The Emotions, Don’t Ask My Neighbors | Throwback Vibez

In the 103^rd edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “Don’t Ask My Neighbors” by Grammy-winning soul collective, The Emotions.

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 103^rd edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “Don’t Ask My Neighbors”, performed by The Emotions.

“You’re wondering if / I care about you / Is there some cause / That I should doubt you?” Uh-oh – sounds like trouble in paradise on “Don’t Ask My Neighbors”! “Don’t Ask My Neighbors” hails from the renowned, R&B/soul collective  The Emotions.  The Emotions – most often a trio – was originally comprised of siblings  Wanda Hutchinson,   Sheila Hutchinson, and  Jeanette Hutchinson. Notably, their younger sister,   Pamela Hutchinson (1958 – 2020), joined beginning with the collective’s best known album,  Rejoice (1977). Rejoice, a platinum certified LP, not only features “Don’t Ask My Neighbors,” but it also features their Grammy-winning, platinum certified, no. 1 ace in the hole, “Best of My Love”.  Sure, “Don’t Ask My Neighbors” played second fiddle to “Best,” but it’s another terrific song from the group’s collection.

Like many R&B groups, The Emotions thrive off love songs, particularly the plight of love. In the case of “Don’t Ask My Neighbors,” penned by Skip Scarborough, and produced by Maurice White (of Earth, Wind & Fire), the female R&B group is looking for direct communication.

“Don’t ask my neighbors

Don’t ask my friends I hang around

Uh uh, don’t be afraid

To come to me (come to me)

Don’t ask my neighbors.”

WORD! Throughout “Neighbors”, there’s a picture painted that he doesn’t know how to read her very well. This prompts him to ‘ask around’ as opposed to going directly to the source – his girlfriend.  “And you run here and there / To ask my feelings,” the Hutchinsons sing, adding, “Friends only guess / They can’t say really, oh.” True. To reiterate, “Best of My Love” is The Emotions song to beat. Still, “Don’t Ask My Neighbors” was a moderate pop success, peaking at no. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It fared better on the R&B charts, peaking at no. 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Regardless, this glorious record hails from one of R&B’s best eras.

Appears in :

• 13 Incredible Neighbor / Neighborhood Songs (2021)

The Emotions •  Rejoice •  Columbia •  1977 

The Emotions, Don’t Ask My Neighbors: Throwback Vibez No. 103 (2023) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Columbia; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via  Pixabay]