The New Birth, “Wild Flower” | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 134^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2022), we recollect and reflect on “Wild Flower” by The New Birth. 

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome – we don’t discriminate ‘round here! In the 134^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2022), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Wild Flower”, performed by 🎙 The New Birth. 

“Let her cry, for she’s a lady

Let her dream, she’s a child

Let the rain fall down upon her

She’s a free and gentle flower growing wild.”

There is a  good chance, unless you are of a certain age (no ageism here, btw), that you won’t name 🎵 “Wild Flower” as the first 70s soul song that comes to mind.  If you are younger, however, there is a chance you have heard the 🎙 The New Birth classic sampled (looking at you, Jamie Foxx ala 2005).  Look no further than the gorgeous, symphonic introduction, which exemplifies the 1970s soul sound.  It is often this opening portion that has been marvelously repurposed with a string of more contemporary hits.  That said, “Wild Flower” deserves all of its flowers now for being a truly stupendous classic [Worth noting, it is a cover of a top-10 🎙 Skylark hit]. “Wild Flower,” which runs six-and-a-half minutes, earned some success on the pop charts, peaking at no. 45.  It fared better on the R&B charts, peaking at no. 17.

The orchestrations are one of the biggest selling points of “Wild Flower” – the lush strings, the horn riffs, the locked-in rhythm section! The vocals are dynamic as well, including authentic, expressive lead vocals and sweet, harmonized falsetto backing vocals.  Of course, the lyrics – the songwriting – come alive in stellar fashion, with the focal point being her, “a free and gentle flower growing wild.” “Be careful how you touch her, she’ll awaken,” The New Birth sings, adding, “As sleep’s the only freedom all that she knows / And when you walk into her eyes, you won’t believe / The way she’s always paying for a debt she never owes.” Wow! Underrated among the soul gems, 🎵 “Wild Flower”, in the hands of The New Birth, deserves far more attention.  It is sheer brilliance!

🎙 The New Birth • 💿 It’s Been a Long Time  • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 1973

The New Birth, “Wild Flower”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 134 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, John Alan Sperry, PIRO, LaFace, The Musical Hype, Pixabay, RCA]