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
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.