Shai, If I Ever Fall in Love | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 86^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “If I Ever Fall in Love” by R&B collective, Shai. 

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 86^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “If I Ever Fall in Love” performed by Shai. 

Sometimes, success comes early for a musical group.  For contemporary R&B collective Shai – Carl Martin, Darnell Van Rensalier, Garfield Bright, Marc Gay – their first single, “If I Ever Fall in Love”, was gargantuan. The a cappella gem was their biggest hit, reaching no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Beyond its chart peak, “If I Ever Fall in Love” was certified platinum by the RIAA. Furthermore, their debut album, If I Ever Fall in Love, was certified double platinum.  Two more top-10 pop hits graced the LP, including the gold-certified “Comforter”, but the biggest reason for triumph for Shai was “If I Ever Fall in Love.”  Martin wrote and produced the 90s classic.

If I Fall in Love features two versions of the song.  The best version is the original, a cappella version – the sixth track.  The voices of Shai mesh together seamlessly – the chemistry is chemistry-ing… 😝.  Shai are connected, expressive, and playful. Thematically, love and matters of the heart never grow old.  The collective touts the importance of friendship and an emotional connection regarding love. “But I was caught up in physical attraction,” they assert in the first verse, adding, “But to my satisfaction / Baby, you were more than just a face.” Phew 😮‍💨! Lust is not equivalent to love! In the second verse, “The very next time she’ll be my friend.” They add, “I just wanna be the one to serve you / Sometimes, I feel as if I don’t deserve you / I cherish every moment with you.” Oh, the dedication! Of course, the centerpiece – the section to beat – is the chorus:

“And if I ever (ever fall)

In love again (again)

I will be sure that the lady is a friend

And if I ever (ever fall)

In love so true (so true)

I will be sure that the lady’s just like you.”

Prudent words.  Shai released several albums beyond If I Ever Fall in Love and earned one final top-40 hit outside of that album cycle, but never attained the success of “If I Ever Fall in Love” again.  More than 30 years later, this contemporary R&B song remains the sugar honey iced tea.  It is the shiznet.

Shai // If I Ever Fall in Love // Gasoline Alley // 1992

Shai, If I Ever Fall in Love: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 86 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Gasoline Alley; OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom via  Pixabay]