I've Seen All Good People
"I've Seen All Good People" is a song by the English progressive rock band Yes, written by frontman Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire and recorded on their third studio album, The Yes Album (1971). The almost 7-minute song is in two parts; the first, titled "Your Move", was released as a single in 1971 which peaked at number 40 in the US, which helped the group build momentum. The second part is entitled "All Good People".
| "I've Seen All Good People" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Yes | |
| from the album The Yes Album | |
| Released | 19 February 1971 |
| Recorded | Autumn 1970 |
| Studio | Advision, London |
| Genre |
|
| Length |
|
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Official audio | |
| "I've Seen All Good People" on YouTube | |
| "Your Move" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Yes | ||||
| from the album The Yes Album | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | July 1971 (US) | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 1970 | |||
| Studio | Advision, London | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jon Anderson | |||
| Yes singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Your Move" on YouTube | ||||
The tune uses chess as a lyrical, if incoherent, metaphor for navigating interpersonal relationships, and contains several allusions to the music of John Lennon. It has received positive reviews from several critics and has been considered one of Yes's best-known songs, with AllMusic's Mike DeGagne stating that "the harmonies are resilient from start to finish" and that the track "still stands as one of their most appealing" works. Music critic Robert Christgau has also singled it out for praise.