You know the riff. That bouncy, unmistakable bassline that kicks in before a weird, high-pitched vocal yell. It’s the kind of sound that makes you want to dance even if you're standing in a grocery store aisle. Honestly, the redbone song come and get your love is one of those rare tracks that has managed to transcend its own era. It isn’t just a "70s song" anymore. It's a cultural staple.
Most people today probably recognize it because of Chris Pratt. Seeing Star-Lord kick a space-rat while wearing headphones in Guardians of the Galaxy gave this track a second life that most bands from 1974 would kill for. But there is a lot more to Redbone than just being a catchy needle-drop in a Marvel movie. This wasn't some studio-manufactured pop group. These guys were heavy hitters. They were pioneers. And they were making a very specific, very loud statement about Native American identity at a time when the rest of the country wasn't exactly listening.
The Surprising Origins of a Worldwide Smash
It's funny how history forgets the details. Redbone was founded by two brothers, Pat and Lolly Vasquez (who performed under the name Vegas). They weren't newcomers when they wrote "Come and Get Your Love." In fact, they’d been working the Los Angeles circuit for years. They'd played with everyone. They were session musicians for some of the biggest names in the business, including Sonny and Cher. Jimi Hendrix—yeah, that Jimi Hendrix—reportedly told them they should start their own band. He saw the talent. He knew they had something unique.
The name Redbone itself is a Cajun term for a person of mixed heritage. It was a nod to their own background, which included Yaqui, Shoshone, and Mexican roots. When they released the redbone song come and get your love in late 1973 as part of their album Wovoka, they were trying to blend traditional Indigenous sounds with the swampy funk of the South and the polished pop of the West Coast.
It worked.
The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. That’s huge. It stayed on the charts for nearly half a year. For a band composed of Native American musicians to reach that level of mainstream success in the early 70s was basically unheard of. It wasn't just a hit; it was a breakthrough.
Why the Sound Still Works Today
Musically, the song is a bit of an anomaly. It starts with that cowbell. Then the fuzz-tone guitar. It’s gritty, but the vocals are sweet. Lolly Vegas had this incredible ability to make a song feel effortless. If you listen closely to the lyrics, they’re almost secondary to the vibe. "Hail! What's the matter with your feelin'? / Don't you feel it, baby?" It’s a call to action. It’s an invitation to just be.
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There’s a specific kind of "swamp rock" energy here that sets it apart from the disco that was starting to take over at the time. It’s got more in common with Sly and the Family Stone than with ABBA. The production is surprisingly lean. It doesn’t rely on massive orchestral swells or over-the-top synths. It’s just a tight rhythm section and a melody that refuses to leave your head.
Wait, did you know the version you hear on the radio isn't the full thing? The original album version on Wovoka has a much slower, more atmospheric intro. It’s got this deep, almost spiritual build-up before it breaks into the pop rhythm we all know. Most people have never heard the full seven-minute odyssey. They just know the three-minute radio edit. But that shorter version is what turned the redbone song come and get your love into an eternal earworm.
The Political Weight Behind the Funk
It’s easy to get lost in the groove and miss the context. 1973 was a massive year for the American Indian Movement (AIM). The occupation of Wounded Knee was happening. Native American activists were fighting for civil rights and visibility in a way they hadn't before. Redbone was right in the middle of that.
They didn't just play pop music. They showed up on The Midnight Special in 1974 and performed a traditional dance before launching into their hits. They wore regalia. They made sure the audience knew exactly who they were and where they came from. In a decade where "Indian" imagery was often used as a caricature or a costume by white rock stars, Redbone was the real deal.
Their album title, Wovoka, refers to the Northern Paiute spiritual leader who founded the Ghost Dance movement. This wasn't accidental. They were smuggling Indigenous history into the Top 40. Every time the redbone song come and get your love played on a station in middle America, it was a subtle act of resistance and presence. They were saying, "We are still here, and we’re making better music than you."
The Guardians of the Galaxy Effect
Fast forward forty years. The song was a classic, sure, but it was largely relegated to "Oldies" stations and "One-Hit Wonder" lists (which is unfair, because they had other great tracks like "The Witch Queen of New Orleans").
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Then James Gunn happened.
When Guardians of the Galaxy came out in 2014, the redbone song come and get your love became the anthem for a new generation. It was the perfect choice for Peter Quill. The song represents a connection to Earth, to his mother, and to a sense of joy in the face of cosmic chaos. Suddenly, teenagers who had never heard of Redbone were streaming the track millions of times.
The numbers are staggering. On Spotify alone, the song has hundreds of millions of plays. It’s been used in countless TikTok trends and commercials for everything from cars to cereal. It’s a rare example of a song that fits literally any mood. Need to get pumped up for a workout? It works. Need a chill track for a road trip? It works. Cooking dinner? Perfect.
Common Misconceptions About the Band
People often think Redbone disappeared after this one hit. That’s just not true. They were incredibly prolific throughout the 70s. However, they faced significant hurdles. Because of their political stances and their insistence on being vocal about Native American rights, they often found themselves at odds with record labels and promoters.
There's also a common mistake where people misattribute the song to other bands of the era. I've heard people swear it was a Santana track or even a later disco act. Nope. It’s Redbone through and through. The specific guitar tone—that "fuzz" sound—was a signature of Lolly Vegas. He actually helped pioneer the use of certain pedals and amplification techniques that influenced the L.A. sound for years.
Another thing: the lyrics are often misheard. "Hail" is often heard as "Hey" or "Hell." In reality, it’s a greeting. It’s celebratory. The whole song is built on the idea of unconditional love and acceptance. It’s about as positive as a song can get without being cheesy.
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How to Truly Appreciate Redbone Today
If you really want to understand the impact of the redbone song come and get your love, you have to look past the Marvel movies. Go back and watch their live performances from the 70s. Look at the way they moved. Look at the intensity in their eyes. They weren't just playing a gig; they were representing a culture that the industry had tried to ignore for decades.
The legacy of the song isn't just in its royalties or its chart position. It’s in the doors it opened. It proved that Indigenous artists could be commercially successful without stripping away their identity.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans
If you've got this song on repeat and want to dive deeper, don't stop at the greatest hits. Here is how you can actually engage with the history and the music:
- Listen to the full Wovoka album. Don't just stick to the singles. The title track "Wovoka" and "Chant: 13th Hour" give you a much better sense of the band's range and their commitment to their roots.
- Check out the documentary RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World. It features Redbone prominently and explains how Indigenous musicians shaped the foundation of rock, blues, and jazz. It’ll change how you hear the "mainstream" canon.
- Explore the Vegas brothers' early work. Before Redbone, they released music as "Pat and Lolly Vegas." It’s fascinating to hear their transition from 60s pop-rock into the soulful, funky powerhouse they became.
- Support modern Indigenous artists. The trail Redbone blazed is currently being walked by artists like The Halluci Nation (formerly A Tribe Called Red), Jeremy Dutcher, and Snotty Nose Rez Kids. The "Redbone sound" lives on in the way these artists blend tradition with contemporary genres.
- Pay attention to the instrumentation. If you’re a musician, try to deconstruct that bassline. It’s a masterclass in "less is more." It’s syncopated, melodic, and drives the entire track without ever feeling busy.
The redbone song come and get your love is a masterpiece of pop construction, but it’s also a piece of history. It’s a reminder that great music doesn't exist in a vacuum. It comes from real people with real stories, often fighting against the grain to be heard. Next time it comes on the radio or pops up in your shuffle, turn it up. You aren't just listening to a hit; you're listening to a revolution you can dance to.
To fully experience the depth of their discography, start by comparing the "radio edit" of this track with the "Live at the Midnight Special" version. The difference in energy is palpable and shows a band that was far more comfortable on stage than in a sterile studio environment. From there, move into their 1970 self-titled debut album to see where the "swamp funk" sound originated before it was polished for the 1974 charts.