donnica59

<ol><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102);">This song is a tribute to those involved in the battle for civil rights. </span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102);">The title refers to Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy. </span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102);">The last verse in the song refers to "Bobby" - JFK's brother, Robert Kennedy. Everyone mentioned in the song has died ("has anybody here seen my old friend...") and this is symbolized by their progression over a hill.</span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><br></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102); background-color: rgb(255, 235, 212);">This has been covered by the Brothers Four, Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Mahalia Jackson, and Moms Mabley.</span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><br></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102);">This was written by the rockabilly singer Dick Holler (who also wrote the novelty hit "</span><a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-royal-guardsmen/snoopy-vs-the-red-baron" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); background-color: transparent;">Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron</a><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102);">"). </span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102);">Dion had just recovered from heroin addiction and was offered this as a possible comeback song. </span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102);">It made it to #4 on the Hot 100 and reestablished Dion in the music business.</span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102); background-color: rgb(255, 235, 212);">Bob Dylan performed this on his 1980-81 tour. </span></li><li data-list="bullet" class="ql-align-center"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><br></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102); background-color: rgb(255, 235, 212);">Whitney Houston covered this song at her 1997 Washington DC concert, "Classic Whitney." </span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102); background-color: rgb(255, 235, 212);">It was filmed and turned into an HBO special. </span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102);">Initially, Dion detested the song, but he has since come to understand its legacy, telling one interviewer, "I realized that what these four guys had in common was a dream... It was like they had the courage to believe that a state of love really can exist."</span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><br></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><span style="color: rgb(103, 102, 102); background-color: rgb(255, 235, 212);">Dion claimed to have received over 4,000 letters thanking him for recording this song. </span></li></ol><p><br></p>