Feelin' Alright?

For the 1999 song, see Feelin' Alright (Len song). For the album by the New Riders of the Purple Sage, see Feelin' All Right.

"Feelin' Alright?"
Single by Traffic
from the album Traffic
B-side	"Withering Tree"
Released	September 1968
Recorded	1968
Genre	Funk rock [1]
Length	4:16
Label	Island United Artists
Songwriter(s)	Dave Mason
Producer(s)	Jimmy Miller
Traffic singles chronology
"No Face, No Name, No Number" (1968) "Feelin' Alright?" (1968) "Medicated Goo" (1968)

"Feelin' Alright?", also known as "Feeling Alright", is a song written by Dave Mason of the English rock band Traffic for their eponymous 1968 album Traffic . It was also released as a single, and failed to chart on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, but it did reach a bubbling under position of #123 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. ^{[2] [3]} Joe Cocker performed a more popular rendition of the song on his 1969 album With a Little Help from My Friends , that did chart in the U.S. Both Traffic's and Cocker's versions appear in the 2012 movie Flight . The song was also featured in the 2000 film Duets , sung by Huey Lewis.

Background

Dave Mason wrote "Feelin' Alright?" in Greece after leaving Traffic for the first time. ^[4] He explained, "I think I had the words first. The funny thing is, people seem to think that it’s a fun sort of song, but it’s really about unrequited love. There’s a question mark in the title. It asks, 'Are you feeling all right?' 'Actually, I’m not feeling very good at all.'" ^[4]

The song features a simple two-chord composition. Mason explained, "I had been playing sitar, so I wanted a certain sitar-like quality. It's not one chord, like a James Brown song, but it's close. The good thing was that I didn't need to do demos. Two chords I could remember." ^[4]

Mason rejoined Traffic for their second album. During the recording, producer Jimmy Miller encouraged Mason and praised the song as "fantastic." ^[4]

Traffic version credits

• Dave Mason – lead vocal, guitar
• Chris Wood – tenor saxophone, backing vocal
• Steve Winwood – piano, bass, backing vocal
• Jim Capaldi – drums, percussion, backing vocal

Joe Cocker version

"Feelin' Alright"
Single by Joe Cocker
from the album With a Little Help from My Friends
B-side	"Sandpaper Cadillac"
Released	May 1969
Recorded	1968
Genre	Blue-eyed soul
Length	4:10
Label	Regal Zonophone A&M
Songwriter(s)	Mason
Producer(s)	Denny Cordell
Joe Cocker USsingles chronology
"With a Little Help from My Friends" (1968) "Feelin' Alright" (1969) "Delta Lady" (1969)

Joe Cocker recorded it to lead off his debut album With a Little Help from My Friends in 1969. He also amended the title of the original from "Feelin' Alright?" to "Feeling Alright". Released as a single in 1969, it reached #69 on the US singles chart, ^[5] and #49 in Canada. ^[6] In a 1972 re-release, it reached even higher to #33 on the same chart, ^[7] and #35 in Canada. ^[8] A live version was included in his double album Mad Dogs & Englishmen of 1970. Cocker performed a 'duet' of this song with John Belushi imitating Cocker on the third episode of Saturday Night Live's second season, which aired on October 2, 1976. Cocker also performed the song with Huey Lewis on Jimmy Kimmel Live! , which aired on 19 July 2012.

Joe Cocker version credits

• Joe Cocker – vocals
• Artie Butler – piano
• David Bennett Cohen – guitar
• Carol Kaye – bass
• Paul Humphrey – drums
• Laudir de Oliveira – percussion
• Merry Clayton, Brenda Holloway, Patrice Holloway – backing vocals

Other versions

It has also been recorded by: ^[9]

• 1969 - Three Dog Night (as the B-side to "Celebrate" on their album Suitable for Framing ), Rare Earth (on their album Get Ready ), David Ruffin (on his album Feelin' Good), and Rustix (on their album Bedlam). Mongo Santamaría released a cover from his album Feelin' Alright on Atlantic Records in November 1969; his version titled "Feeling Alright" reached #95 on the US Billboard Hot 100. ^[10]
• 1970 - Lulu (from her album New Routes ), Lou Rawls (from his album You've Made Me So Very Happy), Chairmen of the Board (from their album The Chairmen of the Board ), Hubert Laws (from his album Crying Song) and The 5th Dimension (from their album Portrait ).
• 1971 - Gladys Knight & the Pips (from their album If I Were Your Woman ), The Jackson 5 with lead vocals by Jermaine, Marlon, Michael and Jackie Jackson on their soundtrack album Goin' Back to Indiana . Later that year, they recorded the song again with Diana Ross in a medley with "I'll Be There" for her soundtrack album Diana! ^[11] Other covers that year included versions by Wade Marcus (on his album A New Era), Maceo Parker with his band All the King's Men (on their album Funky Music Machine) and Jr. Walker & the All Stars (on their album Rainbow Funk).
• 1971 - Grand Funk Railroad released it in May 1971 as "Feelin' Alright," which reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. ^[12] It was included in the band's 1971 album Survival .
• 1972 - Dave Mason on the album Headkeeper .
• 1973 - Dave Mason on his live album Dave Mason Is Alive , Isaac Hayes (on his album Live at the Sahara Tahoe ), The Undisputed Truth (on their album Law of the Land ), and Mother's Finest (from their album Mother's Finest ).
• 1975 - The Mexican psychedelic funk Evolución recorded a version for their self-titled only album. ^[13]
• 1978 - The Bar-Kays from their album Money Talks .
• 1985 - A Little Milton recording from 1970 released on the album The Checker Days 1961-1970. ^[9]
• 1992 - Paul Weller on the Above the Clouds EP in 1992. ^[14]
• 1992 - Alex Désert sang a version on the soundtrack for the television show The Heights . ^[15]
• 1994 - Kate Ceberano recorded a version for her 1994 album, Kate Ceberano and Friends .
• 1997 - Craig Chaquiço (guitarist) in the album Once in a Blue Universe. ^{[16] [17]}
• 2001 - Juliette Lewis for the closing song in the movie Picture Claire . ^[18]
• 2003 - Gail Ann Dorsey on the album Rude Blue. ^[19]
• 2006 - Ohio Players as a bonus track on the reissue of the 1972 album Pain . ^[20]
• 2010 - Nuno Mindelis on the album Free Blues.
• 2016 - Lauren Bush on the album All My Treasures.
• 2017 - Alice Fredenham on the album Under The Covers.
• 2020 - Dave Mason and the Quarantines in a COVID-19 pandemic release (featuring Mick Fleetwood, Sammy Hagar, Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons, John McFee and Tom Johnston).
• 2022 - Elle King on the soundtrack of DreamWorks Animation's film The Bad Guys .

Other artists who released their covers are Freddie King, Widespread Panic and The Black Crowes. A steel drum version by Trinidad Oil Company was reissued on the dancefloor jazz compilation Blue Juice 2.

References

1. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 5, 1968. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
2. Traffic, "Feelin' Alright?" Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
3. "Traffic – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
4. Bosso, Joe (2021-01-25). "How Traffic's Dave Mason Wrote "Feelin' Alright?"". Guitar Player. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
5. Joe Cocker, "Feeling Alright" 1969 Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
6. "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 21, 1969" (PDF).
7. Joe Cocker, "Feeling Alright" 1972 Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
8. "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 26, 1972" (PDF).
9. "Original versions of Feelin' Alright written by Dave Mason". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
10. Mongo Santamaría, "Feeling Alright" Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
11. "Jackson 5 & Diana Ross | Feelin' Alright (1971)". Jackson5abc.com. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
12. Grand Funk Railroad, "Feelin' Alright" Chart Position Retrieved 20 March 2015
13. Vlada Lemmy (2014-06-28). Evolución - Feeling Alright [1975 Mexico] . Retrieved 2025-01-08– via YouTube.
14. "Paul Weller - Above The Clouds (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 28 September 1992. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
15. "The Heights – Music From The Television Show "The Heights"". discogs.com. Discogs. Archived from the original on 2025-02-28. Retrieved 27 Feb 2025.
16. "Once in a Blue Universe overview". Allmusic.com . Retrieved 14 July 2010.
17. "New Age - November '97 - Winter Solstice VI". Music-Reviewer.com. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
18. "Picture Claire (2001) - IMDb". IMDb .
19. "Rude Blue - Gail Ann Dorsey | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
20. "Ohio Players - Pain (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 25 November 2013.