"Walk a Mile in My Shoes" is a song written by
Joe South
Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1970 for " Ga ...
, who had a
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
with it in
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
. South was also producer and arranger of the track and of its B-side, "Shelter." The single was credited to "Joe South and the Believers"; the Believers included his brother Tommy South and his sister-in-law Barbara South.
The song's highest position on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 was #12, which was also its highest position in the
''Cashbox'' chart. It also reached highs of #56 country and #3 Adult Contemporary in ''Billboard'', and it made #10 in the
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
chart in Canada. It was South's second and final record to reach the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' chart. It also reached the Top 20 in Australia.
Background
The song concerns racial tolerance and the need for perspective and compassion.
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Notable covers and references
*
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, on his 1970 live album ''
On Stage''
* Willie Hightower, as a single in 1970 (also included on the
Honest Jon's
Honest Jon's is a British independent record shop based on Portobello Road in Ladbroke Grove, London, operating since 1974. The shop is owned and run by Mark Ainley and Alan Scholefield, who took over from one of the original proprietors, "Hone ...
2004 compilation album simply titled ''Willie Hightower''), originally produced by
Rick Hall
Roe Erister "Rick" Hall (January 31, 1932 – January 2, 2018) was an American record producer, songwriter, and musician who became known as the owner of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As the "Father of Muscle Shoals Music", he was i ...
at
FAME Studios
FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) Studios is a recording studio located at 603 East Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, an area of northern Alabama known as the Shoals. Though small and distant from the main recording locations of the ...
in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
*
Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...
and
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...
as part of an hour-long television special
*
Cliff Waldron
Clifford Waldron (born April 4, 1941) is a retired American bluegrass musician. Waldron is best known for his collaborations with bluegrass musician Bill Emerson, with the two forming the bluegrass duo ''Emerson & Waldron,'' as well as the forma ...
, on his 1970
bluegrass album ''Right On''
*
Bob Andy
Keith Anderson CD (28 October 1944 – 27 March 2020), better known by the stage name Bob Andy, was a Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter. He was widely regarded as one of reggae's most influential songwriters.
Early life
Anderson was bor ...
, in a 1970 reggae cover
*
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...
, on his 1971 album ''Feel the Warm''
*
, on her 1972 album ''Marion in the Morning''
*
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...
, on his 1972 album ''
The Killer Rocks On
''The Killer Rocks On'' is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1972.
Background
After an uninterrupted string of country smashes, ''The Killer Rocks On'' was a return to Lewis's rock and roll roots. He had attempt ...
''
*
People's Temple Choir
People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly from its base at St. Gallen-Altenr ...
, on their 1973 album ''He's Able''
*
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ' ...
, on his 1974 album ''
Another Time, Another Place''
*
De Dijk
De Dijk (English: The Dike) is a Dutch rock band which formed in 1981. The band is named after Zeedijk, a street in their hometown Amsterdam. Their music can be described as a mixture of soul, blues and rock 'n roll, with lyrics sung only in Dut ...
, on their 2002 album ''Muzikanten dansen niet'' (Dutch version of the song)
*
Greg Page, included in his 2004 Nashville concert
*
Coldcut
Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...
, on their 2006 album ''
Sound Mirrors
An acoustic mirror is a passive device used to reflect and focus (concentrate) sound waves. Parabolic acoustic mirrors are widely used in parabolic microphones to pick up sound from great distances, employed in surveillance and reporting of o ...
'', featuring vocals from
Robert Owens
*
Otis Clay
Otis Lee Clay (February 11, 1942 – January 8, 2016) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and Soul music, soul singer, who started in gospel music. In 2013, Clay was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame.
Early life
Clay was born in Waxhaw, Miss ...
, on his 2007 album ''Walk a Mile in My Shoes''
*
Kentucky Headhunters
The Kentucky Headhunters are an American country rock and Southern rock band originating in the state of Kentucky. The band's members are Doug Phelps (vocals, bass guitar), Greg Martin (vocals, lead guitar), and brothers Richard Young (vocals, rh ...
, on their 2011 album ''
Midnight Special''
*
Lake Street Dive
Lake Street Dive is a multi-genre band that was formed in 2004 at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. The band's founding members are Rachael Price, Mike "McDuck" Olson, Bridget Kearney, and Mike Calabrese. Keyboardist Akie Bermiss j ...
, as part of a 2020
Ad Council
The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American nonprofit organization that produces, distributes, and promotes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, non-governme ...
campaign encouraging a more welcoming nation
Notes
External links
*
1969 songs
1969 singles
Elvis Presley songs
Songs written by Joe South
Joe South songs
Songs against racism and xenophobia
Capitol Records singles
{{1960s-song-stub