Five Stairsteps, O-o-h Child | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 50th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we highlight “O-o-h Child” performed by ‘The First Family of Soul,’ Five Stairsteps. 

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  It is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the 50^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we dive into “O-o-h Child” the one-hit wonder by Five Stairsteps.

“Ooh-oo child / Things are gonna get easier / Ooh-oo-child / Things’ll get brighter.” Oh, how positive and uplifting those lyrics are! They hail from the Five Stairsteps classic, “O-o-h Child”.  Five Stairsteps was a family affair, comprised of five siblings from Chicago.  The group was often known as The First Family of Soul. Notably, multi-instrumentalist and singer Keni Burke (1951 – ) was a member of the collective, renowned for his 1982 song, “Risin’ to the Top”. “O-o-h Child,” recorded in 1970, was written and produced by Stan Vincent. A mega success on the pop charts, it peaked at no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the sole pop hit for Five Stairsteps.

“O-o-h Child” is a surefire vibe from the get-go.  It features bright, sunny-sounding musical accompaniment comprised of the rhythm section (terrific guitar, bass, keys, and drumming) and orchestra (winds and strings). The production and orchestration are top-notch.  The songwriting, excerpted above, is also terrific. In the centerpiece, the chorus, Five Stairsteps sing:

“Someday, yeah
We’ll get it together and we’ll get it all done
Some day
When your head is much lighter
Someday, yeah
We’ll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun
Some day
When the world is much brighter.”

Inspiring! Bringing those lovely words and melodies to life are fabulous vocals.  The lead is shared throughout the group, which is perfect for this song.  All told, the greatness of “O-o-h Child” speaks for itself.  It’s unsurprising it has been covered by many different musicians.  It’s a once-in-a-lifetime song.

Five Stairsteps // Stairsteps // Sony Music Entertainment // 1970

Five Stairsteps, O-o-h Child: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 50 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment; Antoni Shkraba, KoolShooters, Pavel Danilyuk, Photo By: Kaboompics.com, RDNE Stock project from Pexels; OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]