My Love Soundtrack
Ever since I was a young child, I’ve been a huge fan of music. I think its in my blood. My mother has an understated, but very potent aptitude for music trivia. She probably doesn’t remember this, but she once won a random cd single by correctly guessing the artist of some obscure soul song. My father has been my biggest musical influence. He has a very diverse taste in music and he instilled it in me. As a youth, the sounds of artists like James Brown, the Allman Brothers Band, Weather Report, Cream, and Public Enemy filled my ears and shaped my appreciation for good music.
Around 4th grade, when I first began to develop some musical independence, I became a rock head. This was the early 1990s, so I dug bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and Green Day. I know that’s odd considering the theme of this blog, but those groups were poppin’ on my rich Caucasian school yard. I also liked older rock acts such as the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones. So, yeah, I was an alternative/classic rock head until I got into hip hop in middle school. One single album, The Resurrection by the Geto Boys, gave birth to my love for hip hop and I’ve never looked back. I love it so much that I now study it in grad school and will one day make an honest living as a “hip hop” academic.
One genre that I could not get into as youth was rhythm & blues. I mean, yeah, I dug some of the more up tempo stuff. I definitely liked Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Ralph Trezvant, and other New Jack Swing artists (hmm, maybe I only liked New Edition, lol.). The slower stuff, however, was a no go. Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, Stevie Wonder, and similar artists were the essence of boring to me. I would hate it when 10:00pm hit and Magic 102′s “Quiet Storm” program would come on the radio. That rain sound effect and the deep voiced negro host would put me to sleep immediately. I just didn’t understand r & b. It didn’t speak to my pre-adolescent existence. At that stage in life, I couldn’t connect with the emotions brought forth through the words and music.
Now that I’ve grown up some, I have a deep understanding and appreciation for rhythm and blues. I had to live/love/hurt a little bit to connect with it. That being said, I will present some of my favorite old school R &B songs accompanied by a little personal commentary. My love soundtrack with liner notes…
1. Shanice – I Love Your Smile [audio:shanice.mp3]
I remember when I first heard this song on KTSU’s Kids Jam program. My parents and I originally thought this was a Janet Jackson joint, but turns out, it was by a new comer named Shanice. This song is reminds me of the initial stage of love. This is the crush phase. If you’re anything like me, this is when you spot a pretty girl from afar and superficially fall for her. I say “superficially” because you may like her eyes, her smile, her voice, but you really don’t know who she is. This is innocent stage where the unknown in beautiful.
2. Tevin Campbell - Can We Talk [audio:tevin.mp3]
I’ve been dissing Tevin Campbell lately, but this is a cold ass song. Again, if you’re me, this is the “holla” period. You begin by working up the nerve to truly express your feelings and then you eventually lay them out there. And gain, if you’re like me, you’ll get rejected. Just kidding! Next!
3. Bobby Brown – Every Little Step [audio:bobby.mp3]
Bobby Brown is one of my favorite people ever and “Every Little Step” is one of my favorite joints. This is when you are really falling for the girl. You can’t get the broad out of your mind. You wake up thinking about her and go to sleep the same way. Y’all are dating and everything is super swell!
4. Ruff Endz – Someone to Love You [audio:ruffendz.mp3]
This is a truly beautiful song. The emotions are growing rapidly at this point. Neither of y’all have said I love you, but its inevitable. You’re literally saying stuff like “I’ve been waiting all my love for someone just like you, and I know, you’ve been waiting to” (from the song). This is a glorious part of the relationship where the future seems ever so bright.
5. Keith Sweat – Make It Last Forever [audio:keithsweat.mp3]
You’re in love. Now the word “forever” pops up. You’re thinking, “mayne, this woman is gonna be in it for the long haul.” Y’all express your love for each other at every moment. Y’alls love is better than other people’s. You’re reading her passages out of the bible even though you didn’t even make the Easter church service. You’re deep up in it. This is a beautiful duet as the artists compliment each other perfectly as dude individuals in true love. If you’re familiar with this album at all, you know what the next song is. Keith Sweat knew where love would eventually leave him.
(Now that I think about it, If I would have rearranged the tracks, I could have done this post using only Keith Sweat’s Make It Last Forever).
6. Anita Baker “Same Ol Love” [audio:anita.mp3]
Your love is growing deeper and deeper. Much time has past and, although there have been ups and downs, its still going strong!
7. James Ingram – 100 Ways [audio:ingram.mp3]
Uh oh! What’s wrong cuz? Sounds like things aren’t as “perfect” as they were. You haven’t cheated or anything, so what’s up? Find 100 ways to make it better. You have to work harder to keep the spark going.
Bein’ cool won’t help you keep a love warm
You’ll just blow your chance
Take the time to open up your heart
That’s the secret of romance
8. Jodeci “Lately” [audio:lately.mp3]
Damn bro, its falling apart and you cannot figure out why. You go back and forth between blaming her and blaming yourself. You have some good days, no doubt, but they’re mostly bad. Both of you have stopped doing the little things that once meant so much. Your emotions have strayed.
9. Stevie Wonder – Summer Soft [audio:summersoft.mp3]
Its over dawg. She’s gone and you’re left alone. It caught you off guard too, because you thought y’all were working it out. Nope. She says she can’t do it anymore. She has to move on, so give her space. No contact whatsoever. You’re alone.
This song is damn near perfect. Break ups are such spectacles and I think the production reflects that. Stevie is a genius.
10. Case – Missing You [audio:case.mp3]
You’re trippin’. Every thought of her triggers a damn near uncontrollable downpour of tears that you have use your entire body to fight off. You spend all your time outside of your crib because everything inside of it reminds you of her and what you once had. You hate coming home at night because you know that’s when the loneliness is at its most painful. The friends you really didn’t have time for before are now special because you don’t want to be by yourself. Your relationship plays over and over again in your head which makes you sink lower and lower into the depths of self-pity. How could you lose sooo much? You miss her so badly that you day dream she’s there with you and its all good again. You’ve lost it fam!
11. Luther Vandross – A Home is Not a Home. [audio:luther1.mp3]
You know I had to have some Luther on here! You are so damn lonely. You’re not that crazy anymore, but lonely as hell. You’re calling people just to hear them talk. You’re heartbroken and there’s nothing anyone, not ever your mama, can do about it. You’re praying that she’ll come back, but in your heart, you know its over. Love is lost.
Pretty little darling, have a heart, don’t let one mistake keep us apart
I’m not meant to live alone, turn this house into a home
When I climb the stairs and turn the key
Oh, please be there, sayin’ that you’re still in love with me, yeah…
12. Luther Vandross – Superstar [audio:luther2.mp3]
Yup, more Luther. This is rock bottom. The songs starts off with a piece of Stevie Wonder’s “Until You Comeback to Me.” Basically, that song is about a heartbroken person who still has hope that his/her former lover will return. After those initial lines, there is an instrumental break where I assume Mr. Heartbroken realizes that she’s not coming back. It finally hits home. Then the song really kicks in. The singer works through all of the disappointment, loneliness, anger, betrayal, and pain that he has been feeling. I love the final part of this song which mostly consists of random words and phrases. You can really feel him working through his issues. He eventually lets you know,
Alright now
I used to be sad
But now it’s alright, it’s alright
Ooh, baby, it’s alright, it’s alright
Alright now
Its alright now. R.I.P. Luther.
13. Guy – Piece of My Love [audio:guy.mp3]
Now you’re rebelling. You’ve declared war on the female species. You talked to your boys and they’re like “Yeah, bro, fuck these girls, get yours!” So now you claim that you’re gonna dog women out even though its not in you. You’re not gonna give up your heat anymore, all these hoes can have a “piece of your love.” You have plenty of pieces to hand out.
I always liked this song, but it became even better when my boy informed me that Aaron Hall uttered the phrase “dumb b*tch” during the initial chorus (Listen for it, its in the beginning of the song when the chorus is repeated). This whole song is game. You can have a piece of my “love” because I’m pissed off and I don’t want to respect you, dumb b*tch. Mayne! (note: I don’t call women b”tches and hoes. I was using artistic license.)
14. Ginuwine – The Differences [audio:differences.mp3]
You didn’t have it in you. You ain’t a bad guy. You’re were still hurting. All you want is a good woman to be by your side. You want someone to support you as you navigate through life. You aren’t selfish either because you want to do the same for them. You want someone to share world with , some of that Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. Although your heart has lost some innocence, you have yet to give up hope. You just pray that your next endeavor with love will truly be love.
So yeah, it took some “growth” for me to finally connect with R & B. Recently I’ve been able to interact with a group of Black men who are all married with beautiful families. These bros have truly made positive impressions on me in terms of my outlook on relationships. At times I just sit there in awe, touched by the beauty of it all. The soundtrack to our interactions includes a wealth of R & B which always drums various emotional responses. As an adult, I see the role this music plays in people’s lives. When done correctly, these songs can truly express emotions that we, in many cases, struggle to verbalize or even comprehend. Damn I love music!
*loads Eightball & MJG’s “Pimp Hard” into the mp3 player.”