By Eli (68.236.53.71) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 11:42 am:

As we have already covered the most ridiculous song lyrics, now how about your favorite song lyrics and why you like them?

By ~medusa~ (68.250.8.110) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 12:28 pm:

What Love Has Joined Together~Temps
This is just a beautiful love song, with a helluva meaning of keeping a realationship uptight & alright.
How Sweet It Is~Marvin Gaye
Basically the same reason as above, but showing appreciation and gratitude of the love our partner has shown.
Aint No Way~Aretha
Everybody Needs Love~Gladys & Pips
Through The Fire~Chaka Khan
Let Me In~Dramatics
I like these 2 songs, because they're saying that no matter how bad a relationship has been, or has ended, we must keep on loving ourselves enough to give & accept love.
Misty Blue~Dorothy Moore
Even after long periods of time, certain persons from a realtionship or an affair, will always have a spot in our hearts, and sometimes, we're reminded by a song, a smell, or a place, or maybe we just wont let go and we let those old memories fill our heads with that particuliar person, that takes over our entire mind set...and are actually longing for that person, time, and space...again.
When You Get Right Down To It~Delfonics/Aretha
Now this song is so true. 'Cause when we get right down to it, we all want love and to be loved, and we want it to last...but we want to do all the things for, to, and with our mate, and forget about ourselves...but as long as we can get (and try to keep) that physical love going on, we tend to believe all is well. When in reality, Sex & Love are 2 different things.
Keep The Home Fires Burning~Lattimore
To me, it simple means to keep the Home front in order. Make sure the Home and all it's dwellings(Mates,Kids,Bills, Home/Auto repairs) are in good standards. Although none of us can control another human being, we want to be able to trust their going out & coming in (as well as our own).
Let's Straighten It Out~Lattimore
..and if we don't keep the home fores burning, then we need to sit down and talk about it.
Ok, that's enough, Ifeel like I'm giving lessons here (smile)...but I hope I responded to this thread the right way.

By ~medusa~ (68.250.8.110) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 12:34 pm:

I ust say this is a good thread Eli~

By Eli (68.236.53.71) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 01:12 pm:

Great choices Medusa!!!

BTW, are you a Scorpio or is Scorpio placed prominently in your natal chart ?

By manny (80.58.52.235) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 07:19 pm:

Hola, señor Bobby "Electronic"!

Interesting thread, because sometimes the high quality of the music and the voices in soul make to forget that also the lyrics are good in many cases.

Some of my fave lyrics:
-Cold Cold World / Teddy Pendergrass.
I don't have the lyrics and don't well understand when i heard it in the turntable but i believe the message is the same that write Kenny Gamble in the back-cover of the album where says about when we all come out of the maternal placent and comes on the Universal Placent. We all have many adversitys but should to transformed it in something positive without let this cold world make us depressives.

-You Can Hide From Yourself / Teddy Pendergrass.
As the previous case, i read the message by Kenny Gamble in the sleeve and i likes when he says: "everywhere we go, we are there!"

-Many social concerning tunes as "Rich Get Richer" by O'Jays, "There's No Place Like America Today" by Curtis Mayfield or "Wake Up Everybody" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.

Peace & Soul Food!

By ~medusa~ (68.79.167.39) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 07:48 pm:

I was born under the sign of "Cancer" Eli.

By Juicefree20 (141.149.58.139) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 08:18 pm:

Bobby E, Bobby E, what's up!

It's not easy to follow such greatness as Ms Medusa. I won't even try. There's one song that comes to mind right off the top of my head: My Deceiving Heart by The Impressions. My reason for choosing this song is that too often, I've seen the damage that jealousy creates. I'ts so silly & immature, yet, we see the effects of it all too often, on the news & with people whom we know.

I think that everyone with a touch of the green-eyed monster, should listen very closely to this song. It's a very true song & I wonder where Curtis got the inspiration for it.

Bobby, I'll think of a few more:

Atlantic Starr - Let's Get Closer - A beautiful expression of love from a man to a woman.

The Dramatics - I Can't Get Over You - L.J. pours his heart out & any man who's ever loved & lost in love, understands this one. And then...

Lenny Williams - Cause I Love You - Most men aren't man enough to break it down to a woman quite like this. Lenny wasn't worrying about no macho crap, or his feminine side. This brother LOVED his woman & made no bones about it.

Marvin Gaye - Distant Lover - This song reminds me of those Summer Loves from my teen years. I met a young lady from the South who was visiting New York for the Summer. It was all good & we promised to keep in touch & we did for a while. Of course, over the passage of time, we lost contact with each other. Aah, but those innocent memories

The Dramatics - Be My Girl & The Moments - With You - More from my teen years. I met my first serious, serious girlfriend around this time. I was 16, she was 23 & I was open. Suddenly, all of those love songs began to make sense to me.

Joe Bataan - My Cloud - Though I was 8 when this came out, it's message is timeless. We all dream about finding that special person & how wonderful it will be once we find it. Well, Joe found it & how sweet it was.

The Dazz Band - Slow Rap - I once met a young lady while DJing at a club. I was 18 & she was a few years younger. If you are familiar with the song, the song lyrics went precisely the way that I met her. I didn't know that they would "steal" my experience & make a song out of it .

I have a few others, but, I really have to think about this. Good thread Bobby, I guess that I'll have to think for a change, Huh .

Peace Bobby E & Ms "Dusa"
Juice

By Juicefree20 (68.161.21.84) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 08:55 pm:

Medusa, I guess that's why I Like you. I'm July 7th, aah, my fellow Cancerian

Peace!
Juice

By Soul Sister (65.43.144.46) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 09:08 pm:

Hey Medusa Cancer Friend!
Jimmy & I are both Cancers too!! You too Juice! Cool!
S.S.

By Robb_K (66.81.24.87) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 09:18 pm:

"My Smile Is Just A Frown, Turned Upside Down" by Smokey Robinson (whole song)

followed closely by "Truly Yours" by Mickey Stevenson & Ivy Hunter (whole song)

A lot of songs by Smokey were very poetic, but also deep, at the same time. That is a combination that's hard to beat.

By Soul Sister (65.43.144.46) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 09:37 pm:

I'll do a Detroit thing for a change:
Lyrics to "Fork In The Road"-Smoke

S.S.

By Juicefree20 (68.161.21.84) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 09:40 pm:

Cancer & my name is J.T. Now I love a woman....OH, never mind, y'all know the song. Hey Sis, now it is beginning to make sense to me. I guess that some of us have more in common than merely our opinions. I would have never guessed & Jimmy's a Cancer too? All right there Mr. Scott! I wonder how many more of us are here in the forum.

Take care & may God continue to smile upon you!
Juice

By Soul Sister (65.43.144.46) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 09:48 pm:

Thanks for the blessed words. Yes, there might be more to this thing. Jimmy was born on the 17th., me on the 23rd. so I'm actually on the cusp. They say if your born within 5 days of either side of the cusp you have both sign's traits in you. My nature and likes are truly the Cancer side, I say the Leo side is the trouble side.(Ha-Ha-)!!
Have a great night Juice and ditto, right back attcha.
S.S.

By Juicefree20 (68.161.21.84) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 10:55 pm:

Whatch out now S.S.! Don't let that lion get the best of you

Good night & God bless!
Juice

By Richard Felstead (128.40.91.183) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 03:38 am:

The Sweetest Pain - Dexter Wansel.
A wonderful arrangement, with great lyrics to boot.

Just My Imagination - The Temptations.
A record from my childhood which reflects the feelings of a man who is lonely, who wants to be with someone, who belongs to another. We've all been there at some point, haven't we. :-))

Not Like This - Al Jarreau.
A totally stripped down track, which exposes the true feelings of a man going through a break-up.
Pretty gut wrenching stuff, without a hint of sugar anywhere. !!!! Tastefully done.

Why Can't We Be Lovers - Lamont Dozier.
Class, just sheer class. The whole nine yards with this one.

Lastly, this will be an odd one for you.

September 15th - Pat Metheny Group.
This is an instrumental, no lyrics at all.
However, the emotions this laid back track takes you though is more powerful than some cuts with vocals.Does anyone else know this / heard it ?.
From an album called, As falls witchita, so falls witchita falls. Listen to Pat on guitar, and Lyle Mays on piano, and tell me if it don't get to ya.

By E (68.236.53.71) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 04:37 am:

Wonderful choices, y'all!

By Rodmann (12.223.170.105) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 04:42 am:

Hey Medusa. You are so on point about Latimore's 'Keep The Home Fire Burnin'. That's one of my all-time favs. Girl, you beat me to the punch! LOL. As soon as I read your post I immediately thought of another one of my favorite lyrics. Gwen McCrae's 'Keep The Fire Burning':

"We spend a lot of time searching for love
And never know where it's comin' from
And as soon as we get it somehow
We seem to think that our work is done
But the same thing it took to get that love
Are the things that you'll have to do to keep it
You gotta stay on your J-O-B
You gotta give a little, take a lot
Give it all you got ohhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Gwen wasn't lying was she? LOL. It starts out good but always seems to get so damn ugly! Haha. Next time I just might take her and Latimore's advice.

By ~medusa~ (68.79.91.68) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 11:24 am:

Now U know we Cancerians are very emotional and family oriented...we're just GOOD people...but when it comes to Men, I can't go by the stars in the sky, but the stars in his eyes(LOL)
When/If the Vibe is right...then it's on.
just talking stuff Y'all...(hahahahahaha)

By E (68.236.53.71) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 12:46 pm:

Speaking of astrology, the next time some saks you what yor sign is tel them:

My son's in jail
My rent is rising
My mother's in my seventh house
and your penis is up your anus

By Moanman (24.44.218.110) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 02:02 pm:

Sup E.,

How you doin� these days?


I�ve been pondering this question. Truthfully, at least for me, the most appealing songs, lyrically, tell emotional stories, but are very clever (sometimes even tricky) in their meaning. I admire when an artist can spin words and metaphors to make you *feel several layers* inherent within the subtext of a particular song.

Here, I realize I�ve a history of hyping this chick a lot, but please bear with me, because it�s the perfect example of what I mean:

Last Chance Texaco�by Rickie Lee Jones

�A long stretch of headlights bends into I-9
Tiptoe into truck stops
And sleepy diesel eyes
Volcanoes rumble in the taxi
And glow in the dark
Camels in the driver�s seat
A slow and easy mark

But you ran out of gas
Down the road a piece
Then the battery went dead
And now the cable won�t reach

It�s your Last Chance
To check under the hood
Your Last Chance
She ain�t sounding too good
Your Last Chance
To Trust the Man with the Star
You�ve found the Last Chance Texaco

Well, he tried to be Standard,
He tried to be Mobil,
Tried livin� in the World,
And in a Shell�
There was this block-busted blonde
And he loved her free parts and labor
But she broke down and dead
She threw all the roads that he gave her

Oh, this one ain�t fuel-injected
Her plug�s been disconnect
She gets scared, and she stalls
She just needs a man-- that�s all

It�s her last chance
Her timing�s all wrong
Her last Chance
She�s can�t idle this long
Her last chance
Turn her over and go
Pulllin� out of the Last Chance Texaco
The Last Chance��

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Now, I ask you, E� is the above really about trucks, stalled engines, cars and gas stations? Nah! It�s about something much deeper� like the human condition: solitude, aloneness, the road less traveled, it�s about seizing opportunities, aging, reaching out for a piece of happiness, love, sex, death, that whole gamut. Stuff like that, stuff with many layers�really moves me.


Others:

Lush Life�lyrics by Billy Strayhorn (brilliant, sad�loneliness and world-weariness turned into high art)

Strange Fruit- Louis Allan (haunting realism that�s political, topical for its time, tragic, yet very poetic)

Always- Irving Berlin (the ultimate love song about endurance)

Day By Day-- Sammy Cahn (just a straight-up beautiful sentiment)

Misty- Erroll Garner/ Johnny Burke (ultimate romantic vulnerability)

Quiet Night of Quiet Stars- Antonio Carlos/ Gene Lees (mad, dreamy romantic stuff)

Nature Boy- Ahbez (something fantastical and yet very simplistic about this song)

Since I Fell For You- Buddy Johnson (obsessively poetic)

Try A Little Tenderness � Jimmy Campbell, Harry Woods, Reg Connelly (a crucial lesson in relating to the fairer sex)

Four Women- Nina Simone (part dramatic history/ part monologue of the treatment and conditioning of Black women in particular parts of America)

Ne Me Quitte Pas- Jacques Brel (the translation is simple: �Don�t Leave Me�)

Tears of a Clown- Smokey Robinson (perfect analogies to depict the inner turmoil behind a smiling face & broken heart)

Clouds- Joni Mitchell (wondrous use of metaphor to illustrate one�s youthful perception & the lessons learned with time and experience)

Amelia- Joni Mitchell (the beautiful sadness of the aviatrix�s doom, made poetic and memorable)

Furry Sings the Blues- Mitchell (a plaintive cry about the birth and death of the Blues)

Who Have Nothing- Jerry Leiber/ Mike Stoller (a poor man�s obsession w/ the one who got away)

You�ve Lost That Loving Feeling- Leiber/Stoller (speaks for itself)

Fool On The Hill- Lennon/McCartney (beautifully describes how solitude has its own price)

Maybe I�m Amazed- Paul McCartney (wonderful description of what happens when loves gets in, and stupefies you)

A Song For You- Leon Russell (a sweet been-there-done-that-song about finding simplicity in love)

Imagine- John Lennon (a sad, yet hopeful cry of starry-eyed world optimism� it�s idealism at its best)

The Makings of You- Curtis Mayfield (sweet, yet not syrupy ode to recognizing the wonder in loving)

Flyin� High (In the friendly Sky) M. Gaye (almost spiritual tune revealing the consequences of getting high)

Blame it On the Sun- Syreeta (lyrics) (Ms. Wright�s words provide a sad gravity, which rises above the typical break-up song and looks deeper within, as the singer finally accepts his/her own imperfection)

Everything Must Change- Bernard Ighner (The story of life itself)

Bridge Over Troubled Water- Paul Simon (Positive re, at its best and most forthright)

You Are Everything- Thom Bell/Linda Creed (romantic realization)

People Make the World Go Round- Bell/Creed (a soulful reality made hummable)

Just a Little Piece of You- Syreeta/ Stevie Wonder (a tale of true and unselfish love)

Don�t Cry- Syreeta/ Leon Ware ( a running theme where Syreeta teaches a lost lover to learn how to deal)

As- Stevie Wonder (WOW! Can anyone love deeper or fuller than the lyrics testify in this song?)

Another Star- S. Wonder (Obsession, cleverly disguised as a rhymic love song)

Knocks Me Off My Feet- S. Wonder (a vulnerable, honest, keeping-it-all with the emotions the jam)

Just Like A Woman- Bob Dylan ( a poem to a woman�s needs and sensitivity, brilliant!)

Taxi- Harry Chapin (ironic tale about what often becomes of young love in a jaded world of materialism)

Never Can Say Goodbye- Clinton Davis (title says it all)

Love Won�t Let Me Wait- Bobby Eli/Vinnie Barrett (a sensuous lets-it- get-on cut, that doesn�t resort to cheap tricks to get its point across)

Our Lives- Minnie Riperton/ Richard Rudolph (a peacefully buoyant ode to a hopeful future)

Good Intentions- Nona Hendryx ( a realist�s take on how sometimes the best of intentions ain�t enough)

Cried My Last Tear Maxyn Lewis (a strong woman saying: �enough with the madness! It�s ovuh!�)

La Costa- Natalie Cole (a romantic getaway tune that can take its listener clear away)

Something So Right�Paul Simon (clever tune about a loser who can�t believe his sudden good fortune)

Dreams- Stevie Nicks (a ballad about the realization of losing at the game of love)

Summer Highland Falls- Billy Joel (a sage�s refrain of how life offers us �either sadness or euphoria�)

In Your Eyes- Peter Gabriel (�In your eyes, I see the doorway of a thousand churches� In your eyes, the resolution of all my fruitless searches�� Dats pure poetry!)

Get Here- Brenda Russell�(patience bordering on desperation, a sexy demand that doesn�t succumb to utter I�m-gonna-bust-any-minute horniness)

Piano In the Dark- Brenda Russell (a tale of a woman determined to tip out the door, then becomes more about temptation & her weakness of the flesh, for a cat who can apparently play a sexy mean-azz piano)

No More �I Love You�s�- D. Freeman/J. Hughes (kind of a cold, I�m-not-going-there-w/-you-anymore song� very haunting)

Weasel in a White Boy�s Cool- Rickie Lee Jones (dig the lyrical ingenuity, where she observes her boy on hard-times, who �buys his meat from the whore next door/ wants it rare, but he it gets well� Like a weasel on a short-order floor��)

When Doves Cry- Prince (I think the title is pure poetry and the verses surrounding it didn�t disappoint)

Sign O� The Times- Prince (�a big disease with a little name�, he was the first person I ever heard refer to AIDS that way. Powerful. That�s only a measure of his mastery of language, very evident in this song, as in many others)

Anastasia- Prince (loneliness, isolation, desperation and relief� even if only comes from a fantasy figure)

Human Nature- Rod Temperton (temptation, temptation, temptation)

Be Still My Beating Heart- Sting (trying to control love�s impulse, when it�s clearly too strong to resist)

Lazarus Heart- Sting (hopes for reincarnation when the end of a loved one�s life is near)

Vanishing- Mariah Carey (sadly watching the self-destruction of a loved one, unable to stop
Possess� I�ve been there)

Kiss From A Rose- Seal (romantic telling of how love can brighten even the darkest spaces in our lives)

Brown Skin- india-arie (sexy, proud, self-affirmation of Black-on-Black love)

Eternity- Lizz Wright (a lovely what-if-you�re-the-one song: �I�ll find the answer, and if the answer is you. I�ve have to have you, for eternity�. This promises, that upon further inspection, once the heart�s desire is found, love will last a lifetime)

So many others I�ve no time to list, but a very provocative question, E.

One.

MM

By LadyMystique (216.108.206.177) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 06:30 pm:

BE FOR REAL sticks out in my mind by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes because of the preaching in the intro by Teddy to his lady...you don't get many songs like this anymore and it is so real and down to earth. BTW, any stories behind this song?

By manny (80.58.52.235) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 07:05 pm:

Hey, mystical LadyMystique,

This is in the linner notes CD "From Philly With Love" (Epic-Legacy, Rythm & Soul) about "Be For Real", write by David Ritz:

«I've been obsessed with "Be For Real" since it hit in 1972. Teddy Pendergrass, lead singer for Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, recites a dramatic soliloquy worthy of August Wilson. Norman Harris' chart is perfect. Porous jazz provides the backdrop to Teddy's scorching indictment of his social-climbing lady; the music is super cool, the anger red-hot, the emotions deadly sincere. When Teddy's rage turns tender and he says, "I wanna be proud of you, Mama... I wanna be proud", I get a lump in my throat. When he finally breaks into song and gloriously brings the message home, I'm complete mush".

Peace!

By Soul Sister (65.43.144.46) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 07:09 pm:

Hi Manny;
Thats our David, so for real himself and a true soul conissuer.
S.S.

By LadyMystique (216.108.206.177) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 07:23 pm:

Thanks Manny...anymore Forum?

By manny (80.58.52.235) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 07:35 pm:

Gusp!!

Pardon-me, friends! I don't knows that until now!
It's David Meikle, the same David who co-wrote songs with Marvin Gaye and some biographies by soul stars...? This forum is a source of good surprises!

Thanks, Ms. Scott (you can see my ignorance!)

By Soul Sister (65.43.144.46) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 07:46 pm:

Manny;
I was speaking of David Ritz, who writes songs, liner notes, books, & biographies on soul artists (he wrote Jimmy's and is like a brother to me), thats why I said "our" David meaning "Mine & Jimmy's" (smile). He won 5 Gleason Awards more than any other music biographer. He'll be doing the screenplay for Jimmy's movie based on his life.
No, Manny you are not ignorant, you are a very hip cat!(Smile). One of the best!
Always,
S.S.

By manny (80.58.52.235) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 09:53 pm:

Hello again, dear friends!

Hey, Ms. Scott, thanks for your nice words. Anyway sometimes is like i lives on Mars or in the new planet that was discovered recently, much beyond from Pluton! (smile!).
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Another good lyrics I knows is from Angelo Bond's "Reach For The Moon (Poor people)", not only for his social conciously, but also for his poetry:

"A city like Detroit can trample the weak
When You're born in black bottom, near hasting street
I never knew my daddy, just the love of my mother
And nine other small sisters and brothers
We lived in a house by the alley in the back
And called it "home" thought it was a shack
Mama used to gather us all in one room
With tears in her eyes, she'd say "Reach for the moon"
She'd say reach my babies
Reach little children
All you poor people reach
Some of us fell along the way side
I got a brother in jail but Lord knows he tried
A brother that's a doctor, one a lawyer, one a preacher
A sister going to college soon she'll be a teacher
Mamam lived for us,but not in vain
She loved and she taught us all the same
To reach for the moon you may land among the stars
But you're gonna make it
You're gonna make it
I know that you are
You may not have enough room to sleep
You may not have enough food to eat
You may not have shoes on your feet
But you gotta be strong, you can't be weak
Reach for the moon you may land among the stars
But you're gonna make it
You're gonna make it
I know that you are"

(writen by Angelo Bond, from his "Bondage" Lp, ABC Records, 1976)

Peace!

By Juicefree20 (68.161.46.83) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:16 pm:

Hey Manny, how are you. There is nothing ignorant about you my friend. You have a great knowledge & love for Soul music & your love shines through. You speak of songs that I've never even heard of. You are a true Soul lover, so keep on truckin, my friend!

Peace
Juice

By Soul Sister (65.43.144.46) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:58 pm:

Hey Manny;
Great lyrics with a positive message in the end.

Thanks for the education on artists I'm not familiar with! You do "Reach For The Moon" and capture it too!!

Gotta run, boxing is coming on.
Good night and have a great night!!
S.S.

By manny (80.58.52.235) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 12:42 pm:

Hello again, soulful brothers & sisters!

Again, many thanks friends Juicefree and Ms. Scott, for your nice and brotherly comments.
If somebody can to knows something little because my "learned" i'm very glad and honoured, but i learn a lot everyday grace to all of you.
BTW, about Angelo Bond i think is a singer is worth to know. Appart from his lyrics he have a precious falsetto voice and his songs a high mellow feel. This album captivated me totally when i haved no idea of english! (almost like today, smile!).

Peace & Soul Food!

By manny (80.58.52.235) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 12:46 pm:

Hello again, soulful brothers & sisters!

Again, many thanks friends Juicefree and Ms. Scott, for your nice and brotherly comments.
If somebody can to knows something little because my "learned" i'm very glad and honoured, but i learn a lot everyday grace to all of you.
BTW, about Angelo Bond i think is a singer is worth to know. Appart from his lyrics he have a precious falsetto voice and his songs a high mellow feel. This album captivated me totally when i haved no idea of english! (almost like today, smile!).

Peace & Soul Food!

By Nish (128.239.194.248) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 07:08 pm:

Some great lyrics being tossed about here.

I really love the following song lyrics

"I Love You Secretly" - Marvin Gaye - this song is a smoldering, torturous ballad about love that just ain't right. The narrator hopes God forgives him, and feels guilty for merely wanting his object to like him back. I mean, Marvin captures the agony of loving someone who is occupied so well.

You're Still A Young Man - ToP - the lyric is simple and the sentiment passionate. When he sings "Yes there are some girls, you know I'd drop them on sight just for you." Everyone would love to hear that.

A Fork In The Road - Smokey Robinson -Smokey as the world-weary traveler who has made some mistakes, precautioning everyone to beware.

By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Jimmy Webb - The song is just cruel. Mean-spirited. But FUN!

Natural High (??? Writer???) - This is one of those songs you appreciate even more when you have actually experienced this type of feeling, liking someone from afar. And you really do wonder why you are always preoccupied with them, without ever having exchanged more than a hello. Sigh.

I'd Give My Life For You - Marvin Gaye - any song that says "the essence of your togetherness, darling, is so divine" has to be a favorite lyric.

Darn That Dream (???) - When you're so tortured by dreaming about someone that you'd welcome a nitemare, you know that's powerful love

Whatever Makes You Happy - (Smokey Robinson) - "If my sadness brought you gladness, I'd be glad to be sad." This cat's willing to deal with emotional abuse to keep the girl happy.

I Would Die 4 U - Prince - the lyrics are puzzling and utterly devotional in a "Prince" kind of way.

Lonely Women - Laura Nyro - Laura's sad ode to lonely women is so beautiful and the imagery inspires sadness - "don't got no children to be grandmother for."

"The Wind" - Nolan Strong

"Only Those In Love" - Baby Washington - the never been in love before sentiment expressed beautifully.

Ooo Baby Baby - the perfect apology.

Sideshow - the bitte side of love eloquently portrayed.

Great Day - the 'sigh' of finding the perfect someone, and how great a day that is. Gives me something to look forward to, even if I think it's a bit of false advertisement.

As you can tell from my selections, I'm partial to songs that express an almost obsessive, type of love. I think those lyrics inspire artists to new heights.

By Soul Sister (65.43.144.46) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 08:21 pm:

Hi Nish;
You have to listen to Jimmy's "Darn That Dream" from his "But Beautiful" CD Mmmm mmm mmm and Wynton Marsalis blows so powerfully on it. (smile). Talk about moving...well, you know.
Nish, I'm partial to those type songs too!
S.S.

By LadyMystique (216.108.206.177) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 10:19 pm:

Nish...Marvin's lyrics, whether delivered well by him or written by him, are always prolific. I WANT TO COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is another one by Marvin that comes to mind.

By Nish (128.239.194.248) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 11:17 pm:

I must hear "Darn That Dream" get the deluxe treatment from Jimmy Scott. I might have it in my record collection back home! Trust me, I know!

And you and I truly see eye to eye on this music thing! I like songs that kind of praise the subject of the song, but those songs about pining after someone kill me. And I think it yields great vocal results.

I also missed "The Bells" - once again, Marvin Gaye captures the obsessive, needy side of love perfectly "if you ever leave me, I believe i'll go insane." Daag!

LadyMystique, you are right on the money. Marvin Gaye to me, is not as much of an "artistic" writer as Smokey Robinson. I think he was more of a tortured "I need to get this out of me" type of writer. Someone who captured the raw feelings.

By DyvaNaye (209.212.74.212) on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 02:30 pm:

Youre All I Need In Life - Spinners

Anything that Phillipe Wynne put his voice to is a poetic metaphoric analogy...that song is BRILLIANT about the growing up from young needy love to absolute adult love...

What A Way To Love - Billy Paul
Song that tells about a relationship that stands the test of time. Billy just 'wears that song out'. Im glad I got to talk to him about this song 2 years ago...and he said 'man I almost forgot that one, I have not performed that in almost 30 years...I dont know if I can hold the note anymore!' :-) I thought it was sweet of him to acknowledge and oblige me with detail of the song and what it meant ot him. His wife Blanche is an excellent person to know. A pure sweetheart who looks out for her man.

You Can Depend on Me/Baby Baby Dont Cry/Choosey Beggar/That's What Love is Made of: Smokey + Music = poetic justice.

By ~medusa~ (68.79.98.26) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 12:16 am:

...at this time, may I also add a song by Alexnder O'Neal?

Sentimental~now this song can make you cry.
He sings about memories of his childhood, and his Mother calling him and his siblings to dinner...but the other touching part is when he talks about a relationship he had with an Older Woman and how they let their age get in the way...but ummm
he describes this (Older) Woman so~so~so~so
wonderful, unforgettable, Loveable..and he sings how he gets emotional, when he thinks of her love, and how she touched his life, and how he still needed her. Then he goes on to sing how we should spend sometime with our loved ones while they're around
I mean this whole song is about Love for everyone in our lives.
I'm sure if any of you has this song by Alexander O'Neal, it's worth another listen.
I can't remember the name of the Tape (or CD), but he's dressed to kill and standing by a fancy Car in front of a very Large Building (some where in Europe)

By Soul Sister (65.43.144.46) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 11:14 am:

Hi Nish;
Yes, we are on the same page. Vocalists who emphasize and wring the emotion out of each lyric in telling the story bring the meaning home the best. Tourchy, desperate love ballads get right to the heart and touch the deepest parts of the listener. Love 'em the best!
I always enjoy your choices as I can relate.
S.S.

By Eli (68.236.59.174) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 12:49 pm:

Hey Nish,
Thanks for the inclusion of Sideshow in your list.
That meant alot to me.

By Eli (68.236.59.174) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 12:57 pm:

Moan,
A belated thank you for your mention of LWLMW in your copious list of wonderful,and great poetic songs.

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 03:19 pm:

HEY ELI,GOOD ONE..I CAN'T FIND SLEEP AT NIGHT,I'M EITHER WATCHING TV OR WALKIN,I CAN'T FIND ANY CONVERSATION THAT MEANS MORE TO ME THAN TALKIN[I CAN'T FIND]CLASSIC SMOKEY WITH THE INTERPLAY OF WORDS AND REALISM THAT ONLY HE CAN CONVEY.ONE DAY YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME TOO,NEXT DAY YOU TELL ME THAT WE ARE THROUGH[WHY YOU WANNA MAKE ME BLUE]TO ME NORMAN'S GREATEST TEMPS SONG.[FUNNY HOW I'VE STOPPED LOVING YOU,AND IT FUNNY I DON'T MISS ALL THE HEAVEN IN YOUR KISS[FUNNY]JUST A GREAT SONG FROM THE GREAT WALTER JACKSON.[IF IT MEANS ANYTHING TO YOU TO KNOW THAT I CARE FOR YOU CHECK IT OUT]NOW WHAT WOMAN COULD RESIST THAT SENTIMENT FROM TAVARES.

By DyvaNaye (209.212.74.211) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 03:37 pm:

Medusa,

I have that cd by Alexander Oneil, who is one of my favorite soul singers of 'today' so to speak ...the cd is All True Man, 1990, and he was in London where that picture was taken...Sentimental is a FABULOUS song...the one on the album that grabs my heart and soul is 'The Morning After'. Just superb. I think I will play it when I get in from work. Thanks Medusa;-)

By Bong-Man (63.148.123.128) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 04:24 pm:

For soul it would have to be "Tracks of My Tears" and "Ball of Confusion". It's amazing how those 1970 problems are still with us. Only the names have changed. Early Rap tune in my mind.

But my favorite lyric of all time is from Mr. Bob Dylan:

She lit a burner on the stove
And offered me a pipe
I thought you'd never say hello she said
You look like the silent type
Then open up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burning coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue

I got to get to her some how
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenters wives
Don't know how it all got started
I don't know what they're doing with their lives
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point
Of view....
Tangled up in blue.

a personal song about memories....me thinks.