Anyway, a few days back I have been telling some friends (or the thousand or so of them in Facebook - - it's all about me remember?) that I was in this obsessive compulsive phase of trying to get my music playlist organized. So I have my new age/meditation music labelled as "Sleep". I have my 70s- early '80s essential playlist. There's my all female playlist called "Diva". I have my 90s and up playlist. I have my soft, light and easy, my folk, country and rock, my pure country. Well, you get the picture. And I don't really want to discuss or describe my playlists in detail, otherwise I would get some sound advice to get my head examined. So last night I was adding some more songs in my motown playlist (all R&B, African-American singers playlist) and some of the songs got me thinking that I might have found one minor downside of being single - - and that being the apparent absence of a..can I say this without gagging..."special someone" I can share these songs with and even to slow dance with for a bit..though heaven knows I can't dance to save my life..there's something about the rhythm of these songs that makes me believe that I can actually manage to do a slow dance. So I made this hypothetical playlist in my mind..one that I would have in a parallel universe where I am not spending February 14 alone.
1. At Last by Etta James - I don't even need to explain. Anybody who's heard this song or even watched Mr & Mrs Obama during the Inaugural would understand why. If by crazy chance when I am in my, let's say 50s and marching down the aisle to this song I am sure more than one member of my family or circle of friends would heave a sigh of relief (even disbelief) and say the same thing - at last! I love, love this song even if my love wouldn't come along!.
2. Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye - this song spells sexy from beginning to end. There's so much soul in this piece of music that it seems to be coming from somewhere even deeper than sensual - you just don't listen to the song, you experience it! And let's face it, when it comes to make out music, nobody does it like Marvin Gaye!
3. I Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe by Barry White - aside from his deep baritone that makes any woman tingle all over..I love how the song builds momentum on the refrain - everytime you're near, I feel the change, something moves, I scream your name... love it! I know it's R&B with a little bit of disco but still a great song to (not so) slow dance to.
4. Living for the Love of You by Issley Brothers - I've loved this song for a long time but only got to hear it again when I was watching Alfie last night on cable..and it was during the scene where Jude Law as Alfie was playing pool with his best friend's girlfriend and this song started playing on the Jukebox and the girl started grooving to the song. Before the scene ended I managed to download the song from i-tunes and added it to my motown playlist. I love instant gratification!
5. Reasons by Earth, Wind and Fire - one of the few songs that make me sway on reflex. Like a hammer and knee jerk thing. Temperature's rising!
6. Sweet Baby by Stanley Clark - if I have a..ok here we go again, gag alert..special someone..I would want to play this song with him on a nice, quiet, lazy afternoon.
7. Sweet Love by Anita Baker - one of my videoke guilty pleasure slash secret weapon..I know this song by heart..start to finish..just a little tone deaf to hit the right notes though. If I so much as sing it, fictional hubby would use it as grounds for divorce. But still one of those songs I wish I don't have to enjoy alone.
8. Fancy Pants by Max Bennett - least romantic title with lyrics that don't really make sense but the song's rhythm and Max Bennett's voice can really make you groove to the song even if there's no poetry there about somebody singing - "and she looks so cool wearing those fancy pants, she wears fancy pants for me".
9. Lost Without You by Robin Thicke - I think this is the most contemporary item on my list. Very sultry and seductive. One of the few songs that made me lament for the longest 0.005 seconds why oh why am I still single?? Possible answer: Robin Thicke's taken.
10. Smile Again by Manhattan Transfer - there's the 0.1% optimist in me who believes I could actually play this song someday to a non fictional flesh and blood person but since I don't see that happening..not even next year when I celebrate 40 years of immunity to VD (not the disease with the same abbreviation but it goes without saying I am immune to that as well)..that doesn't stop me from loving this song and wanting to share it albeit hypothetically to a fictional object of affection.
11. I've Got You Babe by Cher and Sonny Bono - although I can very well make a playlist called Fiction and this song will be on top of the list. But based on the technical criteria I've set about listing songs I would have loved to share with a certain "you" if the "you" exists then this song made it just outside of top 10..I love it enough not to hide it in the etc etc that follows this paragraph. My only concern is that while I was maniacally organizing my music library I realized I have quite a selection of songs by Cher, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick and Donna Summers that for awhile there I was beginning to think, maybe I am a closet drag princess after all. Hmm...I think not..I am too drab to be drag.
I have to make myself stop right here. There's still a short list of more than a hundred songs I would love to include in this list, like I haven't even gotten to the Roberta Flack selections yet (no, Careless Whisper is not and never will be a part of this playlist) but I don't want to get into that compulsive mode again. I am just making an attempt to make a connection to an event that I've never been an active participant of. And the only way I can relate with matters of the heart is through the songs written about it. Having said that, I guess you don't really need to be in love to love a love song. So carry on, Happy Hearts Day!
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