Saturday, March 13, 2004
"Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)," Freddie Jackson (6/1/85)
Finally, here we are. Freddie Jackson's first R&B charttopper not only gives this blog its name, but was the co-longest-running #1 of '85 at 6 weeks. Even more impressively, he racked up 8 #1s in just over 4 years (with another pair in the first 6 months of '91, bringing his career total to 10). And perhaps most importantly, he almost single-handedly invented what we now know as "quiet storm": his massive popularity and consistency nearly required it be invented just for him (Anita Baker's similar domination for female artists didn't begin until the following year). And he did it all without ever having a top 10 single on the pop charts; his biggest crossover hit never got higher than #12 on the Hot 100 (and I'll address it after 6 more songs). Even more profoundly than Frankie Beverly (see below), Freddie was Black America's own, simply because he was a superstar in R&B in a way Beverly's never been (and Mr. Vandross, frankly, was too much of a crossover star). Women swooned at levels normally reserved for the likes of Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass; men knew that if they wanted little sumthin'-sumthin', putting on a Freddie Jackson record would increase the odds dramatically in their favor. And here's where it all began.
"Rock Me Tonight" is a sumptuous slow dance of a record, with timeless lyrics and production that, while it's clearly of the '80s, hasn't really dated. Sure, the drum track is obviously synthetic, but most of the single's instrumentation is just classy and classic - and it's thanks to that fact (it's fairly consistent throughout Jackson's career) that he'll forever make royalties from airplay on Adult R&B radio stations. "Rock Me" deals with a universal theme - getting back together with a beloved ex - and does so in a way that, well, who wouldn't want to hear these words from a first love?
"So much has happened in my life
Since we parted
What about you
Oh, now I’ve got myself together
And I know just what I want
And right now, girl, it’s you, you"
- Freddie Jackson, "Rock Me Tonight" (Rock Me Tonight, Capitol, 1985)
Everything in this single - the keyboard squiggles in the bridge, the slow-but-sure thumping bassline, the guitar riffs, the steady 4-on-the-floor drum track - accents Jackson's (gorgeous, rich) singing and his lyric. The music never overwhelms, which for romantic records is key. The chord changes into the bridge are perfect. And Jackson wrings every possible drop of emotion into his performance, without ever overemoting. Alongside Baker's "Sweet Love" (which I may yet sidebar, as it's quite possibly the greatest #2 R&B single of all time), this is the essence, the epitome of a perfect Quiet Storm record. In fact, it's pretty damn perfect all around. A+
Finally, here we are. Freddie Jackson's first R&B charttopper not only gives this blog its name, but was the co-longest-running #1 of '85 at 6 weeks. Even more impressively, he racked up 8 #1s in just over 4 years (with another pair in the first 6 months of '91, bringing his career total to 10). And perhaps most importantly, he almost single-handedly invented what we now know as "quiet storm": his massive popularity and consistency nearly required it be invented just for him (Anita Baker's similar domination for female artists didn't begin until the following year). And he did it all without ever having a top 10 single on the pop charts; his biggest crossover hit never got higher than #12 on the Hot 100 (and I'll address it after 6 more songs). Even more profoundly than Frankie Beverly (see below), Freddie was Black America's own, simply because he was a superstar in R&B in a way Beverly's never been (and Mr. Vandross, frankly, was too much of a crossover star). Women swooned at levels normally reserved for the likes of Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass; men knew that if they wanted little sumthin'-sumthin', putting on a Freddie Jackson record would increase the odds dramatically in their favor. And here's where it all began.
"Rock Me Tonight" is a sumptuous slow dance of a record, with timeless lyrics and production that, while it's clearly of the '80s, hasn't really dated. Sure, the drum track is obviously synthetic, but most of the single's instrumentation is just classy and classic - and it's thanks to that fact (it's fairly consistent throughout Jackson's career) that he'll forever make royalties from airplay on Adult R&B radio stations. "Rock Me" deals with a universal theme - getting back together with a beloved ex - and does so in a way that, well, who wouldn't want to hear these words from a first love?
"So much has happened in my life
Since we parted
What about you
Oh, now I’ve got myself together
And I know just what I want
And right now, girl, it’s you, you"
- Freddie Jackson, "Rock Me Tonight" (Rock Me Tonight, Capitol, 1985)
Everything in this single - the keyboard squiggles in the bridge, the slow-but-sure thumping bassline, the guitar riffs, the steady 4-on-the-floor drum track - accents Jackson's (gorgeous, rich) singing and his lyric. The music never overwhelms, which for romantic records is key. The chord changes into the bridge are perfect. And Jackson wrings every possible drop of emotion into his performance, without ever overemoting. Alongside Baker's "Sweet Love" (which I may yet sidebar, as it's quite possibly the greatest #2 R&B single of all time), this is the essence, the epitome of a perfect Quiet Storm record. In fact, it's pretty damn perfect all around. A+
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