Black History Month Song of the Day - Together Again - Janet Jackson

Today is the last day of February, thankfully, and spring is well on its way.  What better way to celebrate the oncoming of the nicer weather with a shiny happy song by a black artist who's made huge contributions to the American songbook for a long, long time now.  This is a very special song with a very special meaning, so click play, enjoy, and then go out and have a great day!

  
Janet Jackson - Together Again by Hakunamatata67






I hope you've enjoyed the wide variety of songs I've shared during this very special month, and stay tuned as we return to regular Song of the Day posts...

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Black Music History Month Song of the Day - Without Me - Eminem

Though I'm not the first king of controversy
I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley, to do Black Music so selfishly
and use it to get myself wealthy 


djxizmusic

From Elvis to Eminem, R&B to hip hop, dance, and pop music, black music has clearly influenced mostly all facets of the music industry over the past 60 plus years, and sometimes, as in the case of both Elvis and Em, success with the genre has been astronomical.


 
Eminem - Without Me from qolpacino-M on Vimeo.





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Black History Month Song of the Day - Hound Dog - Elvis Presley

Dave's Music Database

I couldn't finish off Black History Month without including Elvis Presley.  This song, one of the singer's most famous hits, was a remake of a 1952 blues song by "Big Mama" Thornton.  It was the first time of many that a white singer would make a big hit out of what was originally black music.  This one's for all of you fans of "The King."  Enjoy!


Hound Dog - Elvis Presley - Milton Berle Show (sottotitolato) from Gocciadiluna57 on Vimeo.





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Black History Month Song of the Day - Carry On - Donna Summer

Back to work Monday and time for a little Donna Summer. This is a great song from the diva that earned her her last Grammy. Now, click play, enjoy, and then carry on with your day, hehe...


Donna Summer - Carry On (Live) by kaz1988






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Black History Month Song of the Day - Good Feeling - Flo Rida

Today's song combines some of the best of black music past and present, as Etta James' voice makes this modern day rap/dance song one for the ages.....Happy Sunday!

 
Flo Rida - Good Feeling from kest92i on Vimeo.






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Black History Month Song of the Day - Everybody Dance - Chic

Here's a classic disco song from one of the greatest disco bnds of the 70's, the inimitable Chic.  The foursome of Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Norma Jean Wright and Luci Martin (the members would change over the years, but this was the original lineup) created such disco classics as Le Freak, Dance, Dance, Dance, I Want Your Love and more.  This was one of my favorites and it was covered by none other than Ms. RuPaul on her debut set, Supermodel of the World.  Enjoy!


EVERYBODY DANCE (PERFORMANCE) by Chic by Discolarry125






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Black History Month Song of the Day - Love Roller Coaster - Ohio Players

livingelectro

I'm back from Atlantic City and I didn't want to miss the last Funk Friday, and here's a song that plays soundtrack to many a slot machine. Funny, funky, and I love the title!

 
Ohio Players .Love RollerCoaster [Show Tv 1975] by capitainfunkk





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Black History Month Song of the Day - I Didn't Mean to Turn You On - Cherrelle

The 1980's was a great time for R&B music, and here is one of my favorite singers from that era.  Cherrelle never really hit the mainstream, making Billboard's Hot 100 only three times (I Didn't Mean to Turn You On (#79), Saturday Love (#26) and Never Knew Love Like This (#28)...the latter two were duets with Alexander O'Neal), but she fared much better on the magazine's R&B chart, with 13 charting singles between 1984 and 1999.

Cherrelle's cousin, Pebbles, was another R&B star from the decade who fared better than her on the pop charts, though to me there was really no comparison.  Simply put, I still love Ms. Cherrlle's music and I still find myself poring through my favorite album of hers, the classic Affair.  My ex, Joe, is the only other person in the world who shares my love for the R&B diva, and many of her songs would surely make the soundtrack of our relationship.

I Didn't Mean to Turn You On was the singer's first single, and it hit #8 on the R&B chart and #6 on the Dance chart when it was released in 1984.  Late British singer Robert Palmer remade the song in 1986 and had a top ten hit with it, but I undoubtedly think the original is way better.  Check it out...


RETRO CENTRIC// Cherrelle "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On" from Centric TV on Vimeo.






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Black History Month Song of the Day - Who's Loving You - Jackson 5

"The little fella in front is incredible."   - Ed Sullivan


mjlyricsonly

The video below is a clip from the Jackson 5's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in December of 1969, and you can see just how special Michael was even back then.  When I heard him belt out that first line...wow!  Enjoy!


M.jackson Who's Loving You by nicobus





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Black History Month Song of the Day - Ghetto Supastar - Pras, featuring O.D.B. and Mya

Here's a 1998 hip hop/R&B jam from Fugees' alumni Pras along with rapper Old Dirty Bastard and R&B singer Mya.  The song effectively samples the melody of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' country hit, Islands in the Stream, and was a major hit across the globe.

  
Pras Ft. ODB & Mya Ghetto Supastar by lucile18






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Black History Month Song of the Day - Hey Ya - Outkast

Here's a happy song for a Sunday Funday!  Enjoy!

 
outkast hey ya from Johnny Wu on Vimeo.





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Black History Month Song of the Day - Rapper's Delight - Sugar Hill Gang

hangout.altsounds

It's hard to believe we're past the halfway point of the month and I haven't even touched upon rap music yet.  Well, here's the granddaddy of all rap/hip hop music, Sugar Hill Gang's Rapper's Delight, as fun and funky today as it ever was.  I could've supplied a better quality video, but this was the only one I could find with them singing it.  Enjoy and Happy Saturday!


Rappers Delight from Rage McAngerfist on Vimeo.






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Black History Month Song of the Day - Brick House - The Commodores

Brick......HOUSE!

It's Funk Friday on John's World Black History Month and we celebrate it with the Commodores before they were Lionel Richie-ized.  There is no other genre of music to put this one into other than funk!

She's mighty mighty

Just lettin' it all hang out...

The Commodores - Brick House - Top Of The Pops 1977 from Adele319 on Vimeo.






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A Valentine's Song of the Day - My Love Is Your Love - Whitney Houston

If tomorrow is judgement day

And I'm standin' on the front line....

There are so many songs I could choose for Valentine's Day, and I did check out a lot of sources, including two pieces I've written on the subject (see below).  Since it is Black History Month and I was going to feature Whitney Houston sometime, this song just made perfect sense for today.  To me, love and devotion go hand in hand, and the truest of love songs intertwine the two.

This song, especially this version (the club remix was also a big hit for Houston), is sooo good....soulful and heartfelt, and even though I am still single, this is the type of love I'd love to have....

Happy Valentine's Day lovers! 

thedailysydney

Whitney Houston, My love is your love (Lyrics on sceen) (Horticinum) from Horticinum on Vimeo.

For more great love songs to celebrate the holiday, check out:

Songs of Love and Devotion for Valentine's Day

A Valentine's Day Songbook

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Black History Month Song of the Day - Fat Boy - Max-A-Million

live 80's-90's

From classic reggae to a little 90's style reggae, here's a group that hit it big in the early part of the decade with reggae-tinged versions of Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing and The S.O.S. Band's Take Your Time, and this, their first single.  Kinda funny, kinda cute, and very catchy!  Happy Hump Day!







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Black History Month Song of the Day - Buffalo Soldier - Bob Marley

Reggae music is yet another genre within the very large realm of black music.  The tribute to Bob Marley at the Grammy's the other night put him into the inner workings of my musical-loving brain, and I wanted to share him here.


weedhead

Buffalo Soldier was the very first Bob Marley song I ever heard.  It's a tribute to the black U.S. Cavalry regiments who fought in the Indian wars in the late 1800's, their struggle for survival cast as "a symbol of black resistance."  The track is pure, classic reggae, with the familiar Jamaican percussion and of course Marley's island-tinged vocals.  It's one of the last songs the late, great Marley ever recorded, and it's definitely worthy of a listen...

 
Bob Marley-Buffalo Soldier by harrison73

 



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Black History Month Song of the Day - Chain Reaction - Diana Ross

You took a mystery and made me want it 

You got a pedestal and put me on it

You made me love you out of feeling nothing

Something that you do

Diana Ross is my diva, and here's a song from 1985 that kind of returned her to a place where she had started.  This song was written and produced by the Bee Gees for her album, Eaten Alive, and it's a bona fide throwback to her days at Motown, with an upbeat, melodic sound and lots of backing vocals by the brothers Gibb.  I remember Chain Reaction getting a lot of airplay back in the day and it's one of my favorites from the superstar.  Happy Monday!

 
Diana Ross - Chain Reaction by Discodandan






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Black History Month Song of the Day - No More Drama - Mary J Blige

As we continue our digout from the storm, here's a little hip hop/soul from the genre's queen. Enjoy and Happy Sunday!

 
Mary J. Blige - No More Drama (Live @ Grammys... by MaryJBligeFanatics






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Black History Month Song of the Day - Thinkin' Bout You - Frank Ocean

We continue our tribute to Black History Month with some of the best of today's R&B.  Frank Ocean's Thinkin' Bout You is nominated for Record of the Year at this year's Grammy Awards and is a beautifully written and performed, soulful ballad.  Check it out...


Frank Ocean - Thinking About You from High5Collective on Vimeo.






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Black History Month Song of the Day - Standing on the Top - Rick James and the Temptations

We want the funk 
We want the funk 
And nothing else will do...

Ooh, I always loved the funk!  Funk started out somewhere in the 60's and had it's biggest moments in the late 70's and early 80's, with such great funksters as Ohio Players, Rick James, Parliament w/George Clinton, The GAP Band, Rufus and Chaka Khan, and many more.  The music brings electric bass and drums to the forefront and features a lot of harmonies for a great mix of danceable stuff.  Much of the funk music of the late 70's was commonly heard in discos everywhere.

Hands down my all time favorite funk artist was Rick James.  Rivaling the influence of Prince in building a music empire that featured underling acts such as Mary Jane Girls, Teena Marie, and even Eddie Murphy, Rick is probably the biggest funk star in history.

Here's a little known tune by James featuring the vocals of the legendary Temptations.  Standing on the Top was included on Rick's 1981 set, Throwin' Down, and is classic funky funk!   Great vocals and a groovalicious funk beat make it one of my all time favorite Rick James tunes.  Press play and try not to bop your head or even just dance a lil...

 
Temptations Feat Rick James - Standing on top by papafonk






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