Blood, Sweat & Tears built one of the most distinctive sounds of the classic rock era, mixing brass-heavy arrangements with jazz, R&B, pop, and progressive rock. This list of the band’s ten best songs celebrates the recordings that best capture their power, range, and originality.
Photo: By Columbia Records (Billboard, page 5, 14 October 1972) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Blood, Sweat & Tears released their first album, Child is Father to Man, in 1968. The same year, the band released their second album with new lead singer David Clayton Thomas aboard. The band’s second album, simply titled Blood Sweat & Tears, would become one of the greatest rock records ever released in Classic Rock History.
In 1970, the band released Blood, Sweat & Tears 3
. The album was followed by B, S & T 4 in 1971, New Blood in 1972, No Sweat in 1973, Mirror Image in 1975, New City in 1975, More Than Ever in 1976, Brand New Day in 1977, and Nuclear Day in 1980.
Our Top 10 Blood Sweat & Tears Songs list attempts to choose some of the band’s most essential songs while also including a few surprises.
# 10 – Back Up Against The Wall
We open up our Top 10 Blood, Sweat & Tears songs list with the horns blasting, guitars blazing, and the drums pounding with a ferocious fever while that big band smacks you in the face and says, “Wake up,” it’s time to strut, boogie, run, jump, swing, and everything that the music of Blood Sweat & Tears inspires to be. The great song “Back Up Against The Wall” was released on the Blood Sweat & Tears album No Sweat. The album was released in 1973. It was the band’s sixth album.
This was considered the Jerry Fisher era. The lineup of great musicians on the album No Sweat consisted of Jerry Fisher on lead vocals, Jim Fielder on bass, George Wadenius on guitar, Larry Willis on keyboards, and Bobby Colomby on drums. The great Blood Sweat & Tears Horn section comprised Dave Bargeron on multiple brass instruments, Lew Soloff, Tom Malone on trumpet, and Lou Marini on woodwinds.
# 9 – Go Down Gamblin’
The heavy, blues-infused, funk-infused “Go Down Gamblin'” was the opening track on the band’s fourth studio album, Blood Sweat & Tears 4. The song was written by David Clayton Thomas, who also played guitar on the track. Blood Sweat & Tears 4 was a great record that was often overlooked. The album was released in 1971. David Clayton Thomas left the band after the album was completed.
# 8 – They
The Blood Sweat & Tears song “They” is probably the least-known track on this list. Nonetheless, it is one of the most interesting and, in many ways, an outlier in the group’s history. The band’s music has always been a blend of jazz and rock, fueled by their incredible horn section. However, on this great track, the rhythmic keyboard playing and a blend of progressive rock elements set it apart from other Blood, Sweat & Tears Songs. The song “They” was released on the band’s ninth album, More Than Ever, in 1976.
# 7 – And When I Die
Continuing with our Blood, Sweat & Tears songs list, we again turn to the band’s second album and another iconic song cover. The Blood Sweat & Tears song “And When I Die” was initially written and recorded by the fabulous Laura Nyro. One more time, the band’s version of the song was light years away from the original.
“And When I Die” was the third of five singles released from the Blood Sweat & Tears sophomore album. The song was incredibly successful, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. The song hit number one in Canada and New Zealand.
# 6 – Snow Queen
The sound of the band Blood, Sweat & Tears changed on the group’s fifth album. The Jerry Fisher era began when the vocalist replaced David Clayton Thomas. Founding member Fred Lipsius had also left the group. The band’s sound shifted more toward the jazz world than ever before. The band sounded great, and the soloing was top-notch. They had grown, even though they had lost two key members. If you doubt that growth, listen to this incredible cover of Carole King’s “Snow Queen.” Then take a listen to “Maiden Voyage,” the album’s closing track.
# 5 – Lucretia Mac Evil
The standout track “Lucretia Mac Evil” appeared on the band’s third album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3, released in 1970. The album consisted almost entirely of covers, except for “Lucretia MacEvil,” which was written by David Clayton Thomas. After the phenomenal success of the second Blood, Sweat & Tears album, with its five hit singles, the band faced daunting odds in repeating that success.
# 4 – I Can’t Quit Her
The excellent track “I Can’t Quit Her” was released on the band’s debut album, Child Is Father to the Man
. Blood, Sweat & Tears’ debut album was released in 1968. ” I Can’t Quit Her” was the only single released from the album. The song only reached the number forty seven spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Al Kooper and Irwin Levine wrote the song.
# 3 – You Made Me So Very Happy
The Blood, Sweat & Tears song “You Made Me So Very Happy” was recorded during the David Clayton Thomas era. The song was released by the band in 1969. It is one of the band’s most well-known songs. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. “You Made Me So Very Happy” was written by Brenda Holloway, Patrice Holloway, Frank Wilson, and Berry Gordy. It was originally recorded by Brenda Holloway and reached the number 39 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. The song’s arrangement was pure Motown, with that iconic drum-and-bass groove wrapped around the smooth Brenda Holloway vocal.
The Blood Sweat & Tears version of the song “You Made Me So Very Happy” was dramatically different from Brenda Holloway’s version. The Blood Sweat & Tears recording of “You Made Me So Very Happy” defines the brilliance of the band’s arrangements and song interpretations. It also establishes the importance of the arrangers who work on the albums. “You Made Me So Very Happy” appeared on the band’s second album entitled Blood Sweat & Tears. The tracks on the album were arranged by Al Kooper, Dick Halligan, and Fred Lipsius.
# 2 – Spinning Wheel
There is probably no person alive over fifty who does not know the song “Spinning Wheel.” If we were choosing the most popular Blood Sweat & Tears song of all time, there would be no choice but to pick “Spinning Wheel” as number one. Regarding chart position, it reached the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100, just as “You Made Me So Very Happy” and “When I Die” had done.
I was seven years old when this song was a massive hit on the radio in 1968. Even at that young age, I can remember always singing this song as I thought the lyrics were cool. It’s just one of those songs you never forget the first time you hear it. David Clayton Thomas wrote the song.
# 1 – God Bless The Child
Billie Holiday may have owned this song, but Blood Sweat & Tears paid heavy respect to Billie Holiday with their fabulous version of this great song. “God Bless the Child” is one of the most covered songs in Classic Rock History. The song was first composed in 1939 by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. This may not be at the top of most Blood Sweat & Tears songs list, but it has always been our favorite.
Listen to the beauty and soulfulness of those acapella opening horn lines. The way they glide into the rhythm section, which brings on its own soul groove, sets it all up perfectly for David Clayton-Thomas’s heavenly vocals. The sudden tempo change at three minutes was just so brilliant. The way the band moves in and out of Latin and swing rhythms speaks so much to just how special this group was for its time. After the partying is done, they bring it all back home into that soulful gospel-like ballad that just knocks you out. What a recording this is!
For more on Blood, Sweat & Tears, check out our Complete List of Blood, Sweat & Tears Albums and Discography. The band was co-founded by Al Kooper, whose own solo work we’ve also covered in Top 10 Al Kooper Songs and Complete List of Al Kooper Albums and Discography.
If you’re into that horn-driven jazz-rock sound, check out our coverage of Chicago and Steely Dan, two other bands who blended rock with jazz and horns in that same era.
Top 10 Blood, Sweat & Tears Songs article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2026
