Going Back to My Roots


"Going Back to My Roots" is a 1977 song by Lamont Dozier. A cover version of "Going Back to My Roots" by the British-American band Odyssey was the most successful in music charts, particularly in European countries, besides reaching number one in South Africa. Cover versions by FPI Project and Linda Clifford have also entered the UK Singles Chart, with FPI Project's version charting in other European markets as well.
Originally an album track discussing genealogy, the song was written for the African-American market and touches on the matters of self-identity, family, and soul fulfillment. It has appeared on assorted compilation albums.

Background

The song was written and first recorded by Lamont Dozier for his 1977 LP Peddlin' Music on the Side. It was produced by Stewart Levine and features additional production from Hugh Masekela and Rik Pekkonen.
It has widely been seen as covering the same subject matter as the bestselling Alex Haley novel Roots: [The Saga of an American Family|Roots] that depicts a modern-day African-American tracing his ancestry back, via the slave trade, to a village in The Gambia. This is supported by the extended final section, which moves into Afrobeat and Yoruba chanting. Yet in an interview with Blues & Soul magazine in 1977, Dozier stated otherwise: “The song was inspired by the fact that I have my ‘roots’ in Detroit and when I moved to Los Angeles, a few years ago, I found myself taking trips to Detroit to see my family and so on.”

Richie Havens version

An early cover version was recorded by Richie Havens in 1980. Unusually for folk musician Havens, it incorporated disco influences; this version was later sampled in FPI Project's version of the song and in "Destiny and Tenacity" on the Kleptones' 2010 album Uptime / Downtime.

Odyssey version

disco group Odyssey released a cover version of this song in 1981. It charted at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, spending six weeks in the top ten, followed by another remaining six weeks on the chart. It also graced the US Billboard R&B Singles chart at No. 68. In South Africa, "Going Back to My Roots" reached No. 1.
This version of the song appears on the Ashes to Ashes: Series 2 Original Soundtrack and was also danced to by Patsy Palmer and Anton du Beke on the third series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Charts

FPI Project version

In 1989, a version was released by FPI Project, a trio consisting of Marco Fratty, Corrado Presti and Roberto Intrallazzi who, according to John Bush of AllMusic introduced Italo house to the world in the early 1990s. "Going Back to My Roots" features the vocals of English actress/singer Sharon D. Clarke and uses "Rich in Paradise" as its backing track. "Rich in Paradise" samples Richie Havens' version of "Going Back to My Roots", as well as T99's "Too Nice to Be Real", Honesty 69's "Rich in Paradise", and the Yeah! Woo! loop.
"Going Back to My Roots" / "Rich in Paradise" has charted on two separate occasions in the UK, the first in 1989 at No. 9, and a 1999 release of new mixes on the 99 North label at No. 96. The 1989 version also charted at No. 5 in Germany, No. 5 in Austria Top 40|Austria] and No. 10 in Switzerland.
Another version, by Nick Hussey featuring Barry Stewart on vocals, made No.12 on the UK Dance Chart in 1994.
The song appears on the compilation album Deep Heat 5 – Feed the Fever.

Track listings

Original release

7": EMI / 06 2037567
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 4:10
  2. "Salsa in Paradise" – 4:00
7": On the Beat / OTB 1385-0
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 4:10
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 3:35
7": On the Beat / OTB 1385-7
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 4:02
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 3:35
7": ZYX / ZYX 6256-7
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 3:40
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 3:38
7": Rumour / RUMA 9
  1. "Going Back to My Roots"
  2. "Rich in Paradise"
7": Rumour / RUMAS 9
  1. "Going Back to My Roots"
  2. "Rich in Paradise"
12": Paradise Project / MIX 001
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:48
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:28
  3. "Piano in Paradise" – 1:42
12": Paradise Project / MIX 002
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:50
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:28
  3. "Piano in Paradise" – 1:42
  4. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:05
  5. "Salsa in Paradise" – 5:00
  6. "Going Back to My Roots" – 3:15
12": On the Beat / OTB 1385-6
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:30
  2. "Going Back to My Roots" – 3:40
  3. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:30
  4. "Rich in Paradise" – 3:36
12" & CD: ZYX / ZYX 6256-12
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:25
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:25
  3. "Piano Paradise" – 1:40
12" & CD: ZYX / ZYX 6256R-12
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:05
  2. "Salsa in Paradise" – 5:00
  3. "Going Back to My Roots" – 3:15
12" & CD: ZYX / ZYX 6290-12
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:50
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:30
  3. "Going Back to My Roots" – 3:15
12" Rumour / RUMAT 9
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:30
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:30
  3. "Piano Paradise" – 1:38
12": Rumour / RUMAX 9
  1. "Going Back to My Roots"
  2. "Rich in Paradise"
  3. "Going Back to My Roots"
  4. "Salsa in Paradise"

    Later releases

12": 99 North / 99 NTH 17
  1. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 6:45
  2. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 6:46
  3. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 5:16
12": 99 North / 99 NTH 17R
  1. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 6:44
  2. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 5:40
  3. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 5:50
CD: 99 North / CD NTH 17
  1. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 3:30
  2. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 7:56
  3. "Rich in Paradise / Going Back to My Roots" – 5:50
12": Simple Vinyl / S12DJ096
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:50
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:30
  3. "Piano in Paradise" – 1:40
12": Simple Vinyl / S12DJ096
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 5:50
  2. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:26
  3. "Going Back to My Roots" – 8:03
  4. "Going Back to My Roots" – 6:22
12": J / JV 003
  1. "Going Back to My Roots" – 6:23
  2. "Going Back to My Roots" – 4:38
  3. "Rich in Paradise" – 4:35
Digital: In the Music / ITM 061
  1. "Rich in Paradise " – 5:51
  2. "Rich in Paradise " – 3:16
  3. "Rich in Paradise " – 5:08
  4. "Rich in Paradise " – 5:27
  5. "Rich in Paradise" – 5:27
  6. "Salsa in Paradise" – 5:00
  7. "Rich in Paradise " – 4:47
  8. "Rich in Paradise " – 5:07
  9. "Piano in Paradise" – 1:40
Digital: Snatch! / SNATCH114
  1. "Rich in Paradise " – 8:37
  2. "Rich in Paradise " – 6:39
Digital: Just Entertainment / JD 1085
  1. "Rich in Paradise " – 6:29
  2. "Rich in Paradise " – 5:25

    Charts

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
UK Singles 12

Year-end charts

Linda Clifford version

The song was covered by Linda Clifford in 2002 which charted for a single week at No. 85 on the UK Singles Chart.