This week, EHS Daily Advisor featured a contributed article about helping older workers during evacuation situations. In that spirit, the Song of the Week is a bluesy ripper from the Rolling Stones, “You Gotta Move.”
A traditional African American spiritual, “You Gotta Move” has been recorded numerous times since the 1940s by artists including The Two Gospel Keys, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama. In the 1960s, soul crooner Sam Cooke remade it as a breakup song and a few years later, Mississippi Fred McDowell turned it into a country blues lament.
McDowell’s version inspired the Rolling Stones to start playing “You Gotta Move” in concert and then record their own take for 1971’s Sticky Fingers album. While it was never released as a single, the song became a live staple for the band.
Here’s a great live version from 1975 in Los Angeles, featuring Billy Preston on backing vocals.