The Jones Girls, Nights Over Egypt | Throwback Vibez

In the 37^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “Nights Over Egypt” by The Jones Girls.

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 37^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “Nights Over Egypt”, performed by The Jones Girls. 

“There’s a sky in the east / Over pyramids at Giza / There once lived a girl / She ruled the world,” The Jones Girls assert on the R&B classic, “Nights Over Egypt”.  They add, in the first verse, “Then down the Nile / He came with a smile / He was the king / She was the queen / Under the moonlight.” Ah! Egypt, love, and a four-decade-old R&B song. What more could you ask for? “Nights Over Egypt” appears as the third track on the trio’s ( Brenda, Shirley, and Valorie Jones) 1981 album, Get as Much Love as You Can.  While “Nights Over Egypt” charted on R&B songs chart, it failed to make the cut on the Billboard Hot 100 – bummer!  Nonetheless, this record has been a popular sampling source. Why? It is the electrifying production, courtesy of talented musician, Dexter Wansel.  Philadelphia soul remains alive and well, with the picturesque keys, strings, a robust bass line – it’s the whole shebang. Throw in an Egyptian sound, and you can’t beat this gem!

Lyrically, The Jones Girls paint a picture of the country, and African, in all its glory.  The second verse in particular captures Africa superbly: “Saharan façade / Is just a mirage / Oasis in the sand.” Beyond the verses, the pre-chorus emphasizes an almost unbelievable portrait of those “Nights over Egypt” that the chorus touts.  Listening to “Nights Over Egypt” more than 40 years after it arrived, it is shocking this surefire, rhythmic vibe didn’t perform better well on the pop charts. This is a classic that remains a fresh as it did the year it first arrived.  The Jones Girls struck gold with this one – I don’t care what the Billboard Hot 100 says!

The Jones Girls • Get As Much Love as You Can • Sony Music Entertainment • 1981

The Jones Girls, “Nights Over Egypt”: Throwback Vibez No. 37 (2023) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via  Pixabay]