In My Write Mind

… than music. That’s a fact. At least in my world. While peeping Dot’s page, I noticed that she was inspired to list 25 songs that she couldn’t live without. Not necessarily an “all-time” list, but one that reminds you why you fell in love with music in the first place.

That, of course, inspired me to do a similar list. Yup. “25 Songs That I Couldn’t Live Without.” Hope she doesn’t mind. LOL

Dot used the song that inspired her, Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things,” as her title. I chose “There’s Nothing Better …” as my title as a tribute to one of the songs on my list, the Luther Vandross - Gregory Hines duet, “There’s Nothing Better Than Love.”

So, here they are, in no particular order … some of my faves that have been spinning in my head lately.

“Never Stop,” Brand New Heavies — Heard this song at a club a few weeks ago, and shocked myself as I sang along and remembered all the words. This used to be my shit when it first came out: the infectious drums and guitars intertwined with the gorgeous voice of the slinky N’Dea Davenport … this song will get me going anytime, anyplace. “Take your time, won’t you try love / Not just think you can buy love …”

“Just Friends (Sunny),” Musiq Soulchild — This song makes me feel like I’m back in high school, crushing on a popular girl and finding the courage to finally approach her. It’s one of those songs that just make you feel good, like possibilities are endless. I swear, every time it comes on the Nano, it puts an extra pep in my step. “You can just chill … with us / Or you can just chill with me …”

(Aside: I chose to put this song on the list instead of “Love” by Musiq. It wasn’t an easy choice, since that song inspired an entire post last year. But being that it’s the beginning of a new season and it’s more likely I’ll be liking someone as opposed to loving them, “… Friends” seemed more appropriate. That is all. LOL)

“A House Is Not A Home,” Luther Vandross — My appreciation for this version of this song grows each time I hear someone else butcher it. This is arguably Luther’s signature song, and deservedly so. The haunting piano makes you picture him sitting in his living room playing a baby grand while lamenting a love lost. Makes me think the same as I listen to it. Nobody did it better than Luther. Fo’ sho’. “I’m so tired of being alone …”

“Electric Relaxation,” A Tribe Called Quest — Love me some old school hip-hop, and to me, this defines the early 90s perfectly: beats and witty lyrics. That’s it. And I loved it. This song personified the era, with the Tribe at its absolute apex. I swear, these cats could’ve sang about doing laundry and it would’ve went platinum at that point. “Relaxation” will always be one of my favorite songs from the group, with Tip setting it off nicely in the first bar of the first verse: “Honey, check it out you got me mesmerized / With your black hair and your fat ass thighs …” From there, I was hooked. I loved that era. And miss it much. Respect to Tribe.

“You Got Me,” The Roots — There’s a live version of this song that features a still unknown Jill Scott that I copped off the ‘net and have been running on my Nano for months. Love.this.version. Sure, Badu did her thang on the CD version, singing the hook that Jilly wrote, but hearing Jill belt it out with reckless abandon … is, to me, priceless. There’s a part of the song where she breaks down her name (“J-I-LL-S-C-O-TTee-ee-yeee …” lol) that she used for her debut CD. We all know I’m a Jill junkie, so having the live version makes me smile.

“How Many Ways,” Toni Braxton – One of her most underrated songs, in my opinion. This was vintage Braxton, all breathy and uneasy to decipher, but you knew she loved.this.man. Unlike “You Mean the World to Me,” where she seems grateful for something someone did for her, or “I Love Me Some Him,” where she indeed says she loves the dude, but not much else … “Ways” reveals just HOW MUCH she loves dude. She breaks it down by numbers like a broke ass school girl writing in her adolescent diary. She even put some hopscotch in that shit, proclaiming, “1 - 2, I love you!” Da hell? LOL Anyway, her pouring out her heart numerically — TWICE! — makes it one of my favorite Toni songs of all time.

“Before I Let You Go,” BlackStreet — From the three beats that begin the song, it has me entranced. Long live Dave Hollister! Once he left the group, the credibility and old school feel kinda left with him. I mean, you can really FEEL that Dave wants to give this girl one more kiss, one more dose of loving, one more bit of quality time, before he releases the embrace. That he knows that things are going wrong, but he just wants to be sure … wants to do all that he can to salvage the relationship … if it’s salvageable. “Lately I’ve been thinking … that something’s going wrong / Cause you have an attitude … and you’re not in the mood … like you used to … ”

The falsetto in the middle of the song, right before the second chorus?!?!? That alone makes the song a classic. The ad libs near the end by Dave are right on time. When he says, “Don’t say bye bye,” and “I don’t see a problem if I get one lil’ itty bitty kiss, babyyyy,” you can feel the angst and passion and begging in his voice. BlackStreet got this song completely right.

“Sky’s the Limit,” The Notorious B.I.G. featuring 112 – You can ask anyone who’s ever been in a car with me when this song comes on (especially in Vegas … lol): I go crazy. To me, this was Biggie’s best song off the double disc “Life After Death” because it told a true story of his life growing up, going from “ashy to classy.” LOL. Didn’t pull any punches, gave a chronological inventory of what took place once he got to high school. From his two pairs of Lees and counterfeit Le Tigres and Izods that he had to rock every day to his slinging, to his taking over and becoming the boss of his crew. We see it all — vividly. And that’s what made him a better than average emcee — the ability to tell stories. And from this song, we see that his dream was to make that money. Mission accomplished. “Sky is the limit and you know that if you keep on, just keep on pressing on / Sky is the limit and you know that you can have what you want, be what you want …”

“I’m So Into You,” Tamia – When I heard the Fabolous / Ashanti version of this song, I wanted to find him and punch him in his face. Just a complete waste of one of the most perfect songs ever made. The beat is ridiculous. Add in Mrs. Grant Hill’s cooing vocals and lawd … it puts it over the top. As anyone who’s been in the car with me (especially in Chicago … lol) will tell you, the song has me bopping every time I hear it. “I like what I feel when I’m with you … you’re a dream come true … don’t you ever leave my side … ‘cause it feels so right.” My sentiments about this song, exactly.

“A Song For You,” Donny Hathaway — “I know your image of me is what I hope to be … / Now I’m so much better / And if my words don’t come together / Listen to the melody because my love is in there hiding … “ Classsic. Period. ‘Nuff said.

“I Feel Good All Over,” Stephanie Mills — Ms. Mills makes it personal with this song, talking directly to her lover and letting him know that he scratches her itch. Completely. From the very first beat, you gotta know that this here is gonna be something serious. The simple yet emphatic “Mmm, hmm” that she voices right there in the beginning gives a clue … it’s on. With lyrics like “Even a little child could see …” and “You never cease to amaze me …,” you know that Steph is head over heels for this man. All four feet seven of her. LOL Her shreiking “SWEEEEEET!” is her version of a climax, followed by her proclamation that “you and I have what others dream about.” Nothing like a love song. That’s how they used to make ‘em. And thank goodness for the technology that allows me to listen. Much respect, Ms. Mills. With yo’ little self. LOL

“Sunday Morning,” Maroon 5 — Another driving song. Lawd, I can recall that weekend in L.A. when I ran this song into the ground, pressing play on the rental car CD player until it told me in an automated voice, “Next song, please.” LOL Love this song by the blue-eyed soulsters. This dude loved him some Jane, that’s for sure. He went so far as to say that he wanted to be a “flower in her hair.” What the fuck? That’s some love for that ass. LOL Anyway, I’ve broken this song down in other posts, so I won’t here. Just know that every time it comes on, I turn it up as high as I can and play fake drums. *shrug* Whaaaaaat? You knew I was a geek before I wrote that. LOL

“Uptown Anthem,” Naughty by Nature — If you want to get pumped up before taking the court — I mean REALLY pumped up like it’s you against the world — take a listen to this serving of Naughty as they pay homage to the greatest city in the world. It’s off of the “Juice” soundtrack, and just has that gritty New York sound that’s missing from everything nowadays. It’s a throwback to the vibe that makes you want to put on a mean mug and go out and do something — whether it’s kill somebody or score 45 on the fool that dares guard you. It gets you hype. At least it gets ME hype … every time I hear it. “Beat ya, break ya, broke ya, smoke ya, take ya / Send you to your little group on mute … Sooner or later …” and “Cussin’ wasn’t nothin’ til a black man rapped,” topped off with “We gonna break, we gonna bash / We gonna roll, we gonna smash!” Yeah … Viva Le Naughty!!!

OK, this is getting long. Part Two with numbers 14 - 25 tomorrow. Peace.