Category: Music

the “REAL” Best Break-Up Songs – #3: Bobby Womack – If You Think You’re Lonely Now

bobby-womack-071[1][Note: Originally published on Feb 28, 2011. Updated with footnotes]

Coming in at number three on my list is Bobby Womack’s “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” (from 1981’s The Poet). Unlike the other songs on this list, this ballad has balls (for lack of a better word). Bobby’s tired of his trifling, no-good, gold-digging woman, and walks out. No sad goodbyes, no regrets1.

“I’ll be looooong gone (and you’ll never find another man to treat you right)!”

Bobby Womack – If You Think You’re Lonely Now

the “REAL” Best Break-Up Songs – #4: Marvin Gaye – When Did You Stop Loving Me…

marvingaye_image_1024w[1][Note: Originally posted on Feb 24, 2011. Updated with notes and new observations]

I first wrote about this song 8 years ago. I haven’t ported that post over to this platform yet, but to summarize:

  • Marvin Gaye had an affair with a 17-year old woman by name of Janis Hunter (his muse for the classic I Want You album).
  • Anna (his then wife) filed for divorce and Marvin was forced to pay a large sum of money.
  • Marvin was going through the nose candy like Tony Montana; as a result he can’t pay everything.
  • The lawyers negotiate an agreement that some of the payment would come from Marvin’s next album.

Continue reading “the “REAL” Best Break-Up Songs – #4: Marvin Gaye – When Did You Stop Loving Me…”

the “REAL” Best Break-Up Songs – #5: Isley Brothers – Let Me Down Easy

Harvest for The World[Note: Originally posted on Feb 11, 2011. Updated with notes and new observations]

In my old blog, I randomly posted “Here’s the best break-up song ever – Guy’s “Goodbye Love”.  My brother called b.s. immediately – and he was right. I love that song, but it’s not the best break-up song1. Heck, it’s not even in the top 5.

So that got me thinking – what are my favorite break-up songs? Break-up songs have made a resurgence as late – with Adele’s “Hello” smashing records left and right2.

So, here, in a very un-scientific method 3 are my top 5 break-ups songs. Number Five –  The Isley Brothers’ “Let Me Down Easy” (off 1976’s Harvest For The World). 

I love this song; it’s one of their most underrated tracks off of one of their most underrated albums. “Let Me Down Easy” first shows up in the intro track “Harvest For the World Prelude”, but doesn’t get its requisite shine until the second side (yes, I originally bought this LP on cassette, and always thinks of the songs from a Side A/Side B point of view). Chris Jasper crafts a great intro4 which seamlessly leads into Ron’s falsetto.

The Isley Brothers – Let Me Down Easy

The Great American Songbook Countdown – #5: In a Sentimental Mood

John-Coltrane-Duke-Ellington[1]Note: I typically made small edits as I posts from my old blog to this platform. Usually, these tweaks are limited to spelling mistakes and additional footnotes. However, as I made edits to a series of posts about the Great American Songbook, I realized that I forgot to publish a post. So, here’s the final post in my top-10 countdown of my favorite GAS songs.

Duke Ellington originally recorded “In a Sentimental Mood” in 1935. Multiple artists have covered the track over the years: my favorite rendition is the 1962 version recorded by Ellington and John Coltrane1. This version shows shows a delicate and sensitive side to Trane’s brilliance. Duke Ellington is a master on the keys; this is a perfect pairing of two musical geniuses.

Shame on me: I didn’t hear this track until 1997’s Love Jones was released. For a self-professed jazz aficionado, that’s way too late.

In A Sentimental Mood

The Best Music You’ve Never Heard: Janelle Monáe’s BaBopByeYa

Note: This was originally posted in 2011, but I felt compelled to update this and publish as a new post. I LOVE this song, and I want everyone else to love it too. Simply put, this album (along with Quadron’s self-titled debut and the Internet’s Purple Naked Ladies Bonus EP)1 and renewed my hope in R&B.

Original Post (with small updates and new footnotes) – July 11, 2011:

janelle monaeI’ll admit it; I was late to the Janelle Monáe train. When she released “Tightrope” in early 2010, I was like “ehh”. Fortunately, the good people at Soulbounce got it right, and covered Monáe in their “End of 2010” posts. I checked out a few of her tunes, realized what I was missing, and headed straight to the iTunes store to get a copy of The ArchAndroid.

I remember being physically moved by the romanticism of “Say You Go”; the majestic nature “Suite II Overture”; the old school vibe of “Locked Inside“. My kids and I danced2 to “Tightrope” every weekend. Those songs had regular recurrences on my iPod playlists3. For some reason, I was lukewarm on “BaBopByeYa”. For some reason I just didn’t “get it”… it was just too complex for me.

“BaBopByeYa” is like the Moby Dick on [The ArchAndroid].
– Chuck Lightning (Producer, The ArchAndroid)

Well, I lucked on a video where Monáe and her production team explained the genesis and meaning of “BaBopByeYa”; it’s a beautiful and wonderfully magnificent song (the “Moby Dick” of The ArchAndroid). With this understanding, the song has new significance to me. The producers and song writers can do better justice than my words can; watch the video, then peep the track, my thoughts, and the lyrics after the bounce.

Continue reading “The Best Music You’ve Never Heard: Janelle Monáe’s BaBopByeYa”