For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to take it back it 1987 and give some flowers to Mr. Miles Jaye. The first time I felt the lyrics to Jaye’s hit “I’ve Been A Fool For You” was when I was 24. During this time, I was stationed in England and spent a lot of time watching DVD Box Sets of TV series.
Season 1 of A Different World was one such show. The character of Jaleesa takes bets on how Dwayne will act when a graduate student tries to seduce him, in the episode “Does He, or Doesn’t He?”. Throughout the episode, we see how Dwayne reacts when being played for a fool. Now while Dwayne wasn’t in a relationship with the graduate student the lyrics of the song tie into how he feels. Throughout five minutes Jaye effectively croons :
“We had a chance to find true love
And make it last forever
From the first dance
I knew it was just you and I, together
What made you try those childish games?
What made you want to use me?
So now today, we’re not the same
And you’re about to lose me”.
World-renowned producer Dexter Wansel produced the song, and it would feel right at home with the production he was doing for Philadelphia International in the seventies. We must remember that one thing to remember is never to judge a book by its cover. As music historians know, Jaye was once a member of The Village People. No one could have predicted that a singer with a soulful voice could bring us such a poignant song. This song is about a situation we have all been through at some point in our lives.
Final Grade: B+
“I’ve Been A Fool For You” is available on all streaming platforms
One of the great things about buying a soundtrack when I was in my DJ prime was discovering a slow jam that I could put on my mix CDs. For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to highlight one of the songs: Jagged Edge’s cover of Air Supply’s, “All Out of Love.”
After twenty-six years in the game, Atlanta-based quartet Jagged Edge is currently on the road celebrating the anniversary of their magnum opus sophomore album, “J.E. Heartbreak,” with a tour titled “An Intimate Evening With Jagged Edge.” To kick off our seventh wedding anniversary celebration, my wife and I will be the D.C. date on the tour this coming Wednesday.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to travel back to 1999 and show some love to R&B group Amyth, which was initially signed to LL Cool J Rock the Bells Records. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the group was formed in 1995 while the members were students at Southern University.