Natalie Cole, I’ve Got Love On My Mind | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 157^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Natalie Cole, I’ve Got Love On My Mind” by Natalie Cole.

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 157^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “I’ve Got Love On My Mind” performed by Natalie Cole.

“I’ve got love on my mind.” Say no more, Natalie Cole (1950 – 2015)! Cole, the daughter of an icon, was one of the greatest voices of all time in her own right.  Cole won nine Grammys during her career, including the highly coveted Album Of The Year at the 34^th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Notably, her classic, “I’ve Got Love On My Mind”, was nominated for a Grammy too, though lost to another R&B classic, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston. “Love” is the fourth track from her 1977 album, Unpredictable.  Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancy (1950 – 1985), Cole’s husband (they eventually divorced), composed and produced the song. It was one of Cole’s biggest hits, peaking at no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is tied for her highest-charting hit on the pop charts (“Pink Cadillac”).  Maybe most surprising is that “Love” outperformed her ‘ace-in-the-hole,’ “This Will Be” which settled for no. 6.

The theme of the song is simple: L-O-V-E. You can never go wrong when love is fueling the fire.  Furthermore, you can’t go wrong when Natalie Cole sings expressively about the universal topic.  With tuneful melodies and a sophisticated accompaniment supporting her (the jazzy piano and strings are key sounds), Cole is on autopilot. Regarding love, she sings in the first verse, “And there’s nothing particularly wrong / It’s a feeling I feel inside / When I woke up early this morning / It was staring me straight in my eyes.” Word! In the second verse, she expands, singing of his irresistible touch, his kisses, and waiting for him to return home… Ooh-la-la! Cole does a sublime job of conveying how good and passionate love feels.  “I’ve Got Love On My Mind” doesn’t require deep analysis – the music speaks volumes, baby! To reiterate, Natalie Cole is one of the greatest voices of all time!

Natalie Cole // Unpredictable // Capitol // 1977

Natalie Cole, I’ve Got Love On My Mind: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 157 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Capitol; OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]