"But It's Alright" (aka "It's Alright", due to its lyrics) is a song co-written by J. J. Jackson and Pierre Tubbs that became a hit on the pop and soul charts in both 1966 and 1969.

Theme

The song's lyrics address the singer's girlfriend, who has broken his heart by cheating on him. But the song keeps a happy, upbeat tone due to the singer's belief in karma: "It's alright" because "you've got to reap what you sow, girl"; she will find herself cheated on as well.

History

Described as being "driven by one of the catchiest guitar hooks in the history of rock & roll and a devastating vocal performance", the song was first released by

Calla Records Calla Records was a small, New York City-based independent black owned Soul record label run by Nate McCalla (1930-1980) and active from approximately 1965 to 1977. McCalla was an associate and bodyguard for Morris Levy who headed Roulette Records ...

in 1966, as a single and on the album of the same name. Subsequent to acquiring the Calla Records catalogue, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts re-released the song in 1969, as a single and on the album '' The Great J.J. Jackson''. The single was recorded in the United Kingdom, and was one of the first R & B hit singles to have been recorded in England. The song featured some of Britain's top jazz musicians of the day, including Terry Smith on guitar, Dick Morrissey on tenor sax and

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s. When first released in 1966, the song reached number 22 on the ''

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and number 4 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. When re-released in May 1969, they reached number 45, and remained on the charts for nine weeks. In Canada, it reached number 63. A Spanish language version of the song was also recorded by Jackson and released in 1969.

Huey Lewis and the News version

In 1994,

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempora ...

covered the song for their album ''

Four Chords & Several Years Ago ''Four Chords & Several Years Ago'' is the seventh album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released in 1994. The title is a play on the first sentence in Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address ("Four score and seven years ago ..."). ...

''. It was released as a single, which included the studio version and a live rendition of the song. The single reached number 54 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart. An EP CD single was released in Germany by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

Other cover versions

*In 1967, Brother Jack McDuff, with David "Fathead" Newman, covered "But It's Alright", as an instrumental version, on their album '' Double Barrelled Soul''. The song was also released as a single. *Also in 1967, the song was also covered by Eddie Floyd and included on Floyd's '' Knock on Wood'' album. * In 1969, it was covered by Wilmer & the Dukes. *In 1976 a cover was included on ''The Best of Redbone'' by Redbone. *In 1981, Australian band Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons covered the song, which was released as a single from their '' Step Lively'' album.Particulars of ''Step Lively''
Discogs. Retrieved 2017-09-27.

References

{{Authority control 1966 singles 1969 singles 1981 singles 1994 singles Calla Records singles Warner Records singles Huey Lewis and the News songs Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons songs 1966 songs Songs written by Pierre Tubbs