Stacks of 45’s – If You Wanna Get to Heaven/Spaceship Orion

If you want a drink of water, You got to get it from the well.
If you wanna get to heaven, You got to raise a little hell.

When I was young before I had cassettes, the only good way of making a playlist of songs was to stack 45s on the turntable. I would arrange them to play my favorite songs in my favorite order. These posts are about records I had in my stacks.

“If You Wanna Get To Heaven”, written by Larry Lee and Steve Cash, is a single by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils from their 1973 album The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. This was the band’s debut single and also the first of their two Top 40 hits reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Ozark Mountain Daredevils formed in 1971 when a group of musicians from the Springfield, Missouri area came together.

They were originally part of a larger collective known as “Family Tree,” but they decided to form their own band. Drawing from their diverse musical influences and backgrounds, the Daredevils created a unique sound that combined rock, country, folk, and bluegrass elements.

Band Members
  • John Dillon – vocals, guitar, fiddle
  • Randle Chowning – vocals, guitar
  • Larry Lee – vocals, guitar, piano
  • Steve Cash – vocals, harmonica, percussion
  • Michael “Supe” Granda – bass, vocals
  • Buddy Brayfield – drums, percussion

The lyrics are filled with whimsical and poetic imagery, and they encourage listeners to enjoy life’s pleasures and not take things too seriously. The lines “If you wanna get to heaven, you got to raise a little hell” suggest a sense of rebellion and fun, emphasizing that sometimes breaking the rules or being a bit adventurous can lead to a more fulfilling life.

In essence, the song can be seen as an invitation to let loose, have fun, and not be overly concerned with the constraints of society or the expectations of others. It embodies the free-spirited ethos often associated with the Southern rock and counterculture movements of the 1970s.

Included in Grand Theft Auto V on the radio station Rebel Radio, the song also served as the opening music to the 1991 PBS documentary “Dancing Outlaw”, which profiled the life of legendary West Virginia “Mountain Dancer” Jesco White.

Overall, “If You Wanna Get to Heaven” is a feel-good song that encourages listeners to embrace life’s pleasures and not take themselves too seriously, making it a classic of the Southern rock genre. The B-side is also from their debut and is called “Spaceship Orion” It is a slower ballad that I never played.

If You Wanna Get to Heaven

I never read it in a book 
I never saw it on a show 
But i heard it in the alley on the weird radio. 

If you want a drink of water 
You got to get it from the well. 
If you wanna get to heaven 
You got to raise a little hell. 

I never felt it in my feet 
Or felt it in my soul 
But i heard it in the alley 
Now its in my rock and roll. 

If you wanna know a secret 
You got to promise not to tell. 
If you wanna get to heaven 
You got to raise a little hell. 

I never thought it'd be so easy 
I never thought it'd be so fun. 
But I heard it in the alley 
Now I got it on the run. 

If you wanna see an angel 
You got to find it where it fell. 
If you wanna get the heaven 
You got to raise a little hell. 

If you wanna get to heaven 
If you wanna get to heaven 
If you wanna get to heaven 
If you wanna get to heaven
Further Reading
Sources

Author: Doyle

I was born in Atlanta, moved to Alpharetta at 4, lived there for 53 years and moved to Decatur in 2016. I've worked at such places as Richway, North Fulton Medical Center, Management Science America (Computer Tech/Project Manager) and Stacy's Compounding Pharmacy (Pharmacy Tech).

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