Some songs have a convoluted history before becoming a hit, and this one is right up there. It was written by Dino Valenti (a.k.a. Chet Powers) in 1963 and done by everyone from the Kingston Trio to We Five to Jefferson Airplane. Early on, Powers had to sell his publishing rights so he could pay a lawyer to fight drug charges. The Youngbloods recorded it in 1967 but the single stalled at #62. Fast forward to 1969, when their version was used in a PSA for the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The 45 was re-released and became a huge Top 5 record.
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