The Snake

Al Wilson recorded the single in 1968 for Johnny Rivers’ Soul City imprint after being signed through manager Marc Gordon. Rivers produced the session, and the release paired Wilson’s vocal with the songwriters and studio team around Rivers’ Los Angeles operation. The record turned Wilson into a national hitmaker, reaching the U.S. pop Top 30 in 1968 and becoming one of Soul City’s best-known releases. It also established his reputation as a dramatic soul interpreter and later became a favorite on the Northern soul circuit. The track endured as a Northern soul anthem and remained the version most closely associated with Wilson. It continued to surface through reissues, compilation appearances, and later UK media uses, keeping the song in circulation for new audiences.