Why Ca n't We Live Together - wikipedia Why Ca n't We Live Together `` Why Ca n't We Live Together '' Single by Timmy Thomas from the album Why Ca n't We Live Together B - side `` Funky Me '' Released 1972 Format Vinyl record ( 45 RPM ) Genre Soul Length 3 : 53 ( single version ) 4 : 50 ( album version ) Label Glades / TK Records Songwriter ( s ) Timmy Thomas Producer ( s ) Timmy Thomas `` Why Ca n't We Live Together '' is a song by Timmy Thomas from the album Why Ca n't We Live Together. The song is notable for being recorded in mono ; its sparse, stripped - down production, feature a Lowrey organ, bossa nova - style percussion from an early rhythm machine, and Thomas 's passionate, soulful vocal. Thomas recorded a demo at Dukoff Recording Studios in North Miami, Florida, with Bill Borkan acting as sound engineer. The single version got more airplay because the longer instrumental coda was considered by many radio stations to be closer to jazz. TK Records staff producer Steve Alaimo listened to the demo of the song and was going to re-cut it with a full band, but then decided the song was already finished the way it was. Released as a single in late 1972, the song became a major hit in the U.S. during the early part of 1973, reaching the number one spot on the R&B chart, number three on the Billboard Pop Singles and eventually selling over two million copies. The song became his only hit single. It was also a hit in the UK as well, peaking at # 12. There was a re-release on 7 '' and 12 '' in 1979, with a live version as B - side on the 7 '' European release. Later recorded versions The song has been covered by many artists, including Jamaican singer Tinga Stewart ( 1977 ), Mike Anthony ( 1982 ), Sade ( 1984, on her debut album Diamond Life ), Joan Osborne, Steve Winwood ( 2003 ) and Maria Muldaur ( 2009 ). MC Hammer re-interpreted the song on his 1991 album Too Legit to Quit. In 1990, a `` Stand Up For Love '' re-recording of the song was done by Thomas. Mike Anthony, an American DJ / producer based in Belgium at the time, recorded his discofied version of the song in early 1982 but while it had reached the Belgian and Dutch charts, he was sued by the owners of the original Timmy Thomas recording for using elements from the original recording. A judge ordered a re-recording of the song with all the original parts removed. This ruling marked one of the first court cases in which the use of original samples in new recordings played a role, as a precursor to the many court cases in the 1990s and 2000s. Santana on Live at Montreux plays the cover of `` Why Ca n't We Live Together '' ( 1996 & 2004 ). Lucky Peterson covered the song in the album Lucky Peterson, 1999. Steve Winwood covered the song on About Time in 2003. In 2015, Canadian rapper Drake released `` Hotline Bling '', which heavily samples the song. References Jump up ^ https://www.allmusic.com/song/why-cant-we-live-together-mt0002617666 Jump up ^ Ed Hogan. `` Why Ca n't We Live Together - Timmy Thomas Song Info ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Top R&B / Hip - Hop Singles : 1942 - 2004. Record Research. p. 577. Jump up ^ Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 557. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. Jump up ^ https://www.spin.com/2015/10/timmy-thomas-drake-hotline-bling-why-cant-we-live-together/ Preceded by `` Superstition '' by Stevie Wonder Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles number - one single January 27, 1973 -- February 3, 1973 Succeeded by `` Could It Be I 'm Falling in Love '' by The Spinners Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Why_Can%27t_We_Live_Together&oldid=842494205 '' Categories : 1972 singles Billboard Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs number - one singles Anti-war songs Songs against racism and xenophobia Joan Osborne songs Sade ( band ) songs Steve Winwood songs TK Records singles Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015 Talk About Wikipedia Français Italiano 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 22 May 2018, at 20 : 35. About Wikipedia

Question: who sings why can't we live together
Answer: Timmy Thomas