkness"
Single by Friend & Lover
from the album Reach Out of the Darkness
B-side"Time on Your Side (You're Only 15 Years Old)"
ReleasedOctober 1967 (1967-10)
GenreSunshine pop
Length3:08
LabelVerve Forecast
Songwriter(s)Jim Post
Producer(s)
Friend & Lover singles chronology
"A Town Called Love"
(1967) 		"Reach Out of the Darkness"
(1967) 		"If Love Is in Your Heart"
(1968)

"Reach Out of the Darkness" is a song by American folk duo Friend & Lover from their debut studio album of the same name (1968). It was released as the lead single from the album in October 1967, by Verve Forecast Records. Jim Post is credited as the sole writer of the song, whilst production was helmed by Bill Lowery and Joe South. The song peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and is Friend & Lover's only top 40 hit, which has often resulted in the duo being labeled as a one-hit wonder.[1] In Canada the song reached number 6.[2] The song's follow-up, “If Love is in Your Heart”, stalled at number 86 a few months later, and reached number 54 in Canada.[3] The title never appears as such in the recording, though the nine mentions of "Reach Out in the Darkness" in the lyrics come close. The song is notable for its repeated opening line, "I think it's so groovy now that people are finally getting together."

Production

The song was written and composed by James “Jim” Post, who together with his then-wife Catherine “Cathy” Post (nee Conn) comprised the duo Friend & Lover. Ray Stevens played keyboards and arranged the strings, with Joe South and Bill Lowery producing.[4] The 1969 follow-up album, also titled Reach Out of the Darkness, was recorded in Atlanta and produced by Buddy Buie.

In popular culture

The song was featured in the 1988 film 1969 and in the TV series Night Stalker (episode 6) and Beverly Hills, 90210: "The Time Has Come Today" (season 4, episode 25).[5] The track was used in the closing scene and credits on the AMC series

Mad Men: "A Man With a Plan" (season 6, episode 7).[6] The scene in question was June 1968, when the news of Robert Kennedy's assassination was breaking on television, with characters watching the story unfold in stunned silence, some weeping.[7]
The song continued to play, superimposed over audio of the news reports from the assassination, during the closing credits.

Krush sampled it for their song "Let's Get Together (So Groovy Now)," from the soundtrack to the comedy film Mo' Money, starring Damon Wayans and Stacey Dash.[8]

In a concert in San Francisco's

Martin Luther King's assassination in April 1968. However, an extensive search of music surveys currently available on-line shows instead that, depending on the survey, the song had no noticeable exposure until several weeks after that assassination, peaked anywhere from mid May to late July with none of the peaks attributable to any crisis[citation needed], and in any event possessed essentially none of the claimed behavior. On New York's WABC Music Radio surveys, the song belatedly debuted at #50 the week of June 4, 1968 (the day before the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy), rose to #13 the following week and eventually peaked at #1 the week of July 23 before falling off rapidly.[9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ "Single: The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Music Charts. June 22, 1968. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  2. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 6, 1968" (PDF).
  3. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 16, 1968" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b Unterberger, Richie (2000). "Liner Notes for Friend & Lover's "Reach Out of the Darkness"". Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  5. ^ "The Time Has Come Today episode on TV.com". Retrieved September 27, 2009.
  6. ^ Bonnie Stiernberg (May 13, 2013). "Mad Men Review: 'Man With a Plan' (episode 6.07)". Paste.
  7. ^ Music from Mad Men, Season 6, Episode 7 Retrieved June 16, 2015
  8. ^ Mo'Money Soundtrack review | AllMusic.com
  9. ^ WABC Music Power Survey for Week of June 4, 1968
  10. ^ WABC Music Power Survey for Week of June 11, 1968
  11. ^ WABC Music Power Survey for Week of July 23, 1968
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