When I was a kid, there were definitely people that cast aspersions on Michael Jackson’s sexuality. In the late ‘70s and ‘80s, the “Michael is gay” rumors were prevalent, to the point that a rumor floated (and was published) that MJ had actually undergone a sex change operation. Allegedly, the sex change was so that… Read More “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson (1982)
I remember at the height of “Human”‘s success, someone (I’m fairly sure it was Donnie Simpson on BET’s “Video Soul”, but I’m not 100% positive) remarking that it was the “hardest” sounding slow jam that he’d ever heard. That’s the truth. Slow jams were…well, soft. “Human” was sensitive, but the beat kicked. Producers Jimmy Jam… Read More “Human” by The Human League (1986)
I could’ve probably bundled the two Bee Gees “How” songs together and called it a day, but “How Deep Is Your Love” is such a fantastic song that I couldn’t give it short shrift by placing it in a post with another song. To this day, I get goosebumps when those famous Gibb harmonies kick… Read More “How Deep Is Your Love” by The Bee Gees (1977)
The Gibb Brothers were many things over the course of their forty years as a musical unit-Beatle clones, disco savants, disco pariahs, resurgent veterans. One thing that remained consistent, regardless of their public perception, was their ability to write a hell of a song. Proof of that talent lies in the mile-long list of Gibb… Read More “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” by The Bee Gees (1971)/Al Green (1972)
Luther Vandross owes his first major pop hit to a game of Pac-Man. As the story goes, Luther was at home, playing video games with his friend/collaborator/idol Dionne Warwick, when her son David came to pick her up and take her home. David asked Luther to check out a couple of songs he’d written, and… Read More “Here And Now” by Luther Vandross (1989)
“Helplessly In Love” is historically notable because it marked the first time the members of New Edition worked with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Jam & Lewis would ultimately help steer the ship that took New Edition over the teen idol hump and worked closely with the group their most artistically credible albums, 1988’s Heart… Read More “Helplessly In Love” by New Edition (1987)
Adele’s 21 album surpassed expectations to become a monster hit, the type of big-selling album that most people thought wasn’t possible in the 2010s (and seriously, probably won’t happen again). I’m pretty sure that Adele’s record company (and maybe not Adele herself, since she seems so blase about her success and that’s actually kind of… Read More “Hello” by Adele (2015)/”Hello” by Joe (2015)
Deon Estus was a premier bass player, having apprenticed until legendary Motown session man James Jamerson. Estus’s talents were noticed by pop duo Wham!, and he was hired by the duo and became an integral part of their touring band. Deon appears prominently in the “I’m Your Man” and “Edge of Heaven” videos. Following Wham!’s… Read More “Heaven Help Me” by Deon Estus (1989)
Tears For Fears is a textbook example of an act that made incredible singles, but their album tracks are uniformly…well, not bad. But significantly weaker by comparison. They were scorching in the summer of 1985, thanks to a trio of fantastic singles. We’ve discussed “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”earlier (damn, almost a year ago… Read More “Head Over Heels” by Tears For Fears (1985)
There is an element of religious iconography present in the music of British sophisti-pop group Breathe. Of their five top 40 American hits, one is called “Say A Prayer”, another (the excellent and phenomenally sad “Does She Love That Man”) takes place during the Christmas season, and their debut single is called “Hands To Heaven”.… Read More “Hands To Heaven” by Breathe (1987)
Five Star Jamz 