“A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy”
Song by Ray Charles
Ray Charles recorded the topical reggae-styled song “A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy” on his 1978 album Love And Peace, but it first appeared months earlier as the B-side to the “Game Number Nine” single.
“A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy”, with its awkward title, was written by Ray’s cohorts Joel Webster, his Atlantic labelmate, and Mable John, a former Raelet. Over a funky groove and some subtle synthesizers, several multi-tracked Ray voices sing, preach, and mutter the song’s simplistic pleas for peace.
Native Georgian Ray had had a smash hit with “Georgia On My Mind” in 1960, and in 1979 it would become the state song. At the time of “A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy”, fellow Peach Stater Jimmy Carter was President, and while he isn’t mentioned by name, his presence in the White House must have been in the back of Webster and John’s minds, for the word “president” is mentioned twice in the lyrics.
The bad old days of Nixon (and by extension Ford) are unsentimentally swept aside in the hopes that new leadership might bring a brighter future:
Now that we’ve finished changing Presidents
Now that they’ve finished changing residence
And don’t ya come back no more no more!
The problems that needed to be solved are listed explicitly in the lyrics – inflation, the energy crisis, war in the Middle East, though no suggestions or answers are given. Just “fix it please!”
Musically, the mid-tempo reggae of “A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy” is propped up by simple, paint-peeling saxophone notes, while synthetic-sounding trumpets soar over the top to help broaden the song’s scope.
Twice, “A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy” suddenly devolves into a weird, waltz-time breakdown, where the chorus of random Rays all hold forth at once, testifying individually to the righteousness of the song’s message but coming across as a motley collection of voices wholly detached from one another. It’s an unusual effect for a Ray Charles song, and the atonally torpid tone of these sections make them stranger still.
Ray’s singing gets the job done on “A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy”, but just. There is a tentative quality to his vocals, and it isn’t clear why he chose to do it this way. There are some moments of anger and petulance, but they feel thrown-in. Maybe the bleary, disconnected groove of reggae music influenced him to hold back and let the music do some of the communication.
Overall, “A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy” is a fun and somewhat odd highlight from the oft-maligned but rewarding Love And Peace album. There is plenty of life in it to satisfy the open-minded Ray fan and get the toe tapping and the hips swaying.
Single releases
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Songs on Love And Peace