Due to Valentine’s Day, February is sometimes known as the month of love. I wanted to try something unique for every Slow Jam Saturday this month by featuring every song and having the word Valentine in the title. First is the sentimental bop “Valentine Girl” from New Kids on The Block.
The year was 1990, and five guys from Dorchester were Pop Music Royalty. Their third album, Step By Step, sold like gangbusters, and their second major concert tour broke records. The B-side to their hit single “Step By Step” was the “Valentine Girl” ballad written and produced by their mentor Maurice Starr. Jordan Knight’s smooth falsetto starts the song before Danny Wood comes in with a robust baritone to lead the song.
Wood and Knight’s voices blend beautifully throughout the song as they sing Star’s lyrics, revealing deep affection and admiration for a woman. The lyrics describe the woman’s eyes sparkling brighter than any star in the sky. Wood uses a Valentine’s Day card to convey their feelings, emphasizing that it’s just one way of expressing their emotions.
Knight’s chorus of the song “Valentine Girl” is particularly noteworthy. The singer’s smooth vocals express a deep commitment toward a woman, urging her to become their “Valentine girl.” The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the singer’s longing for a long-lasting connection with this person, promising to give them their heart forever. This repetition emphasizes the depth of his feelings and the desire for the woman to be a part of their life.
In the second verse, Wood acknowledges that sending flowers is insufficient compared to being physically present with this person. Despite the recent meeting, the singer declares that they are already everything to them, highlighting the strength of their emotional attachment.
I didn’t get a chance to see the New Kids live during their prime. Still, I can imagine that this was a massive song in the nineties for female fans in the audience as it captures the excitement, tenderness, and sense of deep connection that can accompany falling in love for the first time.
Final Grade: B+
“Valentine Girl” is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.