"O-o-h Child"
Single by Five Stairsteps
from the album Stairsteps
A-side"Dear Prudence"
B-side"Who Do You Belong To"
ReleasedApril 1970
Genre
Length3:11
LabelBuddah
Songwriter(s)Stan Vincent
Producer(s)Stan Vincent
Five Stairsteps singles chronology
"Because I Love You"
(1970)
"O-o-h Child"
(1970)
"Dear Prudence"
(1970)
Audio
"O-o-h Child" on YouTube

"O-o-h Child" is a 1970 single, written by Stan Vincent, recorded by Chicago soul family group the Five Stairsteps and released on the Buddah label.

The Five Stairsteps previously had limited success recording in Chicago with Curtis Mayfield.[3] When Mayfield's workload precluded his continuing to work with the group, they were reassigned to Stan Vincent, an in-house producer for Buddah Records who had recently scored a Top Ten hit with the Lou Christie single "I'm Gonna Make You Mine". The Five Stairsteps' debut collaboration with Vincent was the group's rendition of "Dear Prudence" designated as the A-side with Vincent's original composition "O-o-h Child" as B-side. However, "O-o-h Child" broke out in the key markets of Philadelphia and Detroit to rise as high as #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1970.

The track's R&B chart impact was muted, peaking at #14, although in time it came to be regarded as a "soft soul" classic. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 21 song of 1970.

Song information

The Five Stairsteps' only pop Top 40 hit, "O-o-h Child" would be the group's last R&B top 40 hit (they had several top 40 R&B hits in the 1960s) until 1976's "From Us to You". Included on the band's The Stairsteps album from 1970, it has become the Stairsteps' signature song and has inspired more than twenty covers since its release. The song featured various members, including lone female member and eldest sister Alohe, brothers Keni, Dennis, James, lead singer Clarence Burke Jr. singing in various parts of the song.

The lyrics tell the listener that "things are gonna get easier" in times of strife. The song's uplifting message helped it to become popular among pop and rhythm and blues audiences when it was released.

The song is ranked #402 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Critical reception

AllMusic review by Joe Viglione: "Producer Stan Vincent's Top Ten hit for the Stairsteps, "O-o-h Child," was one of those bright, memorable, sterling songs which, as with Alive 'N Kickin's "Tighter, Tighter," made the summer of 1970 so memorable."[4]

Personnel

The Five Stairsteps

  • Lead vocals by Alohe Burke, Clarence Burke Jr., Keni Burke
  • Backing vocals by James Burke, Dennis Burke

Musicians

Production

  • Recorded at Allegro Studios
  • Produced, written, arranged, and conducted by Stan Vincent

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

Sampled

See also

References

  1. Pitchfork Staff (August 22, 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 13, 2022. ...together they are utterly disarming, and they all come together for one of pop's most affecting climaxes.
  2. Pitchfork Staff (August 22, 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 13, 2022. ...when DJs flipped their cover of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" in favor of a song that became R&B's answer to "Over the Rainbow."
  3. "Soul icon Curtis Mayfield dies", BBC News, December 27, 1999: "Credited with introducing social comment to soul music". Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  4. "O-O-H Child - The Stairsteps | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  5. Canada Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
  6. "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. "O-o-h Child (song by The Five Stairsteps) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  8. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 1, 1970
  9. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013.
  10. "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  11. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1970". Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  12. "British single certifications – Five Stairsteps – O o h Child". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  13. "American single certifications – Stairsteps – O-o-h Child". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  14. McCreary, Bear (June 17, 2013). "Defiance: Soundtrack Album". BearMcCreary.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  15. "The Devil In The Dark - Defiance Wiki". En.defiance-wiki.com. 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  16. "Watch Saturday Night Live: Ooh Child Online". Hulu.com. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
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