Michael Jackson And Diana Ross – Ease On Down The Road (The Wiz Version)

Song from Michael’s first film, The Wiz, which he performed with Diana Ross and his co-stars. It featured on the accompanying soundtrack album, issued in September 1978 in the US and October 1978 in the UK.

It was included on the original Broadway musical, on which the film The Wiz was based – the musical, which starred Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, scooped seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score.

"I think the stage and MGM version (The Wizard Of Oz) kind of missed the point," said Michael, comparing them to L. Fred Baum’s original story; he felt the film The Wiz was much closer. "The message (of the book) is that these people are looking for something they already have. It’s inside them already, but they don’t know it because they don’t have that belief in themselves to realise it."

Michael cited Believe In Yourself, by Lena Horne and Diana Ross, as his favourite song from the film. "It’s my favourite." he said, "because of what it says – I like what it says."

It was released as a single, credited to Diana Ross & Michael Jackson, achieving no.17 on the R&B singles chart and no.41 on the Hot 100 in the US, and no.45 in the UK.

Ease On Down The Road – Lyrics

Come on and

Ease on down, ease on down the road
Come on, ease on down
Ease on down the road
Don’t you carry nothing
That might be a load
Come on, ease on down
Ease on down the road

Come on, ease on down, ease on down the road
Come on, ease on down, ease on down the road
Don’t you carry nothing
That might be a load
Come on, ease on down, ease on down, down the road

Pick your left foot up
When your right foot’s down
Come on legs keep movin’
Don’t you lose no ground
You just keep on keepin’
On the road that you choose
Don’t you give up walkin’
‘Cause you gave up shoes, no

Ease on down, ease on down the road
Come on, ease on down
Ease on down the road
Don’t you carry nothing
That might be a load
Come on, ease on down
Ease on down the road

‘Cause there maybe times
When you think you lost your mind
And the steps you’re takin’
Leave you three, four steps behind
But the road you’re walking
Might be long sometimes
You just keep on steppin’
And you’ll just be fine, yeah

Ease on down, ease on down the road
Come on, ease on down
Ease on down the road
Don’t you carry nothing
That might be a load
Come on, ease on down
Ease on down the road

Well there maybe times
When you wish you wasn’t born
And you wake one morning
Just to find your courage’s gone
But just know that feeling
Only last a little while
You stick with us
And we’ll show you how to smile, yeah

Get ’em up, goin’ down, ease on down
Get ’em up, goin’ down, ease on down
Get ’em up, goin’ down, ease on down
Get ’em up, get ’em up ease on down