Ray Charles, “There’ll Be No Peace Without All Men as One” | Music Lifts 🎶 🏋

In the 35^th edition of Lit Music That Lifts, we’re uplifted by Ray Charles performing, “There’ll Be No Peace Without All Men as One.”

Welcome to Lit Music That Lifts (LMTL), or Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 for short! Music Lifts seeks to highlight songs that encourage, inspire, and uplift the spirit; songs that exude fortitude, positivity, and resolve, even in the face of adversity.  Featured songs aren’t genre-specific; songs may or may not be faith-based. The goal is for these songs to make you feel better – be LIFTED to new heights!  So, for the 35^th edition of Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 (2022), we highlight 🎵 “There’ll Be No Peace Without All Men as One” as performed by 🎙 Ray Charles.

“What good is the sun if there is no sky above?” That is a legitimate question that 🎙 Ray Charles asks on 🎵 “There’ll Be No Peace Without All Men as One”.  The legendary, 🏆 Grammy-winning musician continues to inquire in the first verse of this gem from  💿 A Message From The People (1972), “Why should the rivers flow? / Why should a candle glow?” So, what is Charles’ point on this 🎼 ✍ Sadye Shepard-penned classic? Unity and the dysfunction caused by the lack of it.  As the chorus and titular lyric, performed by a gorgeous, lush choir, “Ah, ah, ah, there’ll be no peace without all men as one.”

Throughout the rest of the verses, Charles continues with hypothetical questions, all of which feel authentic and legitimate.  In the second verse, he’s concerned with the state of nature – leaves, trees, and flowers – all referring back to the idea of humankind not getting right and being on one accord.  Similarly, in the third verse, he’s worried about a lack of songs, bells ringing, and even day.  Worth noting, he delivers a ripe falsetto by the end of this verse, driving his transcendent point home.  Essentially, with Shepard’s poetic pen, and a marvelous arrangement courtesy of Sid Fuller, Quincy Jones, and Mike Post, Charles implores us to be better people who work together.  Sadly, Charles’ call to action still falls far too often on deaf ears.  The world is an incredibly polarized place and yet if we’d only entertain Charles’ petition for peace and unity, wouldn’t we be in a better place? If nothing else, 🎵 “There’ll Be No Peace Without All Men as One” offers up prudent food for thought.  Furthermore, it’s a radiant, radiant classic from a truly iconic, one-in-a-lifetime musician.

🎙 Ray Charles • 💿 A Message From The People • 🏷 Tangerine • 📅 1972

Ray Charles, “There’ll Be No Peace Without All Men as One”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 No. 35 (2022) [📷: Arek Socha, Benjamin Balazs, Brent Faulkner, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Ketut Subiyanto, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, Tangerine]