"Compared to What" is a protest song written by Gene McDaniels. Roberta Flack recorded it in February 1969 for her first album, First Take. However, the song became more famous after Les McCann (piano and vocals) and Eddie Harris (tenor saxophone) performed it at the Montreux Jazz Festival in June 1969. The song was the opening track on their 1969 album Swiss Movement, released on the Atlantic label. This album received a Gold certification for sales in the United States. More than 270 performers, including Ray Charles and Brian Auger, have recorded the song.
Lyrics
"Compared to What" was written by American singer and songwriter Gene McDaniels. The song was registered a copyright in 1966. Its lyrics include discussions about social issues. The song criticizes the Vietnam War and the president of the United States at that time, Lyndon B. Johnson, with lines such as: "The president, he's got his war / Folks don't know just what it's for / Nobody gives us rhyme or reason / Have one doubt, they call it treason." The song was written during the second wave feminist movement, before abortion rights became federal law in the United States in 1973. It included a line that talked about the issue of unwed mothers needing abortion. In 1976, American music critic B. Lee Cooper noted that the song "of social criticism attacked a variety of social practices as being based on hypocritically 'unreal values'" and compared "the social myth of equality and the economic reality of poverty in the stratified American society."
Original version
The first recording appears to have been made by American jazz pianist and singer Les McCann for his 1966 album, Les McCann Plays the Hits.
Cover versions
By 2011, the song had been performed by over 270 artists, including Ray Charles and saxophonist Ronnie Laws. Flack recorded the song in February 1969 for her first album, First Take, and "Compared to What" was her first single. Her manager at the time was McCann. A reviewer from that year described her singing as "energetic and rhythmic, similar to the strong, rhythmic movement heard during group singing in Southern Baptist churches." Flack's version of the song was included in the 1997 film Boogie Nights and the 2015 film The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
McCann (piano) and Harris (tenor saxophone) had previously performed together at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival. They agreed to play together on June 21, 1969, with Benny Bailey (trumpet), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), and Donald Dean (drums). The song was the first in their set and began with McCann and Dean playing together. Vinnegar joined, forming a trio that introduced the song's theme. Harris then entered, adding to McCann's piano and vocals. After four verses, Bailey played a solo, followed by the full band playing together until the final verse. This was followed by solos from McCann and Harris, ending the performance. Their version of the song was released on the album Swiss Movement. The single sold over a million copies and reached No. 35 on Billboard's R&B chart. It also appeared on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 for two weeks in January 1970, peaking at No. 96.
The success of McCann and Harris's version allowed McDaniels to stop singing in night clubs. The song was later included in the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino.
In 1973, Brian Auger's Oblivion Express recorded the song on their album Closer To It. In 1975, the band performed the song as their closing number at San Francisco's Winterland when they opened for Fleetwood Mac. Paste magazine described the performance as "a lively and energetic jazz performance" and noted, "Auger's bluesy Hammond organ licks have a timeless appeal, and he and the group's humor are clear throughout." The song was also included on the band's albums Live Oblivion (1975), Best of Brian Auger (1976), and Brian Auger's Oblivion Express – Live at the Baked Potato (2005).