When Steve Cropper and Wilson Pickett and wrote “In the Midnight Hour” in 1965, they probably were not thinking about the April 15 IRS tax deadline.

Actually, the song has its roots in a gospel song that Pickett had sung on before he met Cropper. Cropper found the recording after Pickett was invited to record at Stax Studio in Memphis and picked up on the line ‘I’ll see my Jesus in the midnight hour.” The rest, as they say, is history. “In the Midnight Hour” has become one of the most-covered songs in rock’n’roll history.

As for today’s IRS deadline, plenty of Americans are waiting until the midnight hour to file their 2023 tax returns. But they may want to move just a bit faster. The deadline is 11:59 p.m., one minute before midnight.

While you’re crunching numbers, enjoy the original recording, which is this week’s Sharp Notes Monday selection.

As part of our “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” music and social media project, we share a song every Monday to start your week.

View previous Sharp Notes Monday selections.

Visit our “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” music and social media page to learn more about the project and view videos of our presentations.

Categories: Jandoli Institute, Music and Social Justice, Sharp Notes Monday, Sharp Notes Sharp Thoughts

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