Today (Jefferson Airplane song)

"Today"
Song

"Today" is a folk rock ballad written by Marty Balin and Paul Kantner from the band Jefferson Airplane. It first appeared on their breakthrough album, Surrealistic Pillow, with a live version later appearing on the expanded rerelease of Bless Its Pointed Little Head. Marty Balin said, "I wrote it to try to meet Tony Bennett. He was recording in the next studio. I admired him, so I thought I'd write him a song. I never got to meet him, but the Airplane ended up doing it."^[1] Jerry Garcia plays the simple, repetitive but poignant lead guitar riff on the song.^[1]

Personnel

Marty Balin - Lead Vocals, Tambourine
Grace Slick - Vocals
Jorma Kaukonen - Guitar
Paul Kantner - Guitar, Vocals
Jack Casady - Bass
Spencer Dryden - Drums
Jerry Garcia - Lead Guitar^[2]

Cover versions

Tom Scott covered the song on his 1967 album, Honeysuckle Breeze. The song features a quicker tempo than the Jefferson Airplane version and also features a long saxophone solo. The song also appears in the episode, "Riley Wuz Here" of the animated television series, The Boondocks. Parts of the saxophone solo were sampled in the Pete Rock & CL Smooth song They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.).

Black Sheep samples the song on "Similak Child" from the album A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.

Renée Fleming also covered it on her 2010 album Dark Hope.

Norwegian avant-garde musicians Ulver covered it on their 2012 all-cover release "Childhood's End".