The Grass Roots sprouted a string of hits in the late ’60s and early ’70s. They had “Let’s Live for Today,” which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1967; “Midnight Confessions,” which did better at No. 5 in August 1968; and then “Sooner or Later,” which ended their nearly three-year Top 10 drought by reaching No. 9 in June 1971.
But that soft rock favorite had another surprising story to tell beyond becoming the band’s third and final Top 10 hit. “Sooner or Later” contains a fascinating history, from its five-person writing team to how it presciently foreshadowed a massive crossover hit nine years later.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
View this post on Instagram
Released in May 1971 as a single and later that year on their September compilation, Their 16 Greatest Hits, “Sooner or Later” was written by a stable of prominent hitmakers including Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler, brothers Adeniyi Paris and Ekundayo Paris, and Ted McNamara.
Together, they created a brassy AM radio gem with a punchy horn section driving the track’s rhythm and catchy “wrong places” lyrics that gave bassist Rob Grill and keyboardist Dennis Provisor a platform to show off their soulful vocal delivery. Beyond the singing, Provisor added organ while much of the instrumental backing came from the famed Los Angeles session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew.
And here’s a fun bit of Grass Roots trivia: Before he became the deadpan Creed Bratton on The Office, the musician and actor was actually a member of The Grass Roots. Bratton played lead guitar and banjo with the band from 1967 to 1969, before “Sooner or Later” came along.
Another unexpected pop-culture connection is hiding in the song’s lyrics. In the bridge, Grill and Provisor sing, “You’ve been looking for love / In all the wrong places / You’ve been looking for love / All the wrong faces.” Sound familiar?
Nine years before Johnny Lee’s iconic country-rock hit became synonymous with 1980’s Urban Cowboy, The Grass Roots were already singing about looking for love in all the wrong places.
While the phrasing is an almost exact match for the opening of the chorus, Lee’s “Lookin’ for Love” was written by Wanda Mallette, Patti Ryan, and Bob Morrison, with no official credit or confirmation that they consciously borrowed from The Grass Roots. Still, the shared phrase remains a notable piece of pop-culture coincidence in 1970s and 1980s radio history.
On Sept. 4, 1971, The Grass Roots performed the song live on American Bandstand alongside “Two Divided by Love,” preserving its horn-infused sound into one of the era’s quintessential pop-rock time capsules. One American Songwriter recently opened, calling the song “soft rock at its finest,” in its roundup of must-hear soft rock hits of 1971.
It was a hit then. And more than five decades later, it’s a hit now. Sooner or later, the rest of the world will catch on.
Related: 1962 Folk Song, Covered by Linda Ronstadt and 3 Country Legends, Became a Cross-Generational Hit