“People Got To Be Free” #1 8/17/1968

For the rest of 1968 (except for three weeks) through all of January 1969, there were only three singles that held the #1 position on the Hot 100. Here’s the first of those, done by the Rascals as a plea for tolerance and understanding. Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati wrote the song as a response to the death of Martin Luther King without being overtly political. Although the group recorded the tune prior to Bobby Kennedy’s shooting, it resonated just as much in that regard.