Rick James, Fire And Desire | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 67^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “Fire And Desire” by R&B singer/songwriter, Rick James. 

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 67^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2023), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Fire And Desire”, performed by 🎙 Rick James. 

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“I’ve got a new lady now / And it’s a little different than when I was with you,” the late, great R&B singer/songwriter, 🎙 Rick James (1948 – 2004) asserts in the intro of 🎵 “Fire And Desire”. “Fire And Desire” appears on James’ platinum certified, 1981 album, 💿 Street Songs. He expounds on the seven-minute-plus, sixth track, “I think of how you changed me with your love and your sensitivity.”  Although James is with someone new, he touts how much his ex-girlfriend changed him – taught him how to love.  In the first verse, he sings about how bad he treated his girlfriends: “I was cold as ice long ago, baby, baby / I wasn’t very, very, very nice, you know / Sugar, sugar, sugar / Then I kissed your lips.” Notably,  the centerpiece of “Fire And Desire” is the chorus, which finds James showing gratitude to his ex for teaching him how to love and be a better man:

“And you turned on my fire, baby

And you burn me up within your flame

Took me a little higher

Made me live again

You turned on my fire, baby

Then you showed me what a love could do

Fire and desire, baby

Feel it coming through

And I thank you baby.”

Rick James sounds fantastic, showing off his robust, soulful instrument.  As electrifying as he is himself, Penning, producing, and singing this epic ballad, he is joined by another late legendary R&B artist, 🎙 Teena Marie (1956 – 2010). Notably, Marie and James dated briefly. Clearly, the chemistry is awesome between the two, specifically in the collaborative chorus and outro.  Marie doesn’t enter until well into the song (second verse), flaunting an exquisite tone and an awe-inspiring range.  When Teena sings, it sounds effortless and utterly celestial.  Like Rick, she attests to how he made her love better.  Beyond the thoughtful, love-oriented songwriting, the sound of 🎵 “Fire And Desire” is gorgeous including the rhythm section, strings, and vibraphone.  Honestly, this record deserved much more attention on the charts – it’s an 80s gem.

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🎙 Rick James • 💿 Street Songs • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1981

Rick James, “Fire And Desire”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 67 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; UMG Recordings, Inc.; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via  Pixabay]