Smooth got the idea for "Promised Land" while he was on tour in Europe with Farley "Jackmaster" Funk. He saw how well house music was received in Europe and wrote "Promised Land" whith inspiration from classic Motown songs. He was determined to write a classic song with the same type of spirit. Smooth gained international acclaim with the release of the track. It spoke of how humans, as brothers and sisters, should unite in love and thrive in paradise. Dance music was very popular in the underground culture in Chicago at that time and "Promised Land" became a big club-hit. Originally released in 1987, it peaked at #56 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1989 following the Top 40 success of a cover version by The Style Council. It has been covered several times since its release.

In October 2004, "Promised Land" appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Within the game, the song could be heard playing on the fictional House Music radio station SF-UR.

Mixmag ranked the song number 20 in its 100 Greatest Dance Singles Of All Time list in 1996, adding:

"There's Someday and Strings of Life and Chime and Keep On Moving, but the one record that, for me, sums up the excitement of that period of music more than any other is the incredible spiritual burst of optimism that is Joe Smooth's Promised Land."

DJ Magazine ranked it number 4 in their list of Top 100 Club Tunes in 1998.

The Style Council released a cover of the song in 1989. Along with the track, "Can You Still Love Me", "Promised Land" was the duo's only entry on the US dance chart, where it peaked at number nineteen.

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Wikipedia