| "Keep On Pushing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Impressions | ||||
| from the album Keep On Pushing | ||||
| B-side | "I Love You (Yeah)" | |||
| Released | 1964 (1964) | |||
| Recorded | 1964 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | ABC-Paramount | |||
| Songwriter | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Producer | Johnny Pate | |||
| The Impressions singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Keep On Pushing" is a 1964 single by The Impressions and was the title track of the album of the same name. The song was written by Curtis Mayfield. Originally written as a gospel song, Mayfield only changed one line, substituting "I've got my strength[3]" for "God gave me strength."
In June 2026, CBS News included the song in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.[4]
Chart history
The single became the group's sixth Top 40 single, peaking at number ten. It went to number one for two weeks on the Cash Box R&B chart.[5]
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
Use in presidential campaigns
- Decades later, the song was used as the theme to the 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address by then-Illinois State Senator Barack Obama, who endorsed U.S. Senator John Kerry for President.
- It was frequently played at rallies in the early days of the 2020 presidential campaign of Joe Biden.
Samples
- It was sampled in the 2005 song "Pushin'" by Bun B featuring Scarface and Young Jeezy, off the album Trill.[6]
See also
References
- Backus, Rob (1976). Fire Music: A Political History of Jazz (2nd ed.). Vanguard Books. ISBN 091770200X.
- Harrington, Jon (2015). "The Impressions - "People Get Ready". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 162.
- SongFacts https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-impressions/keep-on-pushing.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - "Essential American Songbook". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 272.
- "Pushin'". Who Sampled. Retrieved 12 March 2021.