Let's Go Get Stoned

The Story of "Let's Go Get Stoned" by Ray Charles

Picture American music in 1966, a year when soul was reaching new heights of sophistication and one of its founding fathers was still very much in his prime. Ray Charles had already revolutionized popular music, fusing gospel, blues, country, and jazz into something entirely his own, and his influence was woven into the fabric of the era's sound. This single found the great innovator in a soulful, slightly rueful mood, delivering a song about seeking comfort from life's troubles with all the warmth and authority that made him a legend.

A Founding Father of Soul

By 1966, Ray Charles was already one of the most important and influential figures in American music history. Ray Charles was a pioneering force who helped create soul music, blending the sacred sounds of gospel with the earthy feeling of the blues to forge a revolutionary new style. His genius spanned genres, and his recordings had reshaped the possibilities of popular music. By the mid-1960s he was an established giant, a celebrated artist whose voice and piano were instantly recognizable. This single found him doing what he did best, bringing genuine soul and emotional depth to a song about coping with hardship.

A Soulful Take on Hard Times

This single carried the rich, gospel-tinged soul that defined Charles's work, built around his expressive vocal and the warm, organic textures of his band and backing singers. The song addressed the very human impulse to seek relief from life's burdens, framed in the language of soul. The song was written by the songwriting team of Ashford and Simpson along with Josephine Armstead, a credit that connected the record to some of the era's finest soul writers. The arrangement balanced sorrow with a certain wry resilience, capturing the way Charles could find both pain and a knowing humor in a difficult situation. His voice carried decades of lived feeling, the kind of weathered authority that no younger singer could fake. Every phrase felt rooted in real experience, the sound of a man who had known hard times and learned to sing his way through them. That authenticity was the gift Charles brought to everything he recorded, and it gave even a song about escape a deep, abiding humanity.

A Strong Run on the Chart

The single found genuine success on the national chart. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 28, 1966, and climbed steadily through the early summer. It reached its peak position of number 31 on July 16, 1966, a solid placement, and demonstrated real staying power with a total of nine weeks on the chart. That run reflected both the enduring appeal of Charles's voice and the way the song's theme of seeking comfort resonated with listeners. It became one of his notable mid-1960s chart entries, keeping his name in rotation during a competitive era for soul music. The placement confirmed that Charles remained a vital commercial force even as a new generation of soul stars emerged around him. His ability to keep landing hits across the decade spoke to the timeless appeal of his voice and his unerring instinct for material that connected.

A Worthy Entry in a Legendary Catalog

For Charles, this single stands as a fine example of the soulful mastery that defined his unparalleled career. He would remain a towering figure in American music for decades, his influence echoing through countless artists who followed in his footsteps. This song remains a worthy showcase of his gifts, a reminder of why he was held in such reverence as a singer and interpreter. It endures as a warm, soulful, and quietly resilient highlight from one of the greatest artists popular music has ever produced.

Press play and let Ray Charles's soulful voice carry you; it is a masterclass in finding both feeling and resilience in the language of soul.

"Let's Go Get Stoned" — Ray Charles's singular moment on the 1960s charts.