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Feelin' Alright?

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"Feelin' Alright?"
Single by Traffic
from the album Traffic
B-side"Withering Tree"
ReleasedSeptember 1968
Recorded1968
GenreFunk rock[1]
Length4:16
Label
Songwriter(s)Dave Mason
Producer(s)Jimmy Miller
Traffic singles chronology
"No Face, No Name, No Number"
(1968)
"Feelin' Alright?"
(1968)
"Medicated Goo"
(1968)

"Feelin' Alright?", also known as "Feeling Alright", is a song written by Dave Mason of the English rock band Traffic for their eponymous 1968 album Traffic. It was also released as a single, and failed to chart on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, but it did reach a bubbling under position of #123 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.[2][3] Joe Cocker performed a more popular rendition of the song on his 1969 album With a Little Help from My Friends, that did chart in the U.S. Both Traffic's and Cocker's versions appear in the 2012 movie Flight. The song was also featured in the 2000 film Duets, sung by Huey Lewis.

Background

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Dave Mason wrote "Feelin' Alright?" in Greece after leaving Traffic for the first time.[4] He explained, "I think I had the words first. The funny thing is, people seem to think that it’s a fun sort of song, but it’s really about unrequited love. There’s a question mark in the title. It asks, 'Are you feeling all right?' 'Actually, I’m not feeling very good at all.'"[4]

The song features a simple two-chord composition. Mason explained, "I had been playing sitar, so I wanted a certain sitar-like quality. It's not one chord, like a James Brown song, but it's close. The good thing was that I didn't need to do demos. Two chords I could remember."[4]

Mason rejoined Traffic for their second album. During the recording, producer Jimmy Miller encouraged Mason and praised the song as "fantastic."[4]

Traffic version credits

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Joe Cocker version

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"Feelin' Alright"
Single by Joe Cocker
from the album With a Little Help from My Friends
B-side"Sandpaper Cadillac"
ReleasedMay 1969
Recorded1968
GenreBlue-eyed soul
Length4:10
Label
Songwriter(s)Mason
Producer(s)Denny Cordell
Joe Cocker US singles chronology
"With a Little Help from My Friends"
(1968)
"Feelin' Alright"
(1969)
"Delta Lady"
(1969)

Joe Cocker recorded it to lead off his debut album With a Little Help from My Friends in 1969. He also amended the title of the original from "Feelin' Alright?" to "Feeling Alright". Released as a single in 1969, it reached #69 on the US singles chart,[5] and #49 in Canada.[6] In a 1972 re-release, it reached even higher to #33 on the same chart,[7] and #35 in Canada.[8] A live version was included in his double album Mad Dogs & Englishmen of 1970. Cocker performed a 'duet' of this song with John Belushi imitating Cocker on the third episode of Saturday Night Live's second season, which aired on October 2, 1976. Cocker also performed the song with Huey Lewis on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which aired on 19 July 2012.

Joe Cocker version credits

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Other versions

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It has also been recorded by:[9]

Other artists who released their covers are Freddie King, Widespread Panic and The Black Crowes. A steel drum version by Trinidad Oil Company was reissued on the dancefloor jazz compilation Blue Juice 2.

References

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  1. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 5, 1968. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  2. ^ Traffic, "Feelin' Alright?" Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
  3. ^ "Traffic – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Bosso, Joe (2021-01-25). "How Traffic's Dave Mason Wrote "Feelin' Alright?"". Guitar Player. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  5. ^ Joe Cocker, "Feeling Alright" 1969 Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 21, 1969" (PDF).
  7. ^ Joe Cocker, "Feeling Alright" 1972 Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
  8. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 26, 1972" (PDF).
  9. ^ a b "Original versions of Feelin' Alright written by Dave Mason". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  10. ^ Mongo Santamaría, "Feeling Alright" Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
  11. ^ "Jackson 5 & Diana Ross | Feelin' Alright (1971)". Jackson5abc.com. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  12. ^ Grand Funk Railroad, "Feelin' Alright" Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
  13. ^ Vlada Lemmy (2014-06-28). Evolución - Feeling Alright [1975 Mexico]. Retrieved 2025-01-08 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Paul Weller - Above The Clouds (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 28 September 1992. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  15. ^ "The Heights – Music From The Television Show "The Heights"". discogs.com. Discogs. Archived from the original on 2025-02-28. Retrieved 27 Feb 2025.
  16. ^ "Once in a Blue Universe overview". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  17. ^ "New Age - November '97 - Winter Solstice VI". Music-Reviewer.com. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  18. ^ "Picture Claire (2001) - IMDb". IMDb.
  19. ^ "Rude Blue - Gail Ann Dorsey | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  20. ^ "Ohio Players - Pain (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 25 November 2013.