Let the Music Take Your Mind

"Let the Music Take Your Mind"
Single by Kool & the Gang
from the album Kool and the Gang
B-side"Chocolate Buttermilk"
Released1969
GenreFunk
Length2:50
LabelDe-Lite
Songwriter(s)Gene Redd, Kool & the Gang
Producer(s)Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang singles chronology
"Kool's Back Again"
(1969) 		"Let the Music Take Your Mind"
(1969) 		"Kool It (Here Comes The Fuzz)"
(1970)

"Let the Music Take Your Mind" is a R&B/funk song recorded by the band Kool & the Gang for their 1969 album debut eponymous album. It was produced by Gene Redd and written by Redd along with Kool & the Gang.[1]

Released as a single, the song peaked at No. 19 on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.[2]

Critical reception

Cheo Hodari Coker of the Los Angeles Times exclaimed "Songs such as “Let the Music Take Your Mind” and “Chocolate Buttermilk” melt the artificial barriers between R&B; and jazz."[3]

Legacy

"Let the Music Take Your Mind" has been sampled by artists such as the Beastie Boys on "Lay It on Me" from their 1989 album Paul's Boutique and Ice Cube on the title track of his 1990 album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. The tune's B-side, "Chocolate Buttermilk", has been sampled by Special Ed on "Ready 2 Attack" from his 1990 album Legal and Eric B and Rakim on "Keep 'Em Eager to Listen" and "No Omega", both from their 1990 album Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em.[4][5]

Charts

Chart (1973) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 78
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[7] 19

References

  1. ^ Kool & the Gang - Let the Music Take Your Mind. De-Lite Records. 1969.
  2. ^ "Kool & the Gang | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  3. ^ Hodari Coker, Cheo (December 27, 1996). "'Go Girl!': Ballads of Enlightened Love". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Kool & the Gang – "Chocolate Buttermilk"". Genius.com. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  5. ^ "Kool & the Gang – "Let the Music Take Your Mind"". Genius.com. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  6. ^ "Kool The Gang Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  7. ^ "Kool The Gang Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2023.