Overview
"Amen" is a traditional gospel song that was popularized by The Impressions with their 1964 version. It was first recorded by the Wings Over Jordan Choir in June 1948, and released by them in January 1949.
Background
The song was arranged by Jester Hairston, for the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field (1963), which popularized the song. Curtis Mayfield said "I'd gone to see 'Lilies of the Field,' and the song in it, 'Amen', was very inspiring for me as was the movie . . . Of course, I'd decided to do a version of it. We put it together in the studio starting off with a musical 'swing low sweet chariot', and then we fell into that particular song with somewhat of a marching rhythm." The song was the first band's hit that Mayfield did not write. Mayfield inserted the title of the song "Keep on Pushing", which was recorded by The Impressions, in-between the lyrics of the song. The song went to no. 1 on Cashbox Magazine's R&B chart for three weeks and reached no. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1964. The B-side, "Long, Long Winter", peaked at #35 on the Cashbox R&B chart.
A new version was released by The Impressions in 1969 under the title "Amen (1970)", reaching #44 on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles chart in January 1970.
Cover version
* In 1968, Otis Redding had a posthumous hit with his version of the song, reaching #15 on the R&B chart. * Elvis Presley would often perform "Amen" as part of a medley with "I Got A Woman" in his live performances from 1971-77.