The Friends of Distinction, Grazing In The Grass | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 145^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Grazing In The Grass” by The Friends of Distinction.  

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 145^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Grazing in the Grass” performed by The Friends of Distinction.

“It sure is mellow, grazin’ in the grass / (Grazin’ in the grass is a gas, baby, can you dig it?)” Soul collective The Friends of Distinction – Floyd Butler (1937 – 1990), Jessica Cleaves (1948 – 2014), Harry Elston (1938 – ), and Barbara Love (1941 – ) – was active in the late 1960s and disbanded in the 1970s.  They scored three top 20 hits: “Grazing in the Grass”, “Going in Circles”, and “Love or Let Me Be Lonely”.  The biggest of those three hits was their debut single, “Grazing in the Grass.” It peaked at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was certified gold by the RIAA.  Originally, South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela (1939 – 2018) recorded it.  The instrumental version was penned by Philemon Hou.  The Friends of Distinction rendition adds lyrics – TFOD was a vocal band, after all.  Elston penned the lyrics while John Florez produced. 

“Grazing in the Grass” is an exuberant, sub-three-minute soul cut.  Part of the brightness is thanks to the instrumentation. In addition to a rhythm section, it features some big band instrumentation (trumpets, saxophones), as well as strings.  The Friends of Distinction have a sunny backdrop to sing upon. Also, the tempo is quick, further amplifying the energy.  The sound of the instrumental accompaniment, as well as the lyrics sung by The Friends of Distinction is characteristic of the 1960s – the psychedelic, carefree sounds. “There are so many good things to see while grazin’ in the grass / (Grazin’ in the grass is a gas, baby, can you dig it?),” Elston sings in the second verse, with strong backing vocals from the group.  Later, in the refrain, “Everything here is so clear, you can see it / And everything here is so real, you can feel it.”  Indeed! The melodies are tuneful and rhythmic, particularly the fast-paced backing vocals that solidify the call-and-response form.  Some other cool features of “Grazing in the Grass” are the percussive drum interlude and a tasty guitar solo.  Approaching 60 years after its arrival, “Grazing in the Grass” in the hands of The Friends of Distinction sounds fresh and fun. No anachronism in the least!

The Friends of Distinction // Grazin’ // Sony Music Entertainment // 1969

The Friends of Distinction, Grazing In The Grass: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 145 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment; OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]