‘Something in the Air’ is a song by English rock band Thunderclap Newman, written by Speedy Keen who also sang the song. It was a No. 1 single for three weeks in the UK Singles Chart in July 1969. The song has been used for films, television and adverts, and has been covered by several artists. The track was also included on Thunderclap Newman's only album release Hollywood Dream over a year later.
The single reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart just three weeks after release, holding off Elvis Presley in the process. The scale of the song's success surprised everyone, and there were no plans to promote Thunderclap Newman with live performances. Eventually a line-up—augmented by Jim Pitman-Avory on bass and McCulloch's elder brother Jack on drums—played a handful of gigs.
In 1969, Pete Townshend, The Who's guitarist, was the catalyst behind the formation of the band. The concept was to create a band to perform songs written by drummer and singer Speedy Keen, who had written ‘Armenia City in the Sky’, the first track on The Who Sell Out. Townshend recruited jazz pianist Andy "Thunderclap" Newman (a friend from art college), and 15-year-old guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, who later played lead guitar in Paul McCartney and Wings. Keen played the drums and sang the lead.
Townshend produced the single, arranged the strings, and played bass under the pseudonym Bijou Drains. Originally titled ‘Revolution’ but later renamed to avoid confusion with the Beatles' 1968 song of the same name, ‘Something in the Air’ captured post-flower power rebellion, combining McCulloch's acoustic and electric guitars, Keen's drumming and falsetto vocals, and Newman's piano solo.
The single reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart just three weeks after release, holding off Elvis Presley in the process. The scale of the song's success surprised everyone, and there were no plans to promote Thunderclap Newman with live performances. Eventually a line-up—augmented by Jim Pitman-Avory on bass and McCulloch's elder brother Jack on drums—played a handful of gigs.
Label – TrackSongwriter – Speedy Keen
Producer – Pete Townshend
SONG LYRICS
[Instrumental Intro][Verse 1]
Call out the instigators
Because there's something in the air
We got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here
And you know it's right
And you know that it's right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 2]
Lock up the streets and houses
Because there's something in the air
We got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here,
And you know it's right
And you know that it's right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now
[Instrumental Bridge]
[Verse 3]
Hand out the arms and ammo
We're gonna blast our way through here
We got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here
And you know it's right
And you know that it's right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now