Promised Land (Joe Smooth song)

"Promised Land" is a 1987 single by American producer and DJ Joe Smooth. It is one of the most acclaimed house classics.

"Promised Land"
UK CD single
Single by Joe Smooth
from the album Promised Land
Released1987
Genre
LabelD.J. International
Songwriter(s)Joe Smooth
Producer(s)Joe Smooth
Joe Smooth singles chronology
"Promised Land"
(1987)		 "I'll Be There"
(1988)
Music video
"Promised Land" on YouTube

Background and release

Smooth got the idea for "Promised Land" while he was on tour in Europe with Farley "Jackmaster" Funk. He saw how well house music was received in Europe and wrote "Promised Land" with inspiration from classic Motown songs. He was determined to write a classic song with the same type of spirit.[1] Smooth gained international acclaim with the release of the track. It spoke of how humans, as brothers and sisters, should unite in love and thrive in paradise. Dance music was very popular in the underground culture in Chicago at that time and "Promised Land" became a big club-hit. Originally released in 1987, it peaked at #56 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1989 following the Top 40 success of a cover version by The Style Council.[2] It has been covered several times since its release.

In October 2004, "Promised Land" appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Within the game, the song could be heard playing on the fictional House Music radio station SF-UR.

Impact and legacy

Mixmag ranked the song number 20 in its 100 Greatest Dance Singles Of All Time list in 1996, adding:

"There's Someday and Strings of Life and Chime and Keep On Moving, but the one record that, for me, sums up the excitement of that period of music more than any other is the incredible spiritual burst of optimism that is Joe Smooth's Promised Land."[3]

DJ Magazine ranked it number 4 in their list of Top 100 Club Tunes in 1998.[4]

Mixmag listed "Promised Land" as one of The 30 best vocal house anthems ever in 2018.[5]

Cover versions, samples and remixes

The Style Council released a cover of the song in 1989.[6] Along with the track, "Can You Still Love Me", "Promised Land" was the group's only entry on the US dance chart, where it peaked at number nineteen.[7]

References
  1. "Joe Smooth's Promised Land". standardhotels.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 510. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. "The 100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time". ravehistory.homestead.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  4. "DJ Magazine Top 100 Club Tunes (1998)". discogs.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  5. "The 30 best vocal house anthems ever". Mixmag. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  6. Reed, J. (2009) Paul Weller: My Ever Changing Moods, Omnibus Press: London
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 248.


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