McFadden & Whitehead, I’ve Been Pushed Aside | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 34^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “I’ve Been Pushed Aside” by McFadden & Whitehead. 

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 that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 34^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “I’ve Been Pushed Aside”, performed by McFadden & Whitehead. 

“I’ve been pushed aside / Just to make room for another guy.” Ugh, that’s not a great feeling, McFadden & Whitehead! The good news is that “I’ve Been Pushed Aside” is an awesome song that appears on the duo’s 1970 album, McFadden & Whitehead.  Not so great, however, is the fact that Gene McFadden (1949 – 2006) and John Whitehead (1948 – 2004) are considered ‘one hit wonders.’ Bummer! Why? Only “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now”, which appears on the same album as “I’ve Been Pushed Aside,” charted on the Billboard Hot 100.  While the song at hand didn’t earn it’s just due, it’s a prime example of Philadelphia soul at its finest.

What makes “I’ve Been Pushed Aside” elite? It begins with lush production work, which includes a robust bass line, slick rhythm guitar, keys, strings, and horns. Furthermore, the groove – it’s groovin’ hard, baby! The symphonic approach to disco, funk, and R&B/soul in the 1970s remains timeless – awe-inspiring decades later. Beyond that refined, sophisticated instrumental, McFadden & Whitehead ‘put it work’ with their respective smooth, soulful, and sometimes, gritty vocals.  You buy what the duo is selling, particularly given the adverse love situation.  I mean, who wants to be pushed aside because their lady opts for another guy? That sucks! What doesn’t suck? The chorus which is the most tuneful section of the song. Yes, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” is the song to beat by McFadden & Whitehead, but “I’ve Been Pushed Aside” is stellar too!

McFadden & Whitehead // McFadden & Whitehead // Sony Music Entertainment // 1979

McFadden & Whitehead, I’ve Been Pushed Aside: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 34 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment; OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom via Pixabay]