15 Must-Hear, Throwback Vibez, Vol. 3 | Playlist 🎧

1. Natalie Cole, “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”

💿 Inseparable • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 1975

“This will be an everlasting love / This will be the one I’ve waited for / This will be the first time anyone has loved me, oh, oh, oh.” Oh, what a 🎵 “Mighty Love” as 🎙 The Spinners would describe it! There can’t be a conversation about the late, great 🎙 Natalie Cole without her ‘ace in the hole.’  Which of her many hits is her ‘ace in the hole,’ you ask? Well, from my estimations, it’s the bright, exuberant 🎵 “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”. Simply put, Natalie flies high on this jazzy, spirited, instantly recognizable soul classic. The excerpted lyrics are ICONIC!

“Hugging and squeezing

And kissing and pleasing

Together forever through rain or whatever

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah you and me.”

“This Will Be” graces one of Cole’s most important, most notable albums, 💿 Inseparable, released in 1975.  Somehow, “This Will Be” is NOT Cole’s highest-peaking single on the pop charts. Regardless, this ‘THIS’ classic is by far the most decorated song of her illustrious career. It peaked at 📈 no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 – #HIT! Also, Inseparable was a top 20 album. Cole landed a 🏆 Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance for this song, also winning one for Best New Artist of the Year.  Basically, “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” is one of the greatest songs of all time!

Appears in 🔻:

• Natalie Cole, “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 7 (2022)
• These 15 Songs are About THIS
• 11 Thrilling Will or Wheel Songs

2. Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”

💿 Bella Donna • 🏷 Modern • 📅 1981

“But the moment / That I first laid / Eyes on him / All alone on the edge of seventeen.” One song comes to mind when you think about 🎙 Stevie Nicks: 🎵 “Edge of Seventeen” – DUH! “Edge of Seventeen” appears on Nicks’ iconic 1981 debut album, 💿 Bella Donna.  Ah, those post-Fleetwood Mac days! “Edge of Seventeen” is a vibe start to finish, beginning with its driving, rhythmic guitar and of course, the drum groove.  Vocally, Nicks sounds powerful, as a superstar should.

Besides the signature groove, I’d argue the chorus is one of the most memorable of all-time.  Besides the catchy lyrics, “Edge of Seventeen” has a timeless melody, one I certainly wish I’d penned!

“Just like the white winged dove

Sings a song

Sounds like she’s singin’

Whoo-whoo-whoo.”

Woo, indeed! The song encompasses grief for a deceased uncle and assassinated musician John Lennon, as well as inspiration from friend Tom Petty and his first wife, who essentially named the song.  The big takeaway from “Edge of Seventeen” – it’s one of the greatest songs of all time. Notably, it’s been sampled numerous times.

Appears in 🔽:

• Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 21 (2022)
• Seventeen: 5ive Songs No. 10 (2022)
• 11 Utterly Compelling Seventeen Songs
• 13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2

3. The Hollies, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”

💿 20 Golden Greats • 🏷 Parlophone • 📅 1978

“His welfare is my concern / No burden is he to bear /… He would not encumber me / He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” Those lyrics give me chills! To reiterate, 🎵 “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” is a truly beautiful, thoughtful song – one I wished I’d written. Among the earliest versions of this 🎼 ✍ Bob Russell / 🎼 ✍ Bob Scott penned cut comes from British pop/rock band 🎙 The Hollies, which formed in the early 1960s.  🎙 Allan Clarke provides the commanding, spirited lead vocals.  Clarke does a magnificent job of illustrating the text, which has no shortage of emotion and ‘weight.’

“If I’m laden at all

I’m laden with sadness

That everyone’s heart

Isn’t filled with gladness

Of love for one another.”

A force on his own, Allan Clarke gets a lift from potent, stunning vocal harmonies that appear tastefully throughout. Besides those punch-packing harmonies, a then up-and-coming 🎙 Elton John accompanies the band on piano.  In addition to those sweet pianistic skills, the band gets another lift – an orchestra! Those strings soar on this authentic ballad, clearly propelling it to top-ten hit status stateside, and eventually hitting no. 1 in the UK.  Had no other version of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” been recorded (including the original prior to The Hollies), this version would be the definitive take. Of course, many, many iconic musicians have adopted this one in their songbooks.

Appears in 🔻:

• The Hollies vs. Donny Hathaway: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 4 (2022)
• 13 Songs Featuring Pronouns Galore

4. Whitney Houston, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”

💿 Whitney • 🏷 Arista • 🗓 1987

“Remember when we held on in the rain / The night we almost lost it / Once again…” 🎵 “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” ranks among the best 🎙 Whitney Houston songs.  Fittingly, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” was nominated for the 🏆 Grammy for Song of the Year.  Writers 🎼✍ Michael Masser and 🎼✍ Will Jennings gave the iconic R&B singer a surefire gem to work with, beginning with those memorable lyrics from the first verse. 🎙 James Cleveland, 💿 The King of Gospel Music, borrowed the tune for a gospel rendition, 🎵 “Aren’t You Glad You Know the Lord” – more on that later!“Didn’t We Almost Have It All” appears on Houston’s 1987 sophomore album, 💿 Whitney.

“…We can take the night into tomorrow / Living on feelings / Touching you I feel it all again.” “Didn’t We Have It All” is exceptionally well-produced, sitting in the sweet spot between pop and R&B. The palette of sounds includes colorful keys and soaring strings. Houston is the star of the show, sounding utterly sublime, particularly on the beloved chorus. The production grows robust, Houston gives her all vocally, and honestly, it’s just special. Love fuels the fire, as it does with the best songs!

“Didn’t we almost have it all

When love was all we had worth giving?

The ride with you was worth the fall my friend

Loving you makes life worth the living

Didn’t we almost have it all

The night we hold on ‘til the morning

You know you’ll never love that way again

Didn’t we almost have it all?”

This no. 1 hit is still potent as it approaches 40. A quintessential 1980s ballad that you just don’t make like this anymore.

Appears in 🔻: 

• Whitney Houston, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 38 (2022)
• Whitney Houston vs. James Cleveland: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 18 (2022)
• 13 Amazing, Must HAVE Songs

5. James Brown, “Please, Please, Please”

💿 Please, Please, Please • 🏷 Universal • 📅 1958

“Please, please, please, please (Please, please don’t go).” Those iconic lines hail from 🎵“Please, Please, Please,” a beloved gem from music icon 🎙 James Brown. “Please, Please, Please” is a prime example of early R&B at its best.  It was released in 1956 as single, eventually appearing on Brown’s debut album, fitting titled, 💿 Please, Please, Please.  Worth noting, this song is attributed to 🎙 James Brown & His Famous Flames.

What stands out most about “Please, Please, Please” is exactly what you’d expect – JAMES BROWN.  This record truly foreshadows the greatness to come for The Godfather of Soul.  His voice is incredibly nuanced.  He can pull back, he can push – he does a little bit of everything on this complete performance.  I’m not sure if he convinces her not to go, but he sure convinces me.  I mean, I’d be a fool to leave after he gives his all on this spirited gem! “Please, Please, Please” is iconic!

Appears in 🔻:

• 12 Please Songs That You Must Listen To

6. The Weather Girls, “It’s Raining Men” 

💿 Success • 🏷 CBS • 📅 1982

“It’s raining men! Hallelujah! / It’s raining men! Amen!” HALLELUJAH 👏!!!  Maybe it’s blasphemous – pretty sure it is – but “Picture it…” Sophia Petrillo (📺 Golden Girls)!!! F**k that rain! Imagine that chiseled, hunky men are falling from the skies – a gift from heaven 👼 – just ready to be 🎵 “Boo’d Up” with various 🎵 “Prospects”? Oh, the joystick 🕹️ action! Now that you’ve been properly stimulated and titillated, you can see why 🎙 The Weather Girls’ 🎵 “It’s Raining Men” is considered an iconic, joyful gay anthem based on its infectious, lustful chorus!

Long before 🎙 Todrick Hall informed us “It’s raining fellas, it’s raining fellas” – those Weather Girls (🎙 Izora Armstead and 🎙 Martha Wash) gave us that legendary forecast in 1982. A 💿 Success? Well, surprisingly only moderately to the tune of no. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, but hey, the charts had to be hating on this surefire post-disco bop, penned by 🎼✍ Paul Jabara and 🎼✍ Paul Shaffer back then!

“God bless Mother Nature, she’s a single woman too

She took off to heaven and she did what she had to do

She taught every angel

She rearranged the sky

So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy.”

Perhaps Mother Nature is a single woman, but she could be anybody these days, and with how beloved “It’s Raining Men” is within the gay community, I’m not so sure Mother Nature isn’t a member of the LGBTQ+ community! Regardless, with “Humidity… rising” and “barometer’s getting low,” “For the first time in history / It’s gonna start raining men.” To that, again I say, HALLELUJAH 👏!!!

Appears in 🔻:

• The Weather Girls, “It’s Raining Men”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 7
• 15 Gay Anthems That Exude Joy (Vo1. 1)
• 13 Songs Where, When It Rains It Pours (Pt II)
• 15 Great Songs All About Men!

7. The Rolling Stones, “Miss You”

💿 Some Girls • 🏷 Promotone B.V. • 📅 1978

🎙 The Rolling Stones are one of the greatest bands, ever – it’s no disputable! One of the greatest records in their illustrious career arrived in 1978.  🎵 “Miss You” served as the opener on 💿 Some Girls. Honestly, it’s one hell of an opener – groove as albeit!  Perhaps at the time no one expected 🎙 Mick Jagger or 🎙 Keith Richards to put on their dancing, disco shoes, but they do on this timeless no. 1 hit.  The groove alone is enough to solidify its certified bop status!

“I’ve been holding out so long / I’ve been sleeping all alone / Lord, I miss you.” Ooh wee, Mick! Clearly, Jagger is portraying a guy longing for a girl big-time.  He continues singing in the first verse, “I’ve been hanging on the phone / I’ve been sleeping all alone / I want to kiss you sometime.” Oh, the power of lust, and perhaps love, too, as he’s genuinely infatuated.  We know that there’s love too because in the second verse, he eschews groupies and his party life of the past: “‘Hey, let’s go mess and fool around / You know, like we used to.’” New and in love Mick (or his character) isn’t feeling that.  He is, however, feeling her, despite trying to talk himself out of it: “I guess I’m just lying to myself / It’s just you and no one else / Lord, I won’t miss you, child.” He’s lying! “Miss You” is one of the best songs ever made, and don’t let anybody tell you any different!

Appears in 🔻:

• The Rolling Stones, “Miss You”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 36 (2022)
• I Miss…: 5ive Songs No. 19 (2022)
• 15 Intriguing Miss or Missing Songs

8. Bette Midler, “Wind Beneath My Wings”

💿 Beaches • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 1988

Question: “Did you ever know that you’re my hero / And everything I would like to be?” Just hearing those famous lyrics give me chills! 🎙 Bette Midler is undoubtedly an icon.  Her career as an award-winning actress and singer is truly amazing and ‘once in a lifetime.’  Among her most iconic moments was her recording of the oft-covered, much beloved song, 🎵 “Wind Beneath My Wings.”  No, Midler was not the first to record this 🎼 ✍ Jeff Silbar and 🎼 ✍Larry Henley penned hit. Doesn’t matter because her version, which appeared on the soundtrack for the film 🎦 Beaches, has become the definitive, most decorated version of the song.

Few would deny that “Wind Beneath My Wings” is the perfect song.  The music and lyrics – incredibly thoughtful and poetically penned – are awesome. “It must’ve been cold there in my shadow,” the first verse commences, continuing, “To never have sunlight on your face.” So, so, gorgeous! Add those expressive vocals by Midler, along with a heaping dose of authenticity, and this record is nothing short of a juggernaut.  The chorus, excerpted at the top (the centerpiece of this masterpiece), continues as follows:

“I can fly higher than an eagle

For you are the wind beneath my wings.”

Appears in 🔻: 

• Take Flight with These 11 Wings Songs
• Wind: 3BOPS No. 46 (2021)
• 11 Powerful Songs About the Wind 💨

9. Kansas, “Dust in the Wind”

💿 Point of Know Return • 🏷 Sony • 📅 1977

“I close my eyes / Only for a moment and the moment’s gone / All my dreams / Pass before my eyes, a curiosity.” When you think of 🎙 Kansas (the band), what’s the first song that comes to mind? Likely, it’s 🎵 “Dust in the Wind,” the band’s biggest hit. “Dust in the Wind” marked the band’s sole top-10 hit, peaking at no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Worth noting, the 🏆Grammy-nominated band did not receive their sole nomination for “Dust in the Wind,” their ace-in-the-hole.  No, they received a Grammy nom for 🎵 “Crossfire” … I’ll leave it at that.

“Now, don’t hang on

Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky

It slips away

And all your money won’t another minute buy.”

“Dust in the Wind” arrives on the band’s 1977 album, 💿 Point of Know Return.  Acoustic driven, notably, the sound of the record is quite different than the rest of the catalog. Compare it to their other popular songs, as well as “Crossfire” and it’s clearly ‘a change of pace.’ Way to go out of character, Kansas! One of the biggest things that stands out about “Dust in the Wind” is that signature, picked acoustic guitar line.  Also selling points: warm lead vocals, vocal harmonies, the strings, and of course, the lyrics.  This reflective record packs a mean punch considering how gentle it is.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Powerful Songs About the Wind 💨

10. Prince, “Head”

💿 Dirty Mind • 🏷 Warner • 📅 1980

“I’ll give you head till you’re burning up / Head till you get enough / Head till your love is red / Head love you till you’re dead.” Oh boy… In the 00s, the late, great 🎙 Prince was much tamer musically, particularly regarding sex, compared to the 80s (into the 90s) heyday where he was quite the provocateur.  While references to fellatio and cunnilingus are much more rampant in contemporary music, particularly hip-hop and R&B, back in 1980 it was really pushing it.  Imagine how Dante Alighieri would’ve viewed the groovy, lustful 🎵 “Head.”  In Dante’s eyes, would damnation to the second circle of hell be sufficient?

Funky and incredibly infectious, Prince’s dirty mind is fully realized on “Head,” one of my personal favorites if I’m being honest. Within the narrative, he meets a good, innocent girl, who is a virgin:

“You said ‘but I’m just a virgin and I’m

On my way to be wed

But you’re such a hunk

So full of spunk.’”

Of course, Prince corrupts her: “I didn’t want you to be misled / But I’ve got to have you baby / I got to have you in my bed.”

Appears in 🔻:

• In Remembrance: 13 Provocative Songs from Prince
• 11 Anatomical Songs – To Some Degree º
• 13 NSFW Songs Involving the Mouth

11. Tower of Power, “So Very Hard to Go” 

💿 Tower of Power • 🏷 Warner • 📅 1973

🎙 Tower of Power is awesome, period.  The R&B band has some incredible hits, with 🎵 “So Very Hard to Go” leading the charge. One of the reasons “So Very Hard to Go” is SO great are the lead vocals of 🎙 Lenny Williams.  Williams was the vocalist of TOP during arguably their most lucrative, memorable run.  His pipes are crucial to the success of this ballad.  That tone = magnificent.

“Ain’t nothin’ I can say / Nothin’ I can do,” Williams sings in the first verse, continuing, “I feel so bad, yeah / I feel so blue.” Oh, the feels, the feels, the feels.  In the second verse, he continues to acknowledge his mistakes, which leads to the chorus sections, where he states, “I can never make you unhappy /… Only wish I didn’t love you so / Makes it so, so very hard to go.” Indeed, indeed! Love sucks, but what doesn’t suck in the least is this utterly sublime Tower of Power classic.  The vocals! The songwriting! The music (instrumental)! The soulful aesthetic!

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Songs Buoyed by the Power of SO

12. Dobie Gray, “Drift Away”

💿 Ultimate Collection: Dobie Gray • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2001

“Oh, give me the beat boys, and free my soul / I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away.” 🎵 “Drift Away” is one of the greatest songs of the 1970s, period.  A crossover hit of sorts, “Drift Away” could be labeled as R&B/soul, pop, or rock. Covered by everybody and his brother, the most famous and commercially successful version of “Drift Away” is by soul singer, 🎙 Dobie Gray (1940 – 2011).  It’s those nuanced pipes that helped take “Drift Away” to no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Later, as the featured guest to 🎙 Uncle Kracker, he’d return to the top 10 covering the staple (no. 9).

So, besides his awesome vocals, what makes “Drift Away” epic? The songwriting by 🎼✍ 🎛 Mentor Williams – who also produces – is a giant selling point.  The gist of the song? The power of music, and how therapeutic it can be.  Gray does a marvelous job bringing the thoughtful lyrics to life, such as the bridge:

“And when my mind is free

You know a melody can move me

And when I’m feelin’ blue

The guitar’s comin’ through to soothe me.”

Incredible! Those verses are superb too, highlighting the motivation of music.  In verse three, Gray is thankful to the n^th degree: “Thanks for the joy that you’ve given me / I want you to know I believe in your song / And rhythm and rhyme, and harmony / You’ve helped me along / Makin’ me strong.” Of course, nothing ‘takes the cake’ more than the chorus.  It ranks among the most memorable of all time, at least in my book.  🎵 “Drift Away” might’ve arrived in the 70s, but there’s a reason it’s a song we still mention far beyond its heyday.

Appears in 🔻:

• Dobie Gray, “Drift Away”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 15 (2022)
• 11 Terrific AWAY Songs

13. Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

💿 The Game • 🏷 Hollywood • 📅 1980

“Are you ready? Hey, are you ready for this? / Are you hanging on the edge of your seat? / Out of the doorway, the bullets rip / To the sound of the beat, yeah.” YEAH!!! One of the best BITE songs of all time was a no. 1 hit.  That’s right! 🎙 Queen spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 with 🎵 “Another One Bites the Dust”.  The beloved gem appears as the third track on the 1980 album, 💿 The Game.  The other big-time song from The Game is 🎵 “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by the way, another no. 1 hit for the 🎙 Freddie Mercury-led collective.

What makes “Another One Bites the Dust” the sugar honey iced tea? It’s the groove, first and foremost! Those drums (🎙 Roger Taylor)! The robust bass line (🎙 John Deacon)! The guitar (Deacon and of course, 🎙 Brian May)!  The music is as infectious as the lyrics.   Notably, John Deacon wrote this song. Freddie Mercury, among the most entertaining and skilled frontmen of all time, does a superb job of bringing Deacon’s lyrics to life.  The crowning achievement, of course, is the chorus, in all its infectiousness!

“Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust

And another one gone, and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey, I’m gonn get you, too

Another one bites the dust.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Bite: 5ive Songs No. 11 (2022)
• BEWARE, These Songs Totally BITE!

14. Keith Sweat, “Right and a Wrong Way”

💿 Make It Last Forever • 🏷 Elektra • 📅 1987

“You may be young but you’re ready / (Ready to learn).” Those are timeless lines from the first verse of 🎵 “Right and a Wrong Way”. R&B standout 🎙 Keith Sweat continues, “You’re not a little girl, you’re a woman / (Take my hand) Let me tell you, baby / I’m yours for the takin’.” Ooh-la-la, Keith! “Right and a Wrong Way” ranks among the very best songs in his collection.  Specifically, this superb, sexy adult contemporary R&B joint hails from his 1987 album, 💿 Make it Last Forever.

“So, don’t play no silly games with me, baby

… All I need is your loving here

(Hold me tight, baby, with the joy you can bring).”

“Right and a Wrong Way” is a high-flying, sensual slow jam. It’s a lushly produced, late 80s R&B joint that helps ushers in the New Jack Swing era. The old-school drum programming, the robust bass line, and a heaping dose of electric piano, sigh! Notably, Sweat wrote this gem alongside 🎼✍ Teddy Riley which explains that unique, New Jack Swing vibe.  Refocusing on theme and lyrics, “Right and a Wrong Way” is all about love and its course, sex.  The centerpiece is the unforgettable chorus: “There’s a right and wrong way to love somebody / There’s a good and a bad way to love somebody…” “Right and a Wrong Way” is one of those special, once-in-a-lifetime gems that’s quintessential 80s but also feels totally right in the 2020s.

Appears in 🔻: 

• Keith Sweat, “Right and a Wrong Way”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 10 (2022)
• Keith Sweat vs. Mario: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 5 (2022)
• 13 Songs So WRONG They Feel Right

15. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

💿 United • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1967

Thank you 🎼✍ Valerie Simpson and 🎼✍ Nick Ashford. You penned one of the greatest songs of all time: 🎵 “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”  This song right here ranks among the gem of gems when it comes to Motown, no cap.  Many musicians have covered this staple, including soul legends, but the definitive take belongs to the short-lived power duo comprised of 🎙 Marvin Gaye and 🎙 Tammi Terrell. Most folks know that Gaye didn’t live long, tragically shot dead by his father in 1984 aged 44.  But Tammi Terrell didn’t make it out of her 20s, tragically dying from cancer in 1970 at just 24.  Both these musicians departed too soon but they left a surefire bop with no shortage of vocal chemistry.

Bright, exuberant, and infectious are three fitting descriptions to describe “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The moment the song comes on, particularly this late 60s rendition, it puts a smile on your face.  Honestly, there’s a vibe when Marvin Gaye enthusiastically sings, “Listen, baby / Ain’t no mountain high / Ain’t no valley low / Ain’t no river wide enough, baby.” Woo! Then Tammi picks right up where he leaves off, responding, “If you need me, call me / No matter where you are / No matter how far…” The biggest moment, of course, is the chorus, which is golden!

“Ain’t no mountain high enough

Ain’t no valley low enough

Ain’t no river wide enough

To keep me from getting to you, babe.”

Honestly, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is a prime example of a song that doesn’t require in-depth analysis.  It’s marvelously written, exceptionally produced in line with 60s soul (🎛 Johnny Bristol and 🎛 Harvey Fuqua), and masterfully performed by Gaye and Terrell.  Had Tammi lived, can you imagine how many more magical records this dynamic duo could’ve made? Truly, a once-in-a-lifetime gem.

Appears in 🔻:

• Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 34 (2022)
• Ain’t: 5ive Songs No. 18 (2022)
• 11 High Flying Songs About Mountains