Volunteers (song)

"Volunteers" is a Jefferson Airplane single from 1969 that was released to promote the album Volunteers two months before the album's release. It was written by Marty Balin and Paul Kantner. Balin was woken up by a truck one morning, which happened to be a truck with Volunteers of America painted on the side.^[2] Marty started writing lyrics down and then asked Paul to help him with the music.

"Volunteers"
Single by Jefferson Airplane
from the album Volunteers
B-side	"We Can Be Together"
Released	October 1969 (1969-10)
Recorded	April 1969
Studio	Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, California
Genre	Hard rock[1]
Length	2:03
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Marty Balin Paul Kantner
Producer(s)	Al Schmitt
Jefferson Airplane singles chronology
"Plastic Fantastic Lover" (1969) "Volunteers" (1969) "Mexico" (1970)

Record World called it "an instant smash."^[3]

Chart performance

Chart (1969-70)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[4]	65

B-Side "We Can Be Together"

"We Can Be Together" is the B-side of the "Volunteers" 45 and the first track on Volunteers. The song's music and lyrics were written by Paul Kantner. Kantner was inspired by the Black Panther Party's use of the phrase "Up against the wall, motherfucker" and included it in the chorus.^[2] The Airplane performed "We Can Be Together" uncensored on The Dick Cavett Show on August 19, 1969.

While the word "motherfucker" was indeed sung and not censored on the 45, it was mixed lower in the mix as compared to the LP mix, which had no volume manipulation and presented the song "un-buried".

Personnel

• Grace Slick – piano, vocals
• Marty Balin – guitar, lead vocals
• Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals
• Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar
• Jack Casady – bass
• Spencer Dryden – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Nicky Hopkins – piano

Cover versions

• Balin released a new version on his 1991 solo album, Better Generation.^[5]

Notes

1. Greenwald, Matthew. "Volunteers by Jefferson Airplane - Track Info | AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
2. Tamarakin, Jeff (2003). Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-03403-0.
3. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. October 25, 1969. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 429.
5. "Marty Balin, Better Generation". AllMusic. Retrieved November 25, 2016.