Dobie Gray, “Drift Away” | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

On the 15^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2022), we recollect and reflect on “Drift Away” by soul musician, Dobie Gray.   

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he vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome – we don’t discriminate ‘round here! On the 15^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2022), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Drift Away”, performed by soul musician, 🎙 Dobie Gray.

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Theme & Lyrics ✍

“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 Cracker, 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, excerpted above.  It ranks among the most memorable of all time, at least in my book.

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Final Thoughts 💭 

Dobie Gray doesn’t get the same love as so many other soul musicians, but one thing can’t be denied – the awesomeness of his top-five smash, 🎵 “Drift Away”. Sure, it arrived in the 70s, but there’s a reason it’s a song we still mention far beyond its heyday.  Furthermore, everybody and his brother/sister wanna cover this one. Why? It’s the sugar honey iced tea, of course!

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

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Dobie Gray, “Drift Away”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 15 [📷: Brent Faulkner, cotton bro,  The Musical Hype, UMG Recordings, Inc.]

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