Time Has Come Today
Encyclopedia
"Time Has Come Today" is a song
recorded by The Chambers Brothers
in 1966. It was then released on album in November 1967, and it spent five weeks at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100
in the fall of 1968.
This song was very much ahead of its time and used many different effects in its recording. The most notable characteristic of this work is the constant presence of the cow bell which produces a "tick-tock" sound throughout the entire song.
used all 11:06 as the backdrop to the climactic scene when Captain Robert Hyde "comes home" to an unfaithful wife in the 1978 Academy Award winning film Coming Home.
Other films it has also been used in include:
The song has also appeared on television episodes:
The song was also the title of the first episode of the third season of Grey's Anatomy
.
It was also featured in the 13-episode miniseries by Stephen King
titled Kingdom Hospital
.
A shortened version was used as a theme song for the fourth season of Early Edition
.
It is the current theme song for the PBS series American Experience
.
The song was also featured in the final mission of the video game, Homefront
, which was developed by THQ
and Kaos Studios
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
recorded by The Chambers Brothers
The Chambers Brothers
The Chambers Brothers is a soul-music group, best known for its 1968 hit record, the 11-minute long song "Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements, spawning a heady mix...
in 1966. It was then released on album in November 1967, and it spent five weeks at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the fall of 1968.
This song was very much ahead of its time and used many different effects in its recording. The most notable characteristic of this work is the constant presence of the cow bell which produces a "tick-tock" sound throughout the entire song.
Released single versions
- Original 1966 version -- Columbia 43816 -- completely different version than the common 1968 "hit version"
- 1968 "hit version" #1 -- Columbia 44414 -- 3:05 edit of the Lp version. Fades out at the beginning of the "A" chord instrumental break with no other edits within the track. There is no mention of the "The Time Has Come" album on the label.
- 1968 "hit version" #2 -- Columbia 44414 -- 4:45 edit. The beginning of the "A" chord climax is "overlapped" with the ending of the long instrumental break and reprise of the third verse. There are also several other edits within this version. The label now mentions the "The Time Has Come" album.
Cover versions
- Punk band the RamonesRamonesThe Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
recorded a cover versionCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of this song in 1983, which also was released as a single. This version is available on the band's album Subterranean JungleSubterranean JungleSubterranean Jungle is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released in February 1983 and peaked at position eighty-three on the Billboard album music chart. It was re-released on August 20th, 2002 on CD by Rhino Records."Time Bomb" featured Dee Dee's first...
. - The song was covered in much changed way by Angry SamoansAngry SamoansThe Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
and included on their 1982 album Back from SamoaBack from SamoaBack from Samoa is the second album by the American punk rock band Angry Samoans. It was initially released in 1982 on Bad Trip Records .-Track listing:# "Gas Chamber" – 1:02...
. - Mark Edwards, of My Dad Is DeadMy Dad Is DeadMy Dad Is Dead, is a recording project of musician Mark Edwards. The project began in Cleveland, Ohio in 1985. My Dad Is Dead has released eleven full-length albums on labels such as St. Valentine's, Scat Records, Homestead Records and Emperor Jones....
, released a version on Homestead Records Comp, HUMAN MUSIC, in 1989. - Joan JettJoan JettJoan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
from her album "The Hit ListThe Hit List (Joan Jett album)The Hit List is a cover album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts . The album was released in 1990. All of the tracks are covers of famous songs.-Track listing:...
" (1990). - Willy DeVilleWilly DeVilleWilly DeVille was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five year career, first with his band Mink DeVille and later on his own, Deville created original songs rooted in traditional American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary...
recorded the song for his Loup GarouLoup GarouLoup Garou is an album released in 1995 by Willy DeVille. First released in Europe in 1995 on the EastWest label, it was released the following year in the United States on the Discovery label...
album. - American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
finalist Bo BiceBo BiceHarold Elwin "Bo" Bice, Jr. is an American singer and musician who placed second to Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol. He has recorded three studio albums, including one on RCA Records...
has recently released a cover of this song. - Punk band Die' HunnsDie' HunnsDie Hunns is an American punk rock band formed in 2000 by front-man Duane Peters, of US Bombs fame. The band has featured a rotating cast of musicians with Peters as the only constant. In 2002 Peters met Corey Parks , formerly of Nashville Pussy, at a The Damned show...
covered this song as a "7 single and again on their 2004 album Long Legs, Die Hunns LP. - Lords of AltamontLords of AltamontThe Lords of Altamont are a Hard Rock/Garage/Punk/Psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles. The current lineup consists of members of The Bomboras, The Fuzztones and The Cramps. They have released 3 albums and are on the verge of releasing their 4th, "Midnight To 666", in early 2011...
covered the song on their 2005 album "Lords Have Mercy". - Steve EarleSteve EarleStephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
covered song on the SideTracks release.
In other media
The song has appeared in many films. Director Hal AshbyHal Ashby
Hal Ashby was an American film director and film editor.-Birth and early years:Born William Hal Ashby in Ogden, Utah, Ashby grew up in a Mormon household and had a tumultuous childhood as part of a dysfunctional family which included the divorce of his parents, his father's suicide and his...
used all 11:06 as the backdrop to the climactic scene when Captain Robert Hyde "comes home" to an unfaithful wife in the 1978 Academy Award winning film Coming Home.
Other films it has also been used in include:
- Babylon Pink (1979)
- Bad DreamsBad Dreams (film)-Plot:It is the mid-1970s. A sinister hippy cult called Unity Fields commits mass suicide in a horrific manner - by fire - at the behest of its psychopathic leader, Franklin Harris . Only one young woman named Cynthia survives to tell the tale...
(1988) - Casualties of WarCasualties of WarCasualties of War is a 1989 war drama directed by Brian De Palma, with a screenplay by David Rabe, based on the actual events of the incident on Hill 192 in 1966 during the Vietnam War. It starred Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn....
(1989) - The DoorsThe Doors (film)The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
(1991) - CrooklynCrooklynCrooklyn is a 1994 semi-autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, New York and the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the summer of 1973. Its primary focus is a young girl, Troy , and her family...
(1994) - Girl, InterruptedGirl, Interrupted (film)Girl, Interrupted is a 1999 drama film about a teenager's 18-month stay at a mental institution, starring Winona Ryder, Brittany Murphy, Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg and Vanessa Redgrave, with Jolie winning an Academy Award for her performance....
(1999) - Remember the TitansRemember the TitansRemember the Titans is a 2000 American sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. Inspired by real events, the plot was conceived from a screenplay written by Gregory Allen Howard. The film starts as a new coach of the Titans, a football team previously coached by the...
(2000) - Riding the BulletRiding the Bullet (film)Riding the Bullet is a 2004 horror/thriller film, directed by Mick Garris. It is an adaptation of a Stephen King novella of the same name. The movie, which received a limited theatrical release, was not successful in theaters, earning a domestic gross of $134,711.-Plot:Set in 1969, Alan Parker is...
(2004) - Edison Force (2005)
- Nearing GraceNearing GraceNearing Grace is a 2005 film directed by Rick Rosenthal, based on the novel by Scott Sommer.-Storyline:A coming-of-age independent feature film set in late 1970s, Nearing Grace follows high school senior Henry Nearing...
(2005) - The ZodiacThe Zodiac (film)The Zodiac is a 2006 American criminal psychological thriller film based on the true events associated with the Zodiac: a serial killer who was active in and around northern California in the 1960s and who has never been captured...
(2006) - Neal CassadyNeal CassadyNeal Leon Cassady was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic movement of the 1960s. He served as the model for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road....
(2007) - Talk to MeTalk to Me (2007 film)Talk To Me is a 2007 biographical film about Washington, D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist, and Dewey Hughes, his friend and manager...
(2007) - Homefront (video game)Homefront (video game)Homefront is a first-person shooter video game developed by now defunct Kaos Studios and published by THQ, in which players play as members of a resistance movement fighting against a near-future Korean military occupation of the United States. The story was written by John Milius, who co-wrote...
(2011)
The song has also appeared on television episodes:
- Theme tune used for the time-travel series Seven Days produced by UPNUPNUnited Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
from 1998–2001 - CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
– "Ellie" (2001) - SupernaturalSupernatural (TV series)Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
– "Everybody Loves a Clown" (2006) - My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
– "Monkeys in Space" (2006)
The song was also the title of the first episode of the third season of Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
.
It was also featured in the 13-episode miniseries by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
titled Kingdom Hospital
Kingdom Hospital
Kingdom Hospital is a thirteen-episode television miniseries based on Lars von Trier's The Kingdom , which was developed by horror writer Stephen King in 2004 for American television...
.
A shortened version was used as a theme song for the fourth season of Early Edition
Early Edition
Early Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
.
It is the current theme song for the PBS series American Experience
American Experience
American Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
.
The song was also featured in the final mission of the video game, Homefront
Homefront
A home front is the civilian populace of the nation at war as an active support system of its military. The term can refer to:* Home front during World War II* United States home front during World War I* United States home front during World War II...
, which was developed by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
and Kaos Studios
Kaos Studios
Kaos Studios was an American video game developer based in New York City, New York. Kaos Studios was formed in 2006 when publisher THQ hired the core members of Trauma Studios, the team behind the popular Desert Combat modification, to create a new studio based in New York City to focus on...
.