Jesse Colin Young, the voice heard on the Youngbloods‘ iconic hit “Get Together,” died Sunday at his home in Aiken, South Carolina. He was 83.
“Get Together,” written by future Quicksilver Messenger Service member Dino Valenti, was recorded by the Youngbloods after Young saw a folk singer perform it in a New York City club. It appeared on the band’s 1967 debut album, but only became a hit in 1969 after it was featured in a PSA by the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
The song, which peaked at #5, became an anthem for the Woodstock generation. Its chorus — “Come on people now/ smile on your brother/ everybody get together/ try to love one another right now” — has become part of pop culture, appearing in multiple movies and TV shows. Nirvana even sarcastically quoted those lyrics in their Nevermind track “Territorial Pissings.”
Young wrote many of the Youngbloods’ other songs, including “Darkness, Darkness,” covered by Robert Plant in a Grammy-nominated 2002 version, as well as by Eric Burdon, Richie Havens, Ann Wilson and Mott the Hoople.
The Youngbloods disbanded in 1972, but briefly reunited for a tour in 1984 and then disbanded again. Meanwhile, Jesse Colin Young resumed a solo career he’d initially started in 1964, releasing more than a dozen albums over the years. His most recent release was 2019’s Dreamers. He also founded his own record label, hosted a podcast and was involved in both social and environmental activism.
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