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
Growing up in the nineties, movies aimed at a melanin audience often featured soundtracks that had to be just as flavorful as the films themselves. This week, for Slow Jam Saturday, I want to take a trip back to 1993 and highlight one of the slow jams from the soundtrack of “Menace II Society”.
Last week marked two significant anniversaries for one of the greatest artists of all time, Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson. It’s only fitting that I show him some love for Second Listen Sunday. The first anniversary was on the 21st, commemorating nine years since his passing. The second anniversary was on the 22nd, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his seventh studio album, “Around the World in a Day.”
One of my most significant decisions late last year was to pledge to Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. At the time of this writing, I am in Atlantic City for my fraternity’s Regional Conference, where I will represent my chapter, Beta Alpha Omega. In that regard, I believe the perfect song for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday is “The Best Man I Can Be.”