Average White Band, School Boy Crush | Throwback Vibez

In the 70th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “School Boy Crush” by Average White Band.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez ! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils ! All genres of music are welcome. In the 70^th edition of Throwback Vibez ️ (2025), we recollect and reflect on “School Boy Crush” performed by Average White Band.

“Meet me in the playground at a quarter to four / Wait ‘til everybody’s long gone.”  Ooh-wee! So, what’s going down on the playground, Average White Band? “There must be so many things that we could explore / Hey baby, maybe I can walk you home.” Wow! On “School Boy Crush”, the Grammy-nominated Scott funk/R&B collective piques our ears with a strong vocal performance, entertaining and playful lyrics, and tremendous musicianship. “School Boy Crush” is the second track from the band’s gold-certified 1975 album, Cut the Cake. AWB (namely, Hamish Stuart, Steve Ferrone, and Alan Gorrie) wrote “School Boy Crush.” The legendary Arif Mardin (1932 – 2006) produced it. “Crush” peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.   

No matter how average they might be, Average White Band showcases elite musicianship throughout “School Boy Crush.” Beyond the expressive, nuanced, and soulful lead vocals, the instrumental slaps hard. “School Boy Crush” benefits from its infectious, sickening funk groove from the get-go. The rhythm guitar kicks ass and takes names. The bass line is epic – big, fat, and robust, baby! The horns add another dimension to the greatness. Also, you cannot neglect mentioning the musical underpinnings. The harmonic progression is marvelous, while key modulations give the song an adventurous spirit. Speaking of adventurous spirit, the innuendo is ripe: “If we play cool (If we play coo), it’ll be alright / Don’t let the teacher see us talking  / But after school we can be out of sight / Everybody gonna think we just gone walkin’.” Ooh-wee! The centerpiece is the chorus:

“She said, Hey – wait a minute – hold on

She said, Hey – just a little bit – hold on

When I try to think of what it feels like

To feel it for the first time, was it really such a thrill?

She said, Look, boy – but don’t you touch

That ain’t much – it’s only a school boy crush.”

“School Boy Crush” remains a vibe well into the 21^st century. It has been sampled many, many times for good reason!

Average White Band // Cut the Cake // Atlantic Recording Corp. // 1975

Average White Band, School Boy Crush: Throwback Vibez ️ No. 70 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Atlantic Recording Corp.; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]