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"Let's Live for Today" is a song written by David "Shel" Shapiro and Italian lyricist Mogol, with additional English lyrics provided by
Michael Julien Michael Julien (1 August 1927 – 29 December 2020), also known as Peter Warne, was a British songwriter, who was the co-writer of a number of hit songs around the world. He wrote the lyrics of " Let's Live for Today", and co-wrote both " Ki ...
. It was first recorded, with Italian lyrics, under the title of "Piangi con me" (translation: "Cry with Me") by the English band
the Rokes The Rokes were a pop rock band formed in 1963 in Italy by English expatriates. Their most successful songs included "Piangi con Me", the original version of " Let's Live for Today", a US hit when re-recorded by The Grass Roots; and "Che Colpa ...
in 1966. Later, when "Piangi con me" was to be released in the United Kingdom,
publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
Dick James Music requested that staff writer Julien compose English lyrics for the song. Julien composed new lyrics, rather than translating from the Italian, and it was his input that transformed "Piangi con me" into "Let's Live for Today". The song was popularized by the American rock
band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
the Grass Roots, who released it as a single on May 13, 1967. The Grass Roots' version climbed to number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, eventually selling over two million copies and being awarded a gold disc. The song also became the title track of the Grass Roots' second
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
, '' Let's Live for Today''. Since its initial release, the Grass Roots' rendition of the song has become a staple of oldies radio programming in America and is today widely regarded by critics as a 1960s classic.


History


Early recordings

The song that would become "Let's Live for Today" was originally written by English musician David "Shel" Shapiro and Mogol in 1966, with Italian
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...
and the Italian title of "Piangi con me" (translation: "Cry with Me"). At the time, Shapiro was a member of the Rokes, an English
beat group Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffl ...
who had relocated to Italy in 1963 and had signed a
recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...
with
RCA Italiana RCA Italiana was an Italian record company founded in 1949 and active until 1987, the date on which, together with the parent company RCA Records, it was bought by BMG Entertainment. History Founded in Rome in 1949 under the Vatican's protec ...
the following year. During the mid-1960s, the Rokes became a popular band on the Italian charts, achieving a number of top 20
hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...
with Italian-language covers of popular British and American songs. By 1966, however, the band had begun to write their own material, including "Piangi con me", which quickly became their biggest hit to date in Italy. The vocals on the Rokes' original recording were by band drummer Mike Shepstone, rather than Shapiro.Andy Morten, "Crying For Today", ''Shindig!'', September 2022, pp.26-27 Following its success on the Italian charts, plans were made to release "Piangi con me" in the United Kingdom and as a result, the song was translated into English by Shapiro and given the new title of "Passing Thru Grey". However, the song's
publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
in Britain, Dick James Music, was unhappy with these lyrics and decided that they should be changed.
Michael Julien Michael Julien (1 August 1927 – 29 December 2020), also known as Peter Warne, was a British songwriter, who was the co-writer of a number of hit songs around the world. He wrote the lyrics of " Let's Live for Today", and co-wrote both " Ki ...
, a member of the publisher's writing staff, was assigned the task of writing new words for the song and it was his input that transformed it into "Let's Live for Today". According to writer Andy Morten, the new lyrics "captur dthe era's ''zeitgeist'' of freedom and hedonism...". The Rokes' version was released by
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
in April 1967, on the same day that a rival version by London band the Living Daylights was released on the
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters is ...
label. Neither version reached the UK charts.


The Grass Roots' version

In the United States, the Rokes' version of "Let's Live for Today" found its way to the head of
Dunhill Records Dunhill Records was started in 1964 by Lou Adler, Jay Lasker, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts as Dunhill Productions to release the music of Johnny Rivers on Imperial Records. It became a record label the following year and was distribute ...
, who felt that the song would make a suitable single release for the Grass Roots. The
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...
/ producer team of
P. F. Sloan Philip Gary "Flip" Sloan (born Philip Gary Schlein; September 18, 1945 – November 15, 2015), known professionally as P. F. Sloan, was an American singer and songwriter. During the mid-1960s, he wrote, performed, and produced many ''Billboar ...
and Steve Barri, who managed the Grass Roots' recordings, were also enthusiastic about the song, with Sloan being particularly enamored with the similarities that the song's
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
had to
the Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/ soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed i ...
' "I Count the Tears". "Let's Live for Today" was recorded by the Grass Roots, with the help of a number of
studio musicians Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...
, including Sloan on
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the fe ...
, and was released as a single in May 1967. The lead vocal on the Grass Roots' recording was sung by the band's
bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low b ...
Rob Grill and the distinctive "1-2-3-4" count-in before the
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
was sung by
guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themsel ...
Warren Entner Warren Entner (born 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, organist and guitarist for the rock and roll band, The Grass Roots. He then became a manager for several successful heavy metal/rock groups. Overview Entner is best known for his voc ...
. The song quickly became popular with the record buying public, selling over two million copies in the U.S. and finally peaking at number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 during June 1967. As well as being popular with domestic American audiences, "Let's Live for Today" also found favor with young American men serving overseas in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, as music critic Bruce Eder of the
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
website has noted: "Where the single really struck a resonant chord was among men serving in Vietnam; the song's serious emotional content seemed to overlay perfectly with the sense of uncertainty afflicting most of those in combat; parts of the lyric could have echoed sentiments in any number of letters home, words said on last dates, and thoughts directed to deeply missed wives and girlfriends." Eder also described "Let's Live for Today" by the Grass Roots as "one of the most powerful songs and records to come out of the 1960s." In addition to its appearance on the Grass Roots' '' Let's Live for Today'' album, the song also appears on several of the band's compilations, including '' Golden Grass'', ''
Their 16 Greatest Hits ''Their 16 Greatest Hits'' is the third compilation album by the American rock band the Grass Roots. It was originally released by Dunhill Records in September 1971 shortly after the success of "Sooner or Later" earlier that year (see 1971 in mus ...
'', ''Anthology: 1965–1975'', and ''All Time Greatest Hits''.


Other versions

Along with the Rokes, the Living Daylights, and the Grass Roots, the song has also been recorded by a number of other bands, including Tempest,
the Lords of the New Church The Lords of the New Church were an English/American supergroup with a line-up originally consisting of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators (ex- the Dead Boys), guitarist Brian James (ex- the Da ...
,
the Slickee Boys The Slickee Boys were a Washington, D.C. area punk-psychedelic-garage rock band whose most-remembered lineup consisted of guitarist Marshall Keith, guitarist Kim Kane, singer Mark Noone and drummer Dan Palenski. The group was named after a GI sl ...
,
the dB's The dB's are an American alternative rock and power pop group, who formed in New York City in 1978 and first came to prominence in the early 1980s. Their debut album, ''Stands for Decibels'', is often acclaimed as one of the greatest "lost" powe ...
, and Dreamhouse. Finnish singer
Fredi Fredi may refer to: * Fredi (Valencian pilota) (born 1957), retired Valencian pilota professional player * Fredi Bobic (born 1971), German football striker * Fredi González (born 1964), Cuban current manager of the Atlanta Braves * Fredi Walker, A ...
released a Finnish-language version called "Onhan päivä vielä huomennakin" ("There'll still be a day tomorrow", or "Leave it for tomorrow") in 1968. An other Finnish version is by rock band
Popeda Popeda is a Finnish rock band hailing from Tampere and one of the staples of Manserock. Epe Helenius, who signed the band for Poko Rekords in 1977, called the band "Finnish Rolling Stones". Musically their style is a combination of rock 'n' ...
in 2008 on their album ''Täydelliset miehet'' (en: ''Perfect Men'') and also the same year on their single ''Onhan päivä vielä huomennakin''. A version with different English lyrics was released in December 1966 by Dutch band The Skope as "Be mine again". This version reached No. 36 on the
Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veroni ...
chart.


Personnel

Per 1972 reissue album liner notes and the
Songfacts Songfacts is a music-oriented website that has articles about songs, detailing the meaning behind the lyrics, how and when they were recorded, and any other info that can be found. The journalists who work for the site have interviewed thousa ...
website, except when noted. The Grass Roots * Rob Grill – lead and backing vocals *
Warren Entner Warren Entner (born 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, organist and guitarist for the rock and roll band, The Grass Roots. He then became a manager for several successful heavy metal/rock groups. Overview Entner is best known for his voc ...
– co-lead and backing vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar *
Creed Bratton Creed Bratton (born William Charles Schneider, February 8, 1943) is an American actor, singer and musician. A former member of the rock band the Grass Roots, he is best known for playing a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom ''T ...
– backing vocals, guitar *
Rick Coonce Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...
– backing vocals, possible drums, percussion Other musicians * P.F Sloan – lead guitar *Bobby Ray – bass guitar *
Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...
– possible drums, percussion


Uses in popular culture

The Grass Roots' recording of the song appears in the 1997 film '' Wild America'' and on the accompanying
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' ...
. A cover version by the Atomics appears in a
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TV commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
for H&M. The Grass Roots' version plays over the opening credits of the ''
Pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-st ...
'' television series.


Chart performance


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


References


External links


Lyrics of this song
* {{authority control 1966 songs 1967 singles The Grass Roots songs Dreamhouse (band) songs Folk rock songs Songs written by Michael Julien Dunhill Records singles Number-one singles in South Africa Songs written by Mogol (lyricist)