Old School Friday - Can't Get Enough of Barry

No this isn't about the Prez! It's Barry White Week! WooT!!!

Who doesn't love Barry White. His dulcet tones wrapped themselves around some of the most lovely lyrics about LOVE. He even had an orchestra called Love Orchestra. This was a man who left his criminal past behind him, changed his mindset, tapped into his talents and graced us with some of the best songs in popular music.

It's so hard to choose one song of Mr. White that is better than the other.

My First, My Last, My Everything


I always liked this cover of Never Never Gonna Give You Up. Yeah the video was risque.

Old School Friday - OSF Tribute

Oh I really like this week's meme! It's TRIBUTE WEEK!!! WooT!

I want to include so many music artists but this would be the LONGEST post ever.

The premiere song restylist of our (ok my mom's) generation. Nobody can touch Aretha Franklin.


My favorite gypsy rock-r-lady who writes songs that tear your insides out - Stevie Nicks.


In honor of her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eligibility enjoy a little Laura Nyro.

Old School Friday: Criminals-R-Us

Okay these memes are definitely food for thought. This week is "Criminal Records"

Boogie Down Productions was the first song that came to mind. I'm surprised as well but I'm going with it.

The latest MTV flap over 19 year old Taylor Swift made me think of another 19 year old's MTV-related outburst (it was her own though) when Fiona Apple won Best New Artist in 1997. I also remember people were up in arms at the overtly sexual implications indicated in this video. It seems tame by comparison to what occurs today (what's encouraged) but I recall that Courtney Love was concerned about protecting Apple from being exploited. Much in the same way others rushed to defend and protect Swift. It speaks volumes about the values people hold and for whom they bestow them on.

Old School Friday: All Money All The Time

Ok it's Friday. I have another post that I will share but it's still baking in the blogging oven and since the day's nearly half gone for my East Coast readers I can't leave ya'll hanging without a fresh cookie. This week's meme is "All About the Benjamins". Now you didn't think I was gonna play a rap music video did you?

Old School Friday: Sometimes All We Need Is A Cuddle

Cuddling is a very intimate act. Parents comfort their children. A friend offers a hug and a kind word of encouragement. Two people can use cuddling to be close without crossing physical boundaries. Some hug their pets in this manner as well. I think it's safe to say it's a wonderful gesture of affection if not love. It's why Cuddle Parties have taken off. Couldn't we all use a cuddle? Wouldn't the world be a better place if more of us expressed affection instead of fear, anger, disdain, impatient and hatred?

Old School Friday - You'd Never Guess It, But...

This week's meme is "I Bet You Didn't Know I Liked". I missed a few weeks there but didn't want to let too much time elapse. I liked all of the Duran Duran side projects even if some of them seem a bit questionable now.

Arcadia -they were very esoteric and worked with Grace Jones!

John Taylor solo song for the film 9 1/2 Weeks. Hey he's the original JT.


Power Station - They did an excellent cover of the Isley Brother's Harvest For the World that should've been released as a single.

Old School Friday: First Date Or Love Songs - Fond Memories Or Cringeworthy?

Sorry I missed last week. This week's meme is bound to take people back down memory lane. So I hope the thoughts are benign or funny!

I've been wanting a reason to post this video so this is perfect.

Broken Wings by Mr. Mister is a beautiful song.

Take these broken wings/And learn to fly again/Learn to live so free.
Don't we all want the chance to renew or spirits and minds if we've been disappointed?

This is one of my favorite Culture Club songs. Yeah I could talk about cultural appropriation but this song was really good.

Since I have an excuse ("love") to post this tribute song to Smokey Robinson by the group ABC I had to include it. I have a thing for 80's British groups, lol!

Old School Friday: Attack of the Divas

Ooh I like this week's meme. Divas. Can I be one when I grow up?

Old School Friday: Wedding Songs - Nostalgia For A Time That Has Passed

I know this meme is shared amidst numerous black bloggers so we can stroll down memory lane. I'm sure the meme creators hadn't thought about this at the time but with such a high out of wedlock birth and unmarried rate amongst black women, having a wedding song will become a thing of the past. Unless and until black women stop relying exclusively on race as the chief determining factor in selecting a mate. In other words, the majority (who are hetero) will be live alone, have children alone and likely die alone UNLESS THEY SEEK HIGH CALIBER MEN OF ALL RACES.

So please by all means, have that wedding song - at YOUR wedding. Let's have marriage equality passed AND cross-cultural/intra-racial unions. I immediately thought of the song, "Always" but I couldn't remember the group name. This is such a beautiful song and I remember singing it in my youth and I hadn't thought much of it at the time. This is a song about NORMATIVE relations between two people. They are in love. They decide to share their lives together. They start a family. They want to make the other person has their needs met. The cherish what they share together. 

This is what I listened to. Now the kids get some variation of sexing every female who's willing. Wow. See the depravity? The devaluation of healthy relationships into animalistic tendencies with no self-control, no respect. That's not progress that's a complete disaster! Anyway, let's reflect on something pleasant and make every effort to bring this back!

Old School Friday - danCe DAnCE Danze

Hey ya'll! This week's meme is Dance For Me. From watching your toddler move to asking your partner for a ahem, private performance I suppose we can explore all the angles.

Old School Friday - Keeping It Together

This week's meme is: Keep It All In the Family.

Hmm, I've been listening to a lot of 80's and 90's oldies by Canadian artists this week so my twist will be nationality instead of biology.

Old School Friday - Videos That Make Me Go Whoa!

This week's meme is: I'm In the Mood For and I've chosen videos that kinda creep me out. Technically they're not that old but I'm bending the rules. Massive Attack has a knack for pushing the envelope with their creative interpretations which I love! Then I went back to two songs and videos that are older. Leftfield made a video about the discarded landmines being left in countries and threw the message in  dance song. Portishead was at their best when they first came out and this technique can be found in commercials every day but it was quite innovative 11 years ago.

What could be more "creepy" than a baby in utero singing? And yes, it's the theme for the American tv show that stars a British actor in vocal drag.

Old School Friday

Oh yeah! It's Friday and it's time for a little fun. I want you to break out the iced tea, juice, water or alcoholic beverage of choice and kick back cuz it's the weekend baby!! This week's meme is: THIS IS DEDICATED TO. So I'm thinking: to all the haters because it's just been that sort of week. Cheney is bashing the President. Glen Beck has lost his mind. The American Idol "voting public" doesn't like a man who wears guyliner. The Governor of California doesn't like its residents. Sarah Palin worships the idea of motherhood but really hates women whose choices don't align with her own. Reality TV is rotting meat for the brain. And Mother Nature has left the building. Have I missed anything else?

Just had to throw in something fun!

Old School Friday

What a week this has been. Last week I was searching for some inspiration. This week I think I wore myself out! I don't know how to quit you! 

This week's theme is SOUL TRAIN. Everybody do the intro together now...

Wasn't it just providence that I mentioned the demise of Soul Train and other key aspects of our African-American heritage? Once these jewels are gone they're gone for good. We MUST preserve our unique contributions of "Blackness" to the world. It seems increasingly that so many OTHER people want to cop our style and pass a watered down version of it as theirs..and we LET THEM.

Enough! 

Ok, I'm trying to keep it light. There was enough tough love talk this week. I'm going to go back to "beating up" white people and politics, lol! Have a great weekend.  

One of the best segments of Soul Train was the dance line.  Show offs! All the things we take for granted because we assume the circumstances will always be ideal. I've really come to appreciate Old School Fridays because we're archiving some of the best parts of ourselves in a manner of speaking by honoring and remembering significant cultural touchstones.

Old School Friday

I can't believe it's Friday already. This week it's "Family Reunions, Picnics & Bar-B-Ques". It's not summer yet, though! These are the first songs that came to mind: 

Old School Friday

This week is yet another twist: This Song Should Have Never Been Made. Yikes. I can think of plenty of songs in the past 10, 7, 5, 2 years and artists I wish had NEVER gotten record deals. As well as the banning of Auto-Tune. It was cute when Cher did it for Believe but blame it on al-co-h-h-h-h-hol Jamie Foxx...not so much! 

I'm thinking of other songs that I think are degrading and objectify women that I won't be playing here that belong on this list, but I need to find something silly. So...it's gonna be....

Romanian twins/Autotune/Heavy Rotation in gay clubs = silly.

Old School Friday

Oh man this week's theme is Blogger's Choice. I had to play this video from the 2004 BET Awards. Even though I don't watch them anymore and BET has been permanently banned I was looking for live footage of the song "Fire & Desire" and this was all I could find. Where's the user generated content when you need it!! Anyway this is the most requested R&B ballad in history and deservedly so. When Rick & Teena sang this song you BELIEVED THEM! I couldn't bear the idea of somebody else butchering this song with a lousy remake...so unless somebody's gonna outdo the original vocals and put their foot in it - just leave it ALONE.

So even though Rick James and Teena Marie were a HAM it still has great significance.

I also can't think of any other white female singer who can do soul music at the level of Teena Marie. Not Amy Winehouse, not what's her name...Joss Stone...not anybody. Sorry. Maybe had Eva Cassidy still been around AND had wanted to do R&B. Speaking of you'd be hard-pressed to find a black female singer that can properly do soul music today. Meaning...just the vocal and a great song about love and relationships. No music video gyrations, no Auto-tune, no sex you up nonsense. 

Now having said that there are some really great non-major label, non-overly commercialized artists who can actually sing out there and they should be supported.

Ok now I'm closing with a video and singer sure to throw you a bit, but I've always loved the haunting quality of Lisa Hannigan's voice so here's one of her videos. It's neither soul nor old skool. I'm exercising my right to contradict myself all in the same post! So there...

Old School Friday

This week's theme is another challenge. Dang Mrs. Grapevine you are killing us! This is more challenging than an episode of Jeopardy. "If Only My Momma Knew" is the answer. Now what is the question?

George Michael put out some of the most provocative and sexy videos where women were his reel life romantic interests. 

Old School Friday

Ok this week's theme gets the major eyeroll. If I Were A Boy is the selection. And no this isn't a Beyaki song either. What do I select.....hahaha I've got it. What band was aggro, rawked, created some of the most popular anthems and yet had a flamboyance and actual gay members?

QUEEN. 

Need I say any more....one of my favorite bands EVER with a plethora of amazing songs.

Old School Friday

Ah it's the end of the work week for those still lucky enough to have jobs! Or perhaps you're on a career path that's paid out for you in spades. So this week's theme "Bad Day At Work" may or may not apply. Does one have a bad day due to a jerk boss, an incompetent assistant, an overbearing client, an unexpected deadline or because of problems at home? Or considering what's going on today, that "bad day" might just be the day you find out you won't have a job because your entire company has gone under? I wonder how the employees at Lehman felt - those that weren't in the loop or who had left other companies to work there? 

I honestly have no idea what songs would adequately capture the mood of the range of emotions that wouldn't be expletive filled. So I think hugging it out is a better choice. Yup I'm going for the sap, er poignancy. Now that I'm looking at the video with its slice of life visuals and people working....see I was right! Plus I believe him when he says he wants love. Unlike this porno theme I heard on the R&B station last week that made me want to gouge out my ears about some guy wanting to throw a woman on the counter, break out a video camera and....I had to change the station because I didn't want to hear anymore.