“If you call me home, I’ll come driving as fast as wheels can turn”.

If that don’t signify love, I don’t know what does.

“Driving” was the first Everything But The Girl song to get any significant chart ink in the U.S. What may be surprising to some is that EBTG made their initial American noise on the R&B charts. “Driving” fits perfectly in a quiet storm song lineup alongside Luther and Anita, and I’ve long considered Tracey Thorn a true soul singer. Their early work generally split the difference between adult-oriented R&B and the British “sophisti-pop” movement of the mid-to-late ‘80s as typified by acts like Sade and Swing Out Sister. Then they reinvented themselves (with an assist from Todd Terry) and their music got even better. But that’s another story for another time. I discovered them after “Driving” (although I’d have to imagine I heard the song on the radio/saw the video on BET at some point when it was a hit) but before the remix of “Missing” blew them up. 

Tracey Thorn’s a wonderfully captivating vocalist. And “Driving” has such beautiful lyrics and production. It’s warm and comforting, like a stack of fluffy pillows that you just can’t wait to fall into.