Joe Simon, The Chokin’ Kind | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 74^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “The Chokin’ Kind” by the late, great, southern soul singer, Joe Simon.   

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 74^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “The Chokin’ Kind” performed by Joe Simon. 

“I gave you my heart / But you wanted my mind,” Joe Simon sings, adding, “Your love scared me to death, girl / Oh, it’s the chokin’ kind.” That is some love that the late, great soul musician sings about on “The Chokin’ Kind”. “The Chokin’ Kind” appears as the fifth track on The Chokin’ Kind, the 1969 album by Simon. It was penned by Harlan Howard and produced by John Richbourg. Notably, Waylon Jennings and The Waylors originally sang it. Numerous covers followed, including Simon’s hit record which reached no. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1969.

Although brief, clocking in under three minutes, “The Chokin’ Kind”  packs a significant punch.  It is groovy to the nth degree from the onset. The arrangement and production are marvelous. Instrumental highlights include the drums/percussion, robust and active bass line, rhythmic guitar, warm organ, and articulated horns. Simon delivers easygoing vocals. A smooth, and utterly soulful singer, he sounds as if he barely breaks a sweat. Still, Simon brings ample swagger without doing too much; it feels natural without dare forcing the issue.  “You can kill a man / With a bottle of poison or a knife,” he asserts in the second verse, adding, “It’ll hurt him more to take his pride / And ruin his life / Oh it’s a shame girl.” Besides honest lyrics, tuneful melodies, and top-notch vocals, the key modulation is superbly executed.  Key changes up the ante. That is the case on the unforgettable 60s classic, “The Chokin’ Kind”, one of the best songs from the Joe Simon catalog.

Joe Simon // The Chokin’ Kind // Sony Music Entertainment // 1969

Joe Simon, The Chokin’ Kind: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 74 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment; OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom via  Pixabay]