Billboard #1 Hits: #206: “People Got To Be Free”- The Rascals. August 17, 1968. #1 for 5 weeks.

• Single: “People Got To Be Free”- The Rascals
• Record Company-Atlantic
• Genre: Blue-eyed Soul
• Written by Felix Caviliere and Eddie Brigati
• Time: 3:01
• B-side:”My World”
• Album-Freedom Suite
• Grade: A
• Peaked at #1 for 5 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100.

“People Got To Be Free”- The Rascals 3rd #1 hit- a song that pleas for tolerance and freedom was right for the times. 1968 was a most turbulent year- especially the spring and summer. The song was written after the band had a bad encounter in Florida where they were threatened by a group of strangers after their tour bus broke down. After this song came out The Rascals would only play concerts that featured an African American act- if those conditions weren’t met they wouldn’t play.