Ed Ames - Who Will Answer (Aleluya No. 1)

[searock1000]

... I'm reminded of Ravi Zacharia's (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries :: Let My People Think Radio ) and his "witness" from a hospital bed to what drove hin to become ...

[musicollector1975]

I get goosebumps listening to the pipes of the great Ed Ames - this song, My Cup Runneth Over, Time Time, Changing Changing, The Windmills of Your MInd, Joy To The World, Son Of A Traveling Man, etc. etc...a voice that will make any radio announcer green with envy!

[hlavam2]

See other cover version by Czech singer Marta Kubišová called "Magdaléna."

Not about war but about love though.

[ADonovan43]

Sorry we can't answer your call at this time ,we are all out to lunch.The news media.Take care ADonovan43

[northernlightspeed]

I remember this song from the 1960's when the Viet Nam War was raging

[Kind67]

I was so fortunate to see Ed Ames perform this live in the mid 1990s. Believe it or not, his live performance was much better in that his voice had improved significantly to where it had an operatic quality and the lyrics were updated/enhanced to the best of my memory. It was unforgettable. I wish there were recorded versions of that concert he did. This is a truly great song that asks people to stop being apathetic to other's misfortunes and problems.

[toscano813]

This song touched me years ago. I just played it for my teenager and he was amazed by the relevance to today's situation. I think Mr. Ames delivered this song as more than an excellent vocal performance - it is moving and thought provoking,

[pappy15445]

simply amazing voice and dynamic song---chilling is the right word.

[Gandalf1948]

Wonderful song!

[Burninschit]

Outstanding song. I came across the original vinyl album & bought it, mainly due to the fact I really liked Ames on Daniel Boone (hadn't heard any of his music prior), and was blown away. This song is still powerfully relevant. The part about the suicide and the crowd is chilling, because you know, especially today, "Go, Man, Go!" is exactly what would happen (sad but true). Great song (the entire album is excellent, BTW).

[HELLASMACHEROS]

Who will answer?..........God........Al­eluya! Aleluya Aleluya..........!

Not chilling messages of protest but a reminder of Who will answer, who have we left out of our lives, and need to put baack into our lives and culture!

No maatter how dark or scarey life gets....God will answer. Ask ED AMES!

[pianatar]

@HELLASMACHEROS  YES HE WILL!!

[trailboyus66]

To my good friend Ed G. from Texas; thanks for being there when I needed a friend.

[Siomistic]

Excellent!!!

[mikekadas]

Who Will Answer? - Ed Ames - No.19 on 12/30/1967+. 4 weeks Top 40. - "An anti-war song from this time period."

[bonzerrrrr]

Classic! Thanks for sharing

[librarybob1958]

Incredibly moving song, as relevant to today as it was when Ed recorded in in 1968.

[mysteryqueen1]

love this song still gives me chills forty ago

[ADonovan43]

This old song that has been neglected for so long, it needs to be dusted off ,this song has a message for all of us today as it did what only seems like yesterday.Take care ADonovan43

[slotcarracer26]

I found out that he is one of my cousins.

[StuffedAnimalAdvisor]

According to my Dad, this song is also the theme song for the Salvation army.

[jonssweetlady]

Wikipedia says he was born in Malden, Massachusetts.

[MrTrashcan1]

newday4u2, I agree with you, but not with johno934. We are not cheering our soldeirs' deaths, but praising their valiant attempts to destroy evil. If you really think those who support them cheer their deaths, there is something wrong with you. You have an inverted moral sense.

[sunwarrior88]

Good song...GREAT singer with marvelous voice & I am happy someone finally posted this song.  BTW, Ames is/was a Canadian Jew! And, oh, by the way, which god is he singing about? Certainly it has to be all of them...the god of Judeo/X'tian beliefs can't be the only one...no matter what the religious zealots tell you. BTW, ALL rel;religions have zealots!

Not looking for an argument, just posting an opinion of this song and the singer!

[freeguy77]

@sunwarrior88 He was born in the U.S., not Canada. His parents emigrated from the Ukraine, Russia.

[yearprincess]

I agree w/ stugazza 100%, that group of singers was very special, ed ames is an icon of vocal power for his time, keep on...

[johno934]

its happening in iraq and afg today soldiers are dying and there are plenty of chearleaders

[newday4u2]

Yes john0934, you are right.

But it is because of what the rest of this song says. We have lost our inner core of moral values. As the song says, if the soul is darkened by the evil of our day or if we trust in the empty prayers of those in hooded capes and not in the true and living God, then who will answer when we really need help. Without God then our nation is dammed and other gods will take His place and there will be no one to answer. Yes, a great song and a great man.

[johno934]

i rather believe in you than god ,god was put on trial during world war 2 in jermany by the jews and was found gulty and i agree

[tntquality]

I still have the 45! I have it on our jukebox in our game room!

[wallasky]

Great song!!!

[Stugazza]

I agree with blaggard132. These folks had great talent that plied their trade with authority with no electronic enhancement. They were very real & did not do stupid & outrageous shit.

[trailboyus66]

Some day the answer will come!

This song is a message from above sent through Mr.Ames voice.

[pheatetr]

God, I loved this song when it came out and I was only about 10 years old. I bought the 45.

[legman36]

Loved this song as a kid! My late father loved it too!!! Thanks for the memories.

[jojoboy1962]

I was mesmerized by this song when I was a kid. I can still remember starring at the old 45 rpm label as it spun. 'A BLAST FROM THE PAST'. Singers and musicians of this breed no longer exists. 'Replaced by Technology'

[primetimeforme]

I'd give anything to return to the 60's compared to what this world is today.

[brenneslechatea]

I am with you - except for the war of course.

[jackdevisser]

I like this song very much. It is sung beautifully, very melodic and expressing the lyric throughout the song so good. The themes divorce, suicide, war, drugs and the bomb and the hope and quest for answers that man faces. I translated it to dutch for fun which was interesting to do. In the book "successful lyric writing" by Sheila Davis this song is mentioned in relation to "blowing in the wind". When McCartney heard this song he wrote in respons "Let it be". A song with a nice structure.

[paulsboroman]

As a gay teenager at the time this song came out, I had a great deal of difficulty understanding the hatred I saw in the world. So two lines really struck me when I first listened to the lyrics: "and if a secret button's pressed because one man has been out-guessed."....and...."if the mind is baffled when the rules don't fit the game." Hearing these words again still gives a little chillful reminder of childhood fears, but as with then, I still consider it a beautiful song.

[AJMWriter]

That's a beautiful thought, and I totally agree. There's a lot of hope in this song, but there are some chilling reminders. Thank you so much for sharing your personal insight. =)

[dicarlo57]

maybe you should sit down and smoke a joint....

[paulsboroman]

got one?

[blaggard132]

I totally agree with Veovis 15 most singers today are too busy with vocal "Gymnastics"and no real talent. I remember this song from my childhood it got alot of airplay on WNEW AM Im not a religious guy but you must admit the song is moving.

[hajune]

He is amazing. Still is great in his 80's!

[Veovis15]

Why doesn't anyone record songs like this anymore? Great lyrics, great tune, great arrangement, great performance by someone who can really sing. I love how his voice builds toward the climax, too. I miss the '60s.

[orygun15]

Ed Ames played "Mingo" on the TV series, " Daniel Boone".

[zitlight73]

"and if a secret button's pressed because some man has been out-guessed." Chilling words now just like they were forty years ago.

[ChristineTheHippie]

@zitlight73 Many songs written as protests song like this one still are very relevant today.

[Mulonguissi]

Great Song. First hearing. the great Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias often quote this song. It has inspired him in following Jesus

[kinseymilkbone]

This was my favorite song when I was 10. I was a pretentious little kid.

[SeaMan1948]

Yes, I do remember this song and the impact it had on me and many others who were in country at the time. It seemed to us that the song was talking to us, and perhaps it was. Vietnam had been a festering sore on the country for many years by then although some people back home seemed unaware.

[SpecchioDellaNotte]

A great song!! As you may know, or maybe not, this song is a kind of translation from a song from a Spanish-Phillipine songwrite and singer named Luis Eduardo Aute (The original title is Aleluya No. 1). The leyend says that when Paul Mccartney heard this song, he decided to write "Let it be" as a response to this song. Enjoy!!! Thanks for adding such good songs in youtube!! =) Regards from Mexico!!

[BigLisaFan]

I remember this song and haven't heard it for over 25 years! When we destroy ourselves and our planet, no one will be left behind to answer one qustion...Why?

[smerdley]

I've never forgotten this classic song, particularly the part about the man on a ledge with the crowd yelling "Go, man! Go!"

Ed Ames is a Native American,and the song has a very Native American cadence to it, like "Indian chanting". Love it.

[greennleafy]

i kinda wondered about this so i checked with the magical wikipedia. it sez, "Ames was born in Malden, Massachusetts to Russian Jewish immigrant parents." just a little fyi. powerful voice, no?

[smerdley]

I assumed he was Native American because he played an Indian on NBC's "Daniel Boone" TV series, and because he was in a visual blooper on the Johnny Carson Show, in which he threw a tomahawk at a target in the shape of a man, and it landed right in the crotch and stood straight out, like a boner. That clip is on YouTube, btw.I loved "Who Will Answer?" because I've always been a sucker for morbid "socially revelant" songs. Allegedly,it was based on an actual incident about a suicide jumper.

[greennleafy]

yeah, for a long time i thought the same thing, but i vaguely remembered someone saying long ago that he's not native american so when i saw your post, i checked. besides, let's face it, his beautiful dark features and that tv role contributed strongly to the idea. i saw the carson thing a few months ago. ::shiver:: unnerving. i like "who will answer" more for the way he sings it than its social relevance. my favorite is "my cup runneth over". i'm pretty sure he was singing that to me :o)

[StuffedAnimalAdvisor]

I think Ed Ames also played Tonto from The Lone Ranger

The always thought this song was pretty moving.

[smerdley]

Nope--Tonto was the legendary Amercian Indian, Jay Silverheels.

[BigLisaFan]

Wasn't Jay Silverheels from Brantford, Canada? Either way, it wasn't Ed Ames although he as Chingacouk (?) from Daniel Boone.

[Inquisitor53]

BLF:

No, Ed Ames played the part of a Cherokee named "Mingo".

[BigLisaFan]

@Inquisitor53 Well, it's been many years and my memory a bit dim as a result but thank you for the update.

[eirelavnaoj]

Sorrrt ,he was a Canadian!

[ZaftigWoman]

The actor who played Tonto was Jay Silverheels.

[eirelavnaoj]

Wrong! but it's OK to be wrong!

[breje]

Actually Ed Ames, is NOT a Native American, but has played one on many occasions due to his handsome looks and dark complection, He was born to Russian Jewish parents, Wikipidia gives a great bio. But I always thought he was too. Still wonderful man and beautiful voice.

[OneSingleStar]

I believe that cadence is called 'Gregorian chant'. When I was a child, most of the Catholic mass was done that way.

I have always loved this song. The lyrics are incredibly deep and the vocals are phenomenal. Thanks to the person who posted it and the many people whose comments have expanded my understanding of it. I had always seen it as a question of faith as in Who will answer our prayers but the social issue of Who will answer for the crimes of humanity had somehow eluded me.

[barrygioportmorien1]

Great song, great lyrics, delivered by a great singer, and I agree a very underrated song.

[nov055]

This is the song of now.

[nov055]

Who answer to the bad in the world.

[jsbach15]

This song use to play on local AM radio stations all the time back in the Mid-West. It was really a protest song against the Viet Nam war. I bought the album! POWERFUL STUFF!

[GradyPhilpott]

This song is does not reference Vietnam specifically and deals with many social and spiritual issues that not only were prevalent in the day that the song was released, but that have confronted man since the advent of our species. To call "Who will Answer" a mere protest song, does it a great injustice.

[johno934]

it was a protest against war period, and the cheerleaders who keep us in those wars and the excalating of those wars

[GradyPhilpott]

For the concrete thinker, I suppose you're correct, but for those who employ higher functions, it has a much deeper meaning than what you suggest. The song does address war, among other things, but as I said, to call the song a mere protest song does it a great injustice.

[acrista167]

Boy, I wish there was a karaoke track for this song? Anyone know of one?

[laurie1597]

I real love this song thanks for posting it

[tigerssixty]

So powerfull and hauntingly unforgettable!

Added it early to my collection.

[johno934]

never heard this song during the vietnam war

[Travers54]

Excellent classic and timely reminded of how far we have moved from God.I pray that a spirit of true repentance and revival will swept our land and that all people will bow their knee in prayer and be humble before the God and Father of our lord Jesus the Christ.

[BigIronOnHipMan]

I always loved "Melody D'Amour"..."Try To Remember" and "My Cup Runneth Over" by Ed Ames and The Ames Brothers. But sometime around my Wayne Valley High School [NJ] graduation in 1968 I bought the 45RPM "WHO WILL ANSWER" on KAPP by~~The Hesitations~~ Maaaan, you wanna hear a record that will drop your jaw in amazement..go check out that cut...it is unequivocally AWESOME!

[rhdegange]

I too bought the 45 in '68, (I was in 7th grade) and got hooked on Ed. Do you remember the flip side? "My Love is Gone from Me" I loved both songs

[juanita36]

Very interesting words to this song and of course Ed is the grestest!!Thank you for posting.

[lenbenhear]

Thank you for sharing this great classic. It retains its haunting lyric, ... one of the most powerful lyric-poems ever put to music. If the bible and the signs of the times are to be believed: the apocalypse is not very far distant! ... Manunkind without GOD or Christ is a disaster waiting to happen.(!)

[rotcchick4u2]

This, too, was one of my favorite, if not THE FAVORITE, Ed Ames' song. It was written by Sheila Davis and David Aute, if memory serves me. To me, the song is equally as penetrating as Ed Ames voice.....and with that in mind, It's IMPOSSIBLE To ELABORATE ON PERFECTION!

[huskyjerk]

I loved this song when it was originally released and still love it today. The perfect voice to sing it, too!

[MNBluestater]

This was a protest song of the Vietnam war. It is still as pertinent today for those who make decisions to send our young people to war. Will they answer for their deeds?

[stadalberts]

Well, we can ignore what goes on in the world around us, and then one day we will wake up and we will have terrorists on our doorstep....oh wait, that was 9/11. That must be the reason we are fighting a war so it does not happen again on our soil. God bless America!

[MNBluestater]

Well, doh, it was a protest song about the Vietnam war. It was sad in 1968 and is today in the environment of the Iraq war.

[redrick2030]

Yeah it's so sad that we did something positive by liberating people from an oppressive dictator. Who will answer when the world needs help ? The greatest, most generous nation on earth, the USA!!!

[tubetrekker30]

Who will answer in other countries to liberate us from Bush and the Neocons?

[ToriandGpops]

Maybe in your case, it will be the radicals in Iran. Please take a one way flight there ASAP. I'm sure they could use you for propaganda purposes. Of course you may want to live under strict guidelines, then that is the place for you.

[tubetrekker30]

ToriandGpops, I've traveled to Muslim countries. You've been scammed if you're that afraid of them. And I was a woman traveling alone. They fight us now because partly because they're afraid of this cowboy president. PLEASE vote for a smart one next time ... one who knows about the world.

[Helismoke]

Tubetrekker: you travelled alone in Saudi? Or UAE? Or Kuwait? Bull pucky!! I lived in Muslim countries for 13 years and our wives had to travel with Government approved drivers to accompany them or they would be arrested... and I worked for the royal family and the US Gov. You only travelled in a country like Indonesia or Malaysia that puts up with tourists......

[zitlight73]

But the Saudis are our friends remember even if 14 of the 911 came from there. Saddam Hussian may have been a prick but he guaranteed a college education for all Iraqis even women. He even had Christians in his cabinet. Try wearing a crucifix or Star of David in Saudi Arabia, see how fast you get stomped by their religious police

[Helismoke]

I completely agree with you, one of our pilots was arrested for carrying 2 bibles, more than one means you're a missionary!

And the Army had to have the crosses removed from the Medevac choppers,one of the units refused because and said "We're fighting for you, they stay on!"....The Saudis backed down.

I think tubetrekker is talking about Israel (I lived Tel Aviv, too great!)or Lebanon, certainly not the average Muslim country where Sharia is the rule....

[redrick2030]

I remember this as a small child in the 60's. It was very creepy then, and still is now. I found Ed Ames Greatest Hits in a junk shop in Boston a couple years ago. It was great to finally get a copy of this.

[1964inahlee1968]

Ed Ames music in a junk shop??? :( I'm glad you were able to find and "rescue" him from all the rubbish per se. ;)

[barrygio1]

A great song by a great singer, It remains one of my all time favourites. very poignant.

[johno934]

beautiful song and lyrics very rellvent today

[kehefoods]

The song "Who Will Answer?" has as much relevance as it did when it charted during Christmastide 1967 at the height of the ghastly Vietnam War. Forty years later, the USA, led by the venal and duplicitous, is again immersed in an unpopular bloody foreign civil war which appears to have no forseeable end and no clear meaning. Rerelease this song.

[mrtrashcan]

I rmemember this song from 40 years ago, and still love it. And yes, as biggduck said, it is as pertinent today as ever. Thank you very much for posting it.

[bigun6605]

This was always my favorite Ed Ames song. I even have the old album above. The back cover says this was originally a Sheila Gilbert poem. Anybody have any other info? Thanks.

[debstp63]

I grew up with this stuff! I looked and found on utube. I can't believe that there are still some people out there that still remember this like me.

[Johnnys325]

This song is long forgotten and VERY underrated.I love this!!!!

[lenbenhear]

On of the most under-rated songs of all time. yes. I agree.

[biggduck]

Thanks for posting, I feel this is has even more meaning today than when I first heard it. And still the question is WHO WILL ANSWER ?