Preston, Billy - That's The Way God Planned It, Parts 1 & 2 Lyrics

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you musical perfection - as good as the versions on the Concert for Bangladesh and with the Rolling Stones - this is as good as it gets

Let it Be!

Wish we sang this at our church, St Francis, Box Hill, Australia. Love you Billy !

If you never got to see Billy Preston live you missed a great show. We saw him open for Clapton and a bunch of other bands in B'ham one day and we drove over 100 miles to see his solo show a few weeks later in a small college gym. Great energetic live performer.

Thanku for a great song Billy P.

Billy had massive talents.Check out double o soul with Ray Charles.

What a classic. It hit the charts, 50 years ago this month, July 1969.

The Fifth Beatle, talented singer, great song writer and bad azz piano and organ player. Miss him, enjoying this in 2019.

Billy was a wild dancer too.Check him with Ray Charles and also with Nat King Cole as an 11year.

Enjoying This Beautiful Music Today!

If these are the correct credits (musicians/back up singers) for this composition listed by Fernando Fontes, then who may I ask are the three individuals shown with Preston on this video? (album cover)

Takes me back half a lifetime to a Brixton UK venue where BP gave us this song. As the 5th Beatle he can't be beat n' this song is so beautiful and true I want to share it with all of you all, Billy Preston or George Martin as the 5th Beatle?! You decide and explain.

its a good song but its just so similar to let it be

Wow, Wow, Wow! I love it so much.

Billy Preston has a hell of a backup group!

lost beatle on the roof*

Yeah, and having to haul his organ up the stairs...

Madeline Bell sang on the original and she appears on this 1997 version by the SAS Band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSwyOqTRxPg

I was a fool, always wrote this song off as a silly love song judging by the title, but it actually has a very deep message.

Small segments of it sound like parts of Let it be

As a boy still living in Trinidad, W.I., this was on constant rotation on the radio and was a #1 hit in 1969. I still have the vinyl. Fantastic album of gospel, soul, rock. Very impressive.

2 thirds of Cream & half the Beatles. Not too shabby.
Follow that justin boober...

Billy Preston has been robbed I can fined the original cut from the concert for Bangladesh.

My first time hearing this. Only Billy Preston could get members of The Beatles, The Stones and Cream together to play on a gospel tune!

First for me also and I love it! Someone mentioned it on a Facebook post. We need this now more than
ever.

actually it was George Harrison who brought all the musicians together; it was his idea to offer a recording contract (at Apple) to Preston, and to make sure his investment panned out, he recruited all his friends, clapton, baker, richards, etc etc...even madeline bell and doris troy were harrison's work

lovely song

Why can't we be humble like the good Lord say? He promised to exalt us but love is the way
How men be so greedy when there's so much left? All things are God-given and they all have been blessed
That's the way God planned it that's the way God wants it to be That's the way God planned it that's the way God wants it to be
Let not your heart be troubled let mourning, sobbing cease
Learn to help one another and live in perfect peace
If we'd just be humble like the good Lord say, yeah He promised to exalt us but love is the way
That's the way God planned it that's the way God wants it to be You better believe me that's the way God planned it
I hope you get this message where you won't, others will You don't understand me but I'll love you still That's the way God planned it that's the way God wants it to be.....................

Uplifting. I needed this more than I can say today.

Doesn't anybody else think that Argents "god gave rock and roll to us" sounds a lot like this? It was done 3 or 4 years later than this! Check it out. It's even in the same key!

i l;ove the organ at 1:58 its so good

LUV this SONG

Billy Preston – vocals, piano, organ
George Harrison – electric guitar
Eric Clapton – electric guitar
Keith Richards – bass
Ginger Baker – drums
Doris Troy – backing vocals
Madeline Bell – backing vocals

Great!!!

Wow, I knew that the guitar was played by Clapton, but didn't know that the bass was done by Keith!! Thanks for the info.

baker rocks this

I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the fifth Beatle, Billy Preston.

Whats with George Martin?

John said that but is just one of many John sentences. There are a lot of "fifth beatles"

Melanie Horton maybe. I said again. A lot of time a beatle said" This x guy is the fifth beatle"

Oh shut up!

Was actually with the Stones before joining,er, 'them"...but anyway.

Can we just acknowledge how "Let It Be" this is right here.

I think they sampled it for this song. Think Paul gave permission. Don't think there was a lawsuit. I would've heard about it. And I also think My Sweet Lord sounds like He's So Fine. (No I don't. Joking.)

Brian Blum Yes they sound so much alike that there was a lawsuit and the judge agreed.

My Sweet Lord is a total rip of He's So Fine (why George was sued and lost). This has the gospel feel of Let It Be but maybe one chord change similar. Clapton should have been sued for ripping off Bell Bottom Blues from this.

One of my fav. songs of all time. Billy! Billy! Billy! We miss you. Also have to say. Have you ever noticed that at the end (Which is called Part 2, the last 2.5 minutes) Billy takes a solo, Then Eric Clapton, Then Billy Again, Then George Harrison. That's what it sounds like to me. The guitar solo's have a different tone. Plus I know George's sound. He's more melodic. Check it out. BUT, please let me know if I'm wrong. I could be. But please to threaten to kill me or anything, these message board get real ugly sometimes. God Love Billy!

Clapton on lead (Firebird I btw). Harrison plays rhythm only.

I just read that Ginger Baker plays on this track.

the way he pounds his drums automatically brings me back to Cream

Awesome😎

Some of the best plaing Clapton EVER did on this track!

In honor of Billy Preston who passed away 10 years ago on June 6, 2006. "That's The Way God Planned It." The 1969 album produced by and played on by George Harrison with e. Clapton, Keith Richards on bass, Ginger Baker drums, Doris Troy on the Beatles' label, Apple. Preston would continue to play on several ex-Beatles' albums..https://youtu.be/kFTgrFSKbkk

Yes--and dig Eric & Billy trading licks at the end. Some of the best guitar work EC ever did--we used to request this song in Ann Arbor when it came out and say give us the album version, which had the fadeout. Bet Prince (RIP) was listening up in Minneapolis too.

Clapton played on this? Makes sense - sounds like the main inspiration for Bell Bottom Blues a year later.

A very astute observation, yes!

Yes, I hear it well

Truly amazing

Trinity Jenkins Music lives on,feel !!

I love this song

Billy Preston – vocals, piano, organ, tack piano.
George Harrison – electric and acoustic guitars.
Eric Clapton – electric guitar.
Keith Richards – bass.
Ginger Baker – drums, tambourine.
Doris Troy – backing vocals
Madeline Bell – backing vocals

Amazing line up

Keith Richards on bass?? He's fucking brilliant!

Andy Hinds He played bass on lots of Stones songs too, like Sympathy, and Little T&A.

God couldn't have planned it better!

Essentially the same lineup Harrison assembled for the Doris Troy album he produced around the same time

I bought this song as a 45rpm single (Apple Records) in 1969. Then a classmate stole my records and time erased this song from my memory... What a look back!

....wow ...sad story ...

Truly one of the greats of our time ! passion and groove in its highest form :)

R.I.P., Billy.

first time I really appreciated this was at the concert for Bangladesh,loved it ever since.

You were there? I'm so jealous

Excellent!!

Big Big Hit Ever!!!!!!!

MAYOR BILLY,,,,,,,,,,,

Hilarious George Whitney!

Lovely Billy we will always be in our hearts!, He kindly performed one night in Fine Arts Palace México City and joked with us -a High School pal and me- till morning, one fine night in the mid 1970s. God Bless Him!  

I'll say it until the day I die. They don't make music like this anymore. 

@George Rother Me too, man

Right on Bro

.... also ´cause there was no digital era ... the analogue era was a melting pot of talented musicians ... with much more less nowdays all sort of distractions ...

Thats the way God planned it George

THAT'S yhe way! I once had this album. Great! Thanx for uploading :)

In college we used to sing the chorus thusly...That's the way goddammit...LOL

@George Whitney Too bad you're going to hell, maggot.

Warren Notes;
So a forgiving God always damns people to an eternity in hell for taking his name in vain?
Sorry to break this to ya, Warren, but you might as well loosen up a bit, or you’ll be literally the only human to make it to heaven since like 1990....
The Father, Son & Holy Ghost themselves ain’t even THAT freakin’ uptight....
Geez people & their stupid opinions.
That atheist guy thinks he’s got it all figured out, but he’s a moron too!
You’re both goddamn morons, & I’m sure nobody will miss either of your know-it-all, arrogant sonsabotches!
Ain’t gotta be fuckin religious to follow the golden rule ffs...
Fucking comment section, I swear to God!
Hahaha!

George Whitney;
Wow what a fucking twit!
I don’t NEED God to spot your napoleons’ complex lol!
“And I will strike down thee with great vengeance & furious anger those who attempt to poison & destroy my brothers...& you will know my name is The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you!”

Fantastic, that was music

Ginger Baker on drums. You can tell by his feel/style and the tone of his toms.

exactly , ginger, tom toms, cymbals ,

Holy Moly !! I never knew he was the drummer on this track.

Blessings for this upload… Expect HIS blessings !

His wife Patty's book says he was either chanting/meditating or all coked up for several years from the late 1960s onwards.

Classic

Yeah Porcaro was a great drummer, both with Toto as well as all of his studio work. Too bad drugs took away another musician from us much too early. If I were to choose a studio drummer, I'd go with Steve Gadd; if I wanted a Rock god drummer, I'd pick Bonham or Keith Moon.

you could have Jeff Porcaro on drums...

I looooooooooove this song (with some of Clapton's best licks at the end of the song, as well).

I hear the Purple Rain too!

Thats because he was the 5th

I do believe he played keyboards on a few songs from Abbey Road like I Want You (She's So Heavy)

George Harrison actually quit the drugs for a point from the late 60's to mid 70's, part of the reason his dark horse tour was so bad.

Especially with Billy and George.

What a killer song!

Lol that's funny. Yes Billy Preston was a Christian but he was also a drug user. In 1992 and 1997 he was found guilty on drug charges (in fact he served three years in jail until his release in 2000). He also pled guilty to insurance fraud charges in 1998. The sad truth is that drug abuse led to his early death at the age of 59 (damaged kidney). That's not to take away anything from the inspiration of his music, or his faith - but you can bet they all passed around a joint at this session.

He played on the "Let It Be" album and then this came out. Amazing musicial.

Like if you here because of Joyous Noise.

I'm just discovering this type of beautiful music by classic artists such as Billy Preston. Actually Prince, because he’s part of my generation, is me fav artist. Thanks to him I wouldn’t have known of beautifully composed music. I hear a bit of Purple Rain in this and maybe other songs as well by Prince. If I didn’t know better I could swear Prince was influenced by Billy Preston.

@resireg nahh he was in a class all his own just true they wanted him to be down with them... im sure it was all love but in the end its all blues ... beautiful song none the less

Billy was the black beatle, and the black rolling stone

He was the black Red Hot Chili Pepper also.

god bless each and everyone of us on gods earth.

Superb stuff.........

Cool tune! I don't know why I never heard it before now. I didn't know Billy is Christian until I found a cassette tape for sale at Woolworth (about 15 years after this recording was published).

all praises on this perfect song.

@Ashgrove17
Wish I had been there too.

Daphne Akhurst.

I can't believe I actually saw Billy perform in a smallish night club in Sydney. The club was called "Checkers" and was in Golbourne st in the City. Great atmosphere where other well known local performers would drop in to catch visiting acts. On the night I was there, The Seekers were at the bar! Wish these sorts of clubs were still around but then I don't know if I'd be able to stay up that late anymore! (I'm 67 peeking at 68)

When I was a kid I thought he was singing "That's the way , god-dammit".

Listen to Billy and Eric take off at the end!!!!

One of my all-time favorite guitar riffs by Eric Clapton, not to mention Billy's awesome performance power.

@jimraw1 Yes, John on rhythm, Paul on bass, Ringo on Drums, and George on lead :) It's true, this recording is like a super group.

i was in london in 1972 ,there was still pub in the metro for this song

Great song. Period. From the "5th Beatle" a title Billy loved :)

Talk about a dream line up: Billy Preston on vocals and keyboards, Keith Richards on bass, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Ginger Baker on Drums, and George Harrison on rhythm guitar - is there a better lineup?

I love this track so full of soul. Thanks for uploading it.

such an addictive track. can't ever get it out of my head.