Rufus & Chaka Khan, Do You Love What You Feel | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 104th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Do You Love What You Feel” by Rufus & Chaka Khan.   

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 104^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Do You Love What You Feel” performed by Rufus & Chaka Khan.

“Do you love what you feel? / ‘Cause I love what you do to me / Do you love what you feel? / ‘Cause I love what you do to me.” Ooh-wee! Grammy-winning funk collective Rufus and Grammy-winning R&B diva Chaka Khan delivered a surefire funk bop with “Do You Love What You Feel”. “Do You Love What You Feel” is the opening track from their 1979 collaborative album, Masterjam. Rufus and Khan earned another top 40 pop hit with “Do,” which peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. It spent three weeks at number one on the R&B songs charts. David “Hawk” Wolinski (1948 – ) wrote “Do” while the late, great Quincy Jones (1933 – 2024) produced it.

Musically, “Do You Love What You Feel” is epic. The electrifying groove from the drums and percussion instantly gets the body moving. There are hella funky riffs from the keys, guitar, and bass. Upping the ante are the orchestral music cues: articulated, crisp-sounding horns and soaring strings.  Beyond the instrumental, the vocals are F-I-R-E.  Chaka Khan is on autopilot, wowing with her high-energy vocals. “Baby, when you’re holdin’ me / Somehow, you seem to set me free,” she sings in the first verse, continuing joyfully, “And when I dance with you / Romance with you is all I see.” Beyond Khan’s impressive pipes, the Rufus vocalists match her exuberance (“I’ve spent so many nights / Just picking fights within myself / Until you came to me / And held me like nobody else”).  The melodies are tuneful from the get-go, led by the infectious, unforgettable chorus (excerpted earlier). As the record progresses, we get outstanding riffing by the R&B chanteuse. All told, “Do You Love What You Feel” is one of the funkiest joints from the 1970s, PERIOD.  Yes, “Tell Me Something Good” is the funkiest Rufus/Chaka song, but this song marks another high point from the collaboration. The vocals, songwriting, and production are flawless. It is impressive how tight this funk cut sounds, considering the number of rhythmic lines and instruments. I’m stunned this distinct cut hasn’t been sampled more.  SWV sampled it on “Do Ya” from their 2012 comeback album. Great taste!