15 Must-Hear, Throwback Vibez, Vol. 4 | Playlist 🎧

1. Donny Hathaway, “Put Your Hand in the Hand”

💿 Donny Hathaway • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 1971

🏆 Grammy-winning musician 🎙 Donny Hathaway lived just 33 years old but left an indelible mark on music.  He is renowned for originals (🎵 “This Christmas”) and reinterpretations like the spiritually fueled 🎵 “Put Your Hand in the Hand”.  “Put Your Hand in the Hand” was written by Canadian singer/songwriter 🎙 Gene MacLellan.  It was originally recorded by Canadian🎙 Anne Murray on her 1970 album, 💿 Honey, Wheat & Laughter, before short-lived Canadian band 🎙 Ocean recorded it, making it a huge pop hit in 1971. 🎛 Arif Mardin and 🎛 Jerry Wexler did a marvelous job where the production is concerned.

“Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water

Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea

Take a look at yourself, and you can look at others differently

Put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.”

While versions by Murray and Ocean exhibit gospel-pop flavor, Donny Hathaway transforms the classic into a full-blown, gospel-soul gem. You might say that it’s the Hathaway version that truly feels like a proponent of spiritual refreshment 🙌.  “Put Your Hand in the Hand” commences with a masterful, bluesy piano introduction, which hails directly from the black church. Soon enough, things evolve into even more soulful means, thanks to Hathaway’s assertive, spirited vocals, and fuller instrumentation including organ, guitar, bass, drums, and gospel choir.  Not only is this a spirit-catching gospel song, it’s also a clinic on musicianship.  There are numerous key modulations – far less common today – further amplifying the energy and overall spiritual vibe. MacLellan penned a classic on his own while a young, innovative Hathaway ran with it and made it his own.  Donny truly brought “Put Your Hand in the Hand” to the church!

Appears in 🔻:

• You’ve Got to Hand It to These 13 Hand Songs
• Donny Hathaway, “Put Your Hand in the Hand”: Sunday Refresh 🙏 7 (2022)
• Put Your Money 💵on These 15 Put Songs 

2. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”

💿 What’s Going On • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1971

“Mother, mother / There’s too many of you crying / Brother, brother, brother / There’s far too many of you dying.” Rolling Stone updated their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020. Who and what album topped the list? That would be soul icon 🎙 Marvin Gaye and his most important album, the timeless 💿 What’s Going On.  The entire album is socially conscious, sounding pitch-perfect at the time it was released in 1971.  The thing is, given the turbulence of the 2020s, Gaye’s album remains quite relevant and timeless, particularly the key record, 🎵“What’s Going On.” 

“What’s Going On” is perfection realized – period. I dare you to find a flaw that inhibits this ‘going’ number from being among the all-time greatest classics.  The production and sound of the record are gorgeous and stunning.  Gaye’s vocals are a superb combination of buttery smooth and gritty – definitely ‘once in a lifetime.’  As great as the sound and the vocal performance are, the lyrics that Gaye sings, steeped in social consciousness, are what caps off the sheer brilliance of this record.

“Picket lines (Sister) and picket signs (Sister)

Don’t punish me (Sister) with brutality (Sister)

Talk to me (Sister), so you can see (Sister)

Oh, what’s going on (What’s going on)

What’s going on (What’s going on)

Yeah, what’s going on (What’s going on)

Oh, what’s going on.”

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Go, Going, Gone, Gonna Songs
• 13 Totally Ear Catching WHAT Songs

3. The Pointer Sisters, “I’m So Excited” 

💿 So Excited! • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 1982

“I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it / I’m about to lose control, and I think I like it!” Woo! Sometimes, as listeners, we turn a blind eye to things that are sketchy and at times, inappropriate.  With legendary, 🏆 Grammy-winning, R&B sister group 🎙 The Pointer Sisters, there’s nothing horrible that we turned that blind eye to, but it should be noted that we seemed to ignore the sexual nature of their 1982 pop hit, 🎵 “I’m So Excited” (💿 So Excited!)

“Tonight’s the night we’re gonna make it happen

Tonight, we’ll put all other things aside

Give in this time and show some affection

We’re going for those pleasures in the night.”

NSA! Amazingly, The Pointer Sisters had us all fooled with “I’m So Excited!” I mean, the plan is clear – to fool around!!! I suppose because “I’m So Excited” is so catchy, fun, and infectious, we didn’t pay close attention to the theme.  Clearly, the sisters are excited about having hot, passionate sex, so much so that they are unconcerned with the happenings of the next day.  “We shouldn’t even think about tomorrow / Sweet memories will last a long, long time,” lead vocalist 🎙 Anita Pointer sings, later adding, “And if we’re still playing ‘round, boy, that’s just fine.” Wow!

Appears in 🔻:

• The Pointer Sisters, “I’m So Excited”: After Dark 🕛🌃 2 (2022)
• 21 Songs About the Universal, 3-Letter Word, SEX

4. The Doobie Brothers, “What a Fool Believes”

💿 Minute by Minute • 🏷 Warner • 📅 1978

“But what a fool believes, he sees / No wise man has the power to reason away.” One of the more soulful pop groups you’ll encounter in music history are 🎙 The Doobie Brothers. These dudes can just flat out ‘sang.’ Of course, one of the key pieces of is none other than 🎙 Michael McDonald, who many of us still can’t believe he’s white, haha.  Why? Because the man is soul-a-fied to the nth degree, particularly handling those lead vocals on the song at hand, 🎵 “What a Fool Believes.” “What a Fool Believes” ranks among the most popular songs by the collective, hailing from their 1978 classic, 💿 Minute by Minute.  Worth noting, Doobie Brothers won the highly coveted 🏆 Grammy for Record of the Year, rightfully for this masterpiece.

“What a Fool Believes” is epic for a host of the reasons.  As aforementioned, when Michael McDonald is your lead vocalist, nothing else need to be said.  Add in incredibly vocal harmonies from the rest of the group, and heaven just might be a Doobie Brothers song – being honest! Beyond the vocals, add the production work (🎛 Ted Templeton), which is quite compelling.  It’s a fine combination of soft rock and blue-eyed soul with the keys, guitar, bass, and drums.  Of course, the final piece of the puzzle is songwriting (McDonald and 🎼✍ Kenny Loggins).  The verses are sweet, capturing the tale of these two lovers.  The pre-chorus is incredibly tuneful, as McDonald asserts, “She had a place in his life / He never made her think twice…” Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, excerpted at the top and continued in all its glory below:

“… What seems to be

Is always better than nothing

Than nothing at all.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Fool: 3BOPS No. 28 (2021)
• 15 Totally & Utterly Foolish Songs
• 13 Totally Ear Catching WHAT Songs

5. Grace Jones, “Pull Up to the Bumper”

💿 Nightclubbing • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1981

“Now in the parking lot garage, I found the proper place / Just follow all the written rules, you’ll fit into the space.” Hmm, 🎙 Grace Jones, doesn’t seem like you’re really talking about parking a car.  Though Jones has suggested that 🎵 “Pull Up to the Bumper” wasn’t necessarily intended to reference anal sex, it’s hard not to read into that way.

“Pull up to my bumper baby

In your long black limousine

Pull up to my bumper baby

And drive it in between.”

Hmm, a “long, black limousine” huh? Sure sounds like a reference to size, as well as ethnicity.  The post-chorus is also dirty, as Ms. Jones sings, “Pull up to it / Don’t drive through it / Back it up twice / Now that fits nice.” Mercy!  In the second verse, Jones goes on to say, “I’ve got to blow your horn.” Not so subtle there.  There’s also the bridge, where she encourages to “Grease it, spray it / Let me lubricate it.”  My oh my! Grace Jones really wants us to believe “Pull Up to the Bumper” isn’t sexual AF? Please! This record screams sex and the fact that she mentions her ‘bumper,’ well, sure sounds like anal.  The good news is, “Pull Up to the Bumper” is rad.

Appears in 🔻:

• Grace Jones, “Pull Up to the Bumper”: After Dark No. 32 (2021)
• 21 Songs About the Universal, 3-Letter Word, SEX

6. The Runaways, “Cherry Bomb”

💿 The Runaways • 🏷 The Island Def Jam Music Group • 📅 1976

“Hello, daddy, hello, mom / I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch, cherry bomb.” Woo! Female rock collective 🎙The Runaways had a surefire classic on their hands with 🎵 “Cherry Bomb,” the opener from their 1976 album, 💿 The Runaways. “Hello, world, I’m your wild girl / I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch, cherry bomb.” “Cherry Bomb” is brief but potent AF – an electrifying 70s rock record.

On “Cherry Bomb,” the groove cooks, the guitars are ripe and rhythmic, and the vocals are assertive and commanding AF. I heart the playfulness of the vocal performance. You can tell that 🎙 Cherie Currie is fully invested – you buy what she’s selling!

“Bad nights causin’ teenage blues

Get down ladies, you got nothin’ to lose.”

Also, can’t fail to mention 🎙 Joan Jett was a member of The Runaways – pre 🎵 “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” days. All said and done, “Cherry Bomb” is infectious, in-your-face, old-school, kick-ass rock-n-roll🤘!

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Delicious Cherry 🍒Songs 

7. Little Beaver, “I’m Losin’ the Feelin”

💿 Joey • 🏷 Henry Stone Music • 🗓 1972

“I’m losing the feeling / Baby the feeling I used to have for you.” Oh my, 🎙 Little Beaver (Willie Hale)! Well, at least the Arkansas-born funk/soul singer/guitarist is honest about his feelings on 🎵 “I’m Losin’ the Feelin”.  “I’m Losin’ the Feelin” appears on his 1972 album, 💿 Joey.  Why is Hale not feeling the same way about her anymore? She’s changed. “Now I remember all the sweet love we once had / Baby I used to thrill to hear you call my name,” he sings in the second verse, adding, “Oh, but now through the years / You made me shed so many tears / All the thrill is gone / Your loving just ain’t the same.” Woo!

Even though love has clearly burned out for Little Beaver, his pain is our listening pleasure.  His guitar playing is absolutely awesome.  I love his melodic riffs and soloing, while his rhythmic, and chordal are equally alluring.  Also alluring are his soulful pipes.  If you had to choose between his guitar skills and his commanding, nuanced vocals, it would be a tough choice.  That’s not even considering the relatable songwriting he serves up of this waning love. Perhaps not the first soul joint that comes to mind, 🎵 “I’m Losin’ the Feelin” this Little Beaver record is worthwhile and definitely deserves wider recognition.

Appears in 🔻:

• Little Beaver, “I’m Losin’ the Feelin”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 74 (2022)

8. Cher, “If I Could Turn Back Time” 

💿 Heart of Stone • 🏷 Geffen • 📅 1989

Does anybody else sound like 🎙 Cher?  The answer is NO.  The actress, musician, and gay icon possesses a distinct, one-of-a kind instrument, period.  Perhaps those husky vocals aren’t for everyone (I once had a friend who joked about her sound) but I love her tone and – wait for it – VIBE! One of her most recognizable songs commences her 1989 album, 💿 Heart of Stone:  🎵 “If I Could Turn Back Time.” Honestly, there’s no better way to initialize this ‘turned up’ list than turning up some Cher on one of her most iconic joints.

“If I could turn back time, if I could find a way,” she sings on the memorable, quintessential 80s chorus, adding, “I’d take back those words that’ve hurt you, you’d say.” Worth noting, those words aren’t merely legendary because Cher, a legend sings them.  🎼✍ Diane Warren – yes, THE Diane Warren – penned this time-turn-back, pop cultural gem.  Cher is regretful throughout, admitting she was blind in her mistakes letting her lover go.  Now that she’s discovered the errors of the way, she’d “reach or the stars… give ‘em all to you” so “You’d love me, love, like you used to do.” Why is “If I Could Turn Back Time” so good? Well, it’s a Cher staple first and foremost, but also, it’s relatable.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Songs You Surely Must Turn Up

9. George Michael, “I Want Your Sex”

💿 Faith • 🏷 Sony • 🗓 1987

Long before 🎙 George Michael informed us “It’s a tits and ass world you gotta be prepared” (🎵“Freeek! 04”), he desired HER sex. 🎵 “I Want Your Sex” appears on his iconic, 🏆 Grammy-winning, 1987 album, 💿 Faith.  Although he’d eventually be outed as a gay man, at the time “I Want Your Sex” arrived, he wasn’t out. The 80s was a sexual time in music. “I Want Your Sex” fits in with the sexual liberation of the times.  That said, it was still the days of Reagan here stateside, there was also the infamous AIDS epidemic, so a song that seemed to encourage sex was naturally controversial.

“I want your sex

I want your love

I want your sex

I want your… sex.”

George Michael wasn’t being ‘criminal’ by promoting sex, in essence – it’s prevalent these days! “Sex is natural, sex is good / Not everybody does it / But everybody should.” Right on! Many of us enjoy pleasure, right? George was horny (“I’ve waited so long baby / Out in the cold / I can’t take much more girl / I’m losing control”), hence, he needed some relief, shoo! That said, the times were much more socially conservative compared to now, and fear ran rampant.  Keeping things sexy, “I Want Your Sex” gets a sexy music video 🎶📼, but also shocks by promoting monogamy at the end – PLOT TWIST! To this day, “I Want Your Sex” is one song that defines his illustrative career.

Appears in 🔻:

• George Michael, “I Want Your Sex”: After Dark 🕛🌃 38 (2021)
• 21 Songs About the Universal, 3-Letter Word, SEX

10. Donna Summer, “Love to Love You Baby”

💿 Love to Love You Baby • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1975

“Ah, I love to love you baby.” One of the sexiest records of all time belongs to the late, great 🎙 Donna Summer.  Keeping it real, 🎵 “Love to Love You Baby” (💿 Love to Love You Baby, 1975) is the musical equivalent of an orgasm.  Affirming the musical orgasm are prevalent sensual moans by Summer, sure to turn anyone on.  Couple those moans with that killer, rhythmic hi-hat and “Love to Love You Baby” is the perfect soundtrack to a lit sexual encounter.

While “Love to Love You Baby” avoids explicitness lyrically, it remains risqué to date.  Again, it’s those moans where Summer perfectly stimulates superb ‘love making.’ Lyrically, there aren’t many words, but Summer makes them worthwhile, painting a lustful picture.  “When you’re laying so close to me / There’s no place I’d rather you be / Than with me,” she sings calmly and coolly on the first verse.  She turns up the heat on the second, asserting, “Do it to me again and again / You put me in such an awful spin.” Oh, the power of the D…  Again, Donna sings nothing offensive, but with those signature moans, she’d make anybody blush!

Appears in 🔻: 

• Donna Summer, “Love to Love You Baby”: After Dark 🕛🌃 36 (2021)
• 21 Songs About the Universal, 3-Letter Word, SEX

11. Otis Redding, “Cigarettes and Coffee”

💿 The Soul Album • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 1966

“It’s early in the morning / About a quarter ‘til three / I’m sitting here talking with my baby / Over cigarettes and coffee, now.” The late, great 🎙 Otis Redding is best known for gems like 🎵 “Sittin’ On (The Dock of the Bay)”, 🎵 “These Arms of Mine”, and 🎵 “Try a Little Tenderness”.  Also, Redding penned “Respect”, though 🎙 Aretha Franklin owns the definitive version.  Sadly, 🎵 “Cigarettes and Coffee”, a marvelous gem from his 1966 album,  💿 The Soul Album (1966), doesn’t get the same hype.  It should though! “Cigarettes and Coffee” is a cover, though the original received little fanfare;  the Redding version is easily the definitive take.  The record was written by 🎼 ✍  Jerry Butler, 🎼 ✍  Eddie Thomas, and 🎼 ✍ Jay Walker.

On “Cigarettes and Coffee,” Redding proves he was a once in a generation artist. Despite the fact that he didn’t live long, his impact on soul music is undeniable. “Cigarettes and Coffee” finds Redding at his most expressive; his voice is amazing with vocal cracks, grit, nuance. “Cigarettes” oozes with soul, only amplified by an epic horn arrangement/overall production.

“But it seems so natural, darling

That you and I are here

Just talking over cigarettes and drinking coffee.”

You listen to records like 🎵 “Cigarettes and Coffee”, and it makes you yearn for that authentic soul sound that’s so rare in the 2020s. Otis Redding is EVERYTHING on this 1966 highlight from The Soul Album which is, indeed, soulful.

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Delightful Songs Coffee Drinkers Can Get Behind
• Otis Redding, “Cigarettes and Coffee”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 73 (2022)
• Otis Redding vs. Etta James: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 32 (2022)

12. Rufus, “Tell Me Something Good” (Ft. Chaka Khan)

💿 Rags to Rufus • 🏷 MCA • 🗓 1974

“You ain’t got no kind of feeling inside / I got something that’ll sho nuff set yo stuff on fire.” Oh, really, 🎙 Chaka Khan?  Please, continue diva! “You refuse to put anything before your pride / What I got will knock all your pride aside.” Oh, snap! 🎵 “Tell Me Something Good” is one of the best funk/R&B records of all-time, period.  Chaka is the lead vocalist, but “Tell Me Something Good” preceded her solo career.  This no. 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, hence, is attributed to 🎙 Rufus.

Khan electrifies from a vocal perspective.  She brings plenty of attitude, personality, and power behind her pipes.  Beyond her superb vocals during the tuneful verses, her ad-libs during the crowd-pleasing chorus are equally impressive. Of course, when talking about “Tell Me Something Good,” you can’t omit the playful, breathy, nonsensical vocals that precede the chorus.

“Tell me something good

Tell me that you love me, yeah

Tell me something good

Tell me that you like it, yeah.”

So, beyond great vocals and memorable songwriting, you must commend the musicians and the lit backdrop on 🎵 “Tell Me Something Good”.  The riffs are tight, the groove is cooking, and the nostalgia of this 1974 classic (💿 Rags to Rufus) makes you yearn for music that sounds like this again.

Appears in 🔻:

• Rufus, “Tell Me Something Good”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 72 (2022)

13. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “I Put a Spell on You”

💿 At Home with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins • 🏷 Epic • 📅 1958

“I put a spell on you / Because you’re mine (oh yeah).” I’d argue one of the scariest songs of all time is 🎵 “I Put a Spell on You.”  The thing is, the often covered classic isn’t AS scary in the hands of some of the musicians who’ve covered it, including 🎙 Nina Simone and 🎙 Annie Lennox. In the hand of the original performer and writer, however, “I Put a Spell on You” is terrifying! Hmm, I guess he wasn’t called 🎙 Screamin’ Jay Hawkins for nothing!

The blues musician and idiosyncratic personality has a ‘robust’ voice – UNDERSTATEMENT.  His screams are monstrous – rawr! Of this legendary song (the 320^th best), Rolling Stone asserts:  “Former boxer Jalacy J. Hawkins got loaded on muscatel before shrieking out the hoodoo of ‘Spell on You,’ and it took a healthy swig of J&B for him to re-create his studio performance onstage, where he climbed out of a coffin.”

A coffin, huh? Wild! When Screamin’ Jay Hawkins sings, “I put a spell on you / Because you’re mine,” there’s truly a creepy factor in play.  When he says, “Watch out / I ain’t lyin’,” you take him at his word.  Making things even creepier are the laughs… my, my, my! The saxophone 🎷solo is even a bit unsettling to be honest! Worth noting, this is an oft-sampled record for good reason – it’s a surefire classic!

Appears in 🔻:

• Put Your Money 💵 on These 15 Put Songs 

14. The Chi-Lites, “The Coldest Days of My Life”

💿 A Lonely Man • 🏷 Brunswick Record Corp. • 🗓 1972

“Coldest days of my life / They were the coldest days of my life / I had to run for cover.” My, oh my! Prepare to be sad in the happiest way!  That’s right, soul collective 🎙 The Chi-Lites are responsible for one of the greatest, if saddest, soul records of all time.  The eight-and-a-half-minute 🎵 “The Coldest Days of My Life” is one of the best, most heartfelt soul songs EVER.  Naturally, it’s love that’s messed the fellas up on the ninth and final track from 💿 A Lonely Man (1972).

Despite “The signs of springtime” intact with birds, “Some of us cried / Can’t you see, oh, can’t you see / The tears in my eyes?” The depression is ripe as The Chi-Lites petition God to “Take the pain away” because “… it couldn’t be much worse.” Yikes! The collective even asserts, “It just couldn’t be much worse / Down below / It just couldn’t be that bad.” In hell? That seems to be the case!

Appears in 🔻:

• The Chi-Lites, “The Coldest Days of My Life”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 1 (2022)
• One Hella Cold List of Songs

15. Queen, “We Are the Champions”

💿 News of the World • 🏷 Hollywood • 🗓 1977

“I’ve paid my dues / Time after time / I’ve done my sentence / But committed no crime.” Sing that, 🎙 Freddie Mercury, sing that! “And bad mistakes / I’ve made a few / I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face / But I’ve come through / (And I need to go on and on, and on, and on).” Woo! The championship aspirations are legit on 🎵 “We Are the Champions,” a surefire, undisputed highlight from the 1977 🎙 Queen album, 💿 News of the World. “We Are the Champions” ranks among the all-time great songs by the iconic rock band.  Furthermore, it ranks among the greatest songs of all time, regardless of genre.

“We are the champions, my friends

And we’ll keep on fighting, ‘til the end

We are the champions; we are the champions!”

Indeed, Queen, indeed! Truly, there is “No time for losers,” because EVERYBODY embraces that championship-winning spirit listening to Mercury’s epic vocals on the certified masterpiece that is “We Are the Champions.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Champion: 5ive Songs No. 54
• 11 Totally Victorious, Champion Songs
• 11 Compelling Songs About WE