A soulful song by Billy Preston that was produced by his friend George Harrison. It was released in 1969 on Apple Records. This song had an ALL-STAR band backing it. George told Preston he would “invite some of his friends” over. Billy had no idea those friends were Eric Clapton on guitar, Keith Richards on bass, and Ginger Baker on drums. That alone makes the song worth listening to. Also, the backup vocals were done by Doris Troy and Madeline Bell.
This song peaked at #62 on the Billboard 100 Charts, #61 in Canada, and #11 in the UK in 1969.
Preston was good friends with the Beatles…playing on the Let It Be album and the Get Back film. They signed him to Apple Records after getting him out of his contract with Capitol Records. He ended up with 5 top 5 hits including 2 number 1’s. He also toured with the Rolling Stones throughout the seventies.
The album was called That’s the Way God Planned It and it peaked also at #62 in the Billboard Album Charts. Critic David Fricke said: “Preston would have bigger hits in the Seventies but never make a better one than this album’s rapturous title track … The rest of the album is solid church-infused soul, with Preston covering both Bob Dylan and W.C. Handy.”
In 1979, after a few years without a hit, he would hit the charts again with Syreeta Wright on the ballad “With You I’m Born Again.” Preston suffered from kidney disease in his later years and would pass away on June 6, 2006.
Billy Preston: “I first met [them] in Hamburg in 1962, I was backing Little Richard and they were just one of 14 other groups. They used to dedicate ‘Taste Of Honey’ and ‘Love Me Do’ to me and they were the only group I bothered to watch.”
That’s The Way God Planned It
Why can’t we be humbleLike the good Lord saidHe promised to exalt usFor love is the way
How men be so greedyWhen there’s so much leftAll things are God givenAnd they all have been blessed
That’s the way God planned itThat’s the way God wants it to be, didn’t HeWell, that’s the way God planned itThat’s the way God wants it to be, for you and meYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Let not your heart be troubledLet mourning sobbing ceaseLearn to help one anotherAnd live in perfect peace
If we just be humbleLike the good Lord saidHe promised to exalt usFor love is the way
That’s the way God planned itThat’s the way God wants it to be, doesn’t HeYou better believe meThat’s the way God planned itThat’s the way God wants it to be, for you and meYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
That’s the way, alrightCome on, come on, come on
I hope you get this messageAnd where you won’t others willYou don’t understand meBut I’ll love you still
That’s the way God planned itThat’s the way God wants it to beYou better believe meThat’s the way God planned itThat’s the way God wants, He wants it to be
That’s the way God planned itThat’s the way God wants it to beYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahThat’s the way God planned itThat’s the way God wants it to beOh, yeah
…
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 
Billy Preston was really good at doing simple songs.
LikeLiked by 2 people
he really had all the right friends! But he also had a load of talent and from what we see in ‘Get Back’, the ability to really brighten up any room.
LikeLiked by 4 people
He was an inspiring guy to be around from all reports. He could do it all.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Have to admit I don’t know much of his stuff , beyond the hits and his relationship with The Beatles. Clearly he was able to do things on keyboard others could not.
LikeLike
If “All Things Must Pass” didn’t fully bring George Harrison out of the shadow of Lennon/McCartney, the Concert for Bangladesh surely did. (I know, the post is about Billy Preston, but that concert clip brought it all back.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Billy Preston and The Beatles go together especially in that time period… Let It Be, Apple Records, and playing with George. This one shows off his soulful voice.
LikeLike
Seeing Billy Preston dancing around like he was at the end of the live version is one of my favorite scenes ever. Billy was never shy about his faith or expressing it, one of the many reasons I loved him so.
And yes, the Concert for Bangladesh put George front and center. I think he was 28 when he arranged all that.
LikeLike
This only got to number 14 on our charts- I’d have thought it was a top ten- again I wuz wrong. Lots of friends helped out, and Ms Troy and Ms Bell are as good a back-up duo as anyone could wish for. Another one I’d half-forgotten, so thanks Max.
LikeLike
What a backing band! Wonder if Keef knew he was playing only 4 strings back then?? lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a great song, I love it! Until I watched the Peter Jackson documentary, I didn’t fully realize what tremendous impact Billy Preston had during the “Let It Be” sessions. He really came in at the right moment to brighten up what had become a pretty grim atmosphere!
LikeLike
I was fascinated with the live performance. Of course they overdo the chorus when the verses are better, but that’s to be expected.
LikeLiked by 1 person