Let’s Do it Again – The Staple Singers | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1) & R&B (#1); 1975
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The Staple Singers were unlikely candidates for 1970’s pop stardom. Roebuck “Pops” Staples, his wife Mavis, daughters Cleotha and Yvonne, and son Pervis began harmonizing together in the early 1950’s, recording traditional gospel before signing with Memphis soul label Stax in 1968.
They languished there until a fateful meeting between label president Al Bell and Jesse Jackson, where Jackson implored Bell give the people a chance to hear the Staples in a new way.
Bell took the message to heart and Respect Yourself became the family’s mainstream breakthrough in 1971, followed by I’ll Take You There. After Stax folded, the Staples hooked up with Curtis Mayfield to work on the soundtrack for a Sidney Portier/Bill Cosby comedy entitled Let’s Do It Again.
Curtis was aware of possible problems with the sexual innuendo inherent in the title song so he made sure Pops Staples was closely involved. The fans had no such qualms, and sent Do It to #1.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Curtis Mayfield
Lyrics Written by:
- Curtis Mayfield
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).