A Profound and Hopeful Reflection on Inner Peace, a Musical Journey Toward Finding a Place of Solace in a Chaotic World.
In the early 1970s, as the sprawling California rock scene was giving birth to superstars, a quiet and highly influential band was charting a different course. Poco, a group forged from the ashes of Buffalo Springfield, was a founding father of country rock. While their contemporaries were soaring to stratospheric heights, Poco was on a more modest, yet no less powerful, journey. Their 1972 album, a self-titled masterpiece, contained a song that was so profoundly beautiful and emotionally honest it felt like a private prayer. That song was “A Good Feelin’ to Know.” It was released as a single and, while it didn’t find the massive commercial success of other country-rock anthems, it was a cherished gem for those who were listening, charting at a modest number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself, a flawless collection of harmonies and masterful musicianship, reached number 69 on the Billboard 200, but its true legacy would only be measured in the hearts of those who understood its deeper meaning.
The drama of “A Good Feelin’ to Know” is a quiet, spiritual one. The band’s entire history was a struggle for identity, living in the shadow of the supergroups that had sprung from their very lineage. This backdrop of being the “road less traveled” gives the song a poignant, almost heartbreaking authenticity. The song was written by the band’s co-founder, Richie Furay, and it stands as a testament to his deeply personal, spiritual journey. It was a time of turmoil for him, grappling with the complexities of his faith and his place in the world. The song isn’t a simple love song; it’s a philosophical and emotional odyssey, a desperate search for meaning and purpose in a world of constant change. The “good feelin’ to know” is the feeling of finding stability, of having a sense of hope that transcends the external chaos.
The song’s cinematic quality lies in its perfect marriage of music and emotion. It begins with a sense of searching, with a delicate, yearning melody that feels like a question. Then, as the song builds, the harmonies—a hallmark of Poco’s sound—enter, creating a chorus of voices that feel like a community of shared faith and struggle. The music itself becomes a character, with its intricate arrangements and soaring guitar lines expressing the sense of triumph and relief that comes with finding peace. It’s a beautifully layered piece of music that moves from quiet reflection to a powerful, cathartic declaration. The extended outro, with its instrumental interplay, feels like a conversation between instruments, each one speaking to the others, a sound that says, “We made it through the storm.”
For those of us who have walked a long road, “A Good Feelin’ to Know” is a powerful and deeply nostalgic experience. It is a reminder of a time when music was an honest reflection of a songwriter’s soul, a time when a hit was measured not just in sales but in its ability to touch a heart. The song’s enduring power lies in its timeless message: that even in moments of great uncertainty, there is always hope, and that the greatest reward is not fame or fortune, but the quiet, profound peace of knowing who you are and where you belong. It remains one of the most beautiful and emotional pieces of music in the entire country-rock canon.