THE CRUSADERS - STREET LIFE

Publicació: juliol de 1979

Llistes:  Regne Unit: núm. 5 · Estats Units: núm. 36

L’any 1979, The Crusaders ja portaven gairebé dues dècades en el seu viatge des de les arrels del hard bop fins a convertir-se en innovadors del jazz-fusió. “Street Life” es va convertir alhora en el punt àlgid de la seva carrera i, irònicament, en una mena de cant del cigne: va ser el seu últim gran èxit transoceànic. 

L’origen de la cançó és tan inesperat com poètic. El pianista Joe Sample era en una pista d’esquí per a principiants a Mammoth Mountain, observant com els novells queien i xocaven entre ells. A ell li va semblar un “bulevard de bogeria”, una metàfora perfecta de la vida nocturna urbana, amb els seus enganys, perills i plaers fugaços. En col·laboració amb el lletrista Will Jennings, va transformar aquesta visió en un retrat de la vida a la ciutat: superfícies lluents que amaguen perill al darrere. Jennings, que havia estat absorbint l’ambient del Hollywood Boulevard, va aportar la seva mirada incisiva: “Street life, you can run away from time” (Vida al carrer, pots fugir del temps)—convertint el caos en quelcom tan seductor com ineludible.

La força de la cançó va emergir amb la veu de Randy Crawford. En aquell moment, era pràcticament desconeguda fora dels cercles de jazz, tot i que havia impressionat Sample amb el seu debut “Everything Must Change” (1976), sense aconseguir èxit comercial. La seva vulnerable interpretació a “Street Life” transmetent tant l’atracció com el perill del bulevard. Aquella actuació no només va donar als Crusaders el seu gran èxit, sinó que també va llançar Crawford a una carrera internacional. El grup produiria després el seu àlbum de 1980, “Now We May Begin”, que la convertiria en estrella, sobretot a Europa.

Musicalment, “Street Life” és una autèntica lliçó de jazz-funk de finals dels setanta. L’arranjament dels Crusaders combinava sofisticació polida amb un fons de funk cru: el vamp de piano de Sample guiava el groove, el saxo de Wilton Felder hi afegia musculatura, i la bateria de Stix Hooper mantenia el pols àgil i ferm. La versió de gairebé 12 minuts de l’àlbum era com una jam session il·luminada amb neons, mentre que l’edició radiofònica la destil·lava en una forma compacta i preparada per a les llistes.

Publicada per MCA Records, “Street Life” va arribar al núm. 36 del Billboard Hot 100 als EUA i va triomfar a Europa, assolint el núm. 5 al Regne Unit. Va ser l’últim gran èxit comercial dels Crusaders, però la seva influència es va estendre molt més enllà de 1979. Anys després, artistes de hip-hop van samplejar el cor icònic de Crawford, reintegrant-lo en les narratives urbanes del rap.

La cançó també va trobar el seu lloc al cinema, apareixent al film Sharky’s Machine (1981) amb Burt Reynolds i a Jackie Brown (1997) de Quentin Tarantino, on el seu aire de jazz-noir encaixava perfectament amb la sensibilitat retro del director.

Per als Crusaders, “Street Life” va ser l’últim gran èxit d’una llarga trajectòria. Per a Randy Crawford, va ser el començament de la seva. I per als oients, encara avui és un himne que et fa sentir la lluentor del neó i les ombres que s’hi amaguen al darrere.

THE CRUSADERS - STREET LIFE

Released: July 1979

Charts:  UK: #5   US: #36 

By 1979, The Crusaders were nearly two decades into their journey from hard bop roots to jazz-fusion innovators. “Street Life” became both a career pinnacle and, ironically, something of a swan song—it was their last major crossover hit.

The genesis of the song is as unlikely as it is poetic. Pianist Joe Sample was on a beginner’s ski slope at Mammoth Mountain, watching novices tumble and collide. To him, it looked like a “boulevard of madness,” a perfect metaphor for urban nightlife and its hustles, dangers, and fleeting thrills. Teaming up with lyricist Will Jennings, he reshaped the vision into a portrait of city living: glittering surfaces masking peril underneath. Jennings, who had been soaking up the atmosphere of Hollywood Boulevard, brought a lyricist’s sharpness to Sample’s concept—“Street life, you can run away from time”—making the chaos sound both seductive and inescapable.

The song’s power came alive through Randy Crawford’s voice. At the time, she was little-known outside jazz circles, having impressed Sample on her 1976 debut “Everything Must Change” without finding commercial success. Her vocal on “Street Life” was smoky yet vulnerable, conveying both the allure and the danger of the boulevard. That performance didn’t just give the Crusaders their hit; it launched Crawford into an international career. The Crusaders would go on to produce her 1980 album “Now We May Begin”, which turned her into a star, especially in Europe.

Musically, “Street Life” was a masterclass in late-’70s jazz-funk fusion. The Crusaders’ arrangement balanced slick sophistication with raw funk undercurrents: Sample’s piano vamp drove the groove, Wilton Felder’s saxophone added muscle, and Stix Hooper’s drumming kept the beat sharp but supple. The track’s nearly 12-minute album version stretched like a neon-lit jam session, while the radio edit distilled it to a tight, chart-ready form.

Released on MCA Records, “Street Life” reached #36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and broke big in Europe, peaking at #5 on the UK Singles Chart. It became The Crusaders’ last major commercial success, but its influence stretched far beyond 1979. Hip-hop artists later sampled Crawford’s iconic chorus, folding it back into the streetwise narratives of rap.

The song also found its way into cinema, appearing in the 1981 Burt Reynolds film Sharky’s Machine and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown (1997), where its noir-jazz cool perfectly matched the director’s retro sensibilities.

For The Crusaders, “Street Life” was the last great hit of their long career. For Randy Crawford, it was the beginning of hers. And for listeners, it remains an anthem that makes you feel the shimmer of neon and the shadows lurking just behind it.

YVONNE ELLIMAN - I DON’T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM

Released: May 13, 1971

Charts:  UK: #47   US: #28 

“I Don’t Know How to Love Him” emerged in 1970 as one of the emotional high points of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Originally conceived as a reworking of an earlier melody titled “Kansas Morning”, the song was reimagined as a torch ballad for Mary Magdalene, who confesses her conflicted, unrequited love for Jesus. With its blend of vulnerability and soaring melody, it became one of the most popular pieces from the rock opera.

Yvonne Elliman, a Hawaiian-born singer discovered by Webber and Rice at a Chelsea folk club, was cast as Mary Magdalene and first recorded the track in 1970. Though initially puzzled by the romantic lyrics—mistakenly believing she was meant to portray the Virgin Mary—Elliman would go on to make the song her signature, performing it in the original Broadway production, on the cast album, and in Norman Jewison’s 1973 film adaptation. Her rendition also became a modest chart hit, especially in Europe.

At nearly the same time, Australian singer Helen Reddy released her own version, and in a rare post-1950s occurrence, both interpretations climbed into the U.S. Top 40 simultaneously. The exposure helped propel “Jesus Christ Superstar” from a concept album into a full-fledged Broadway phenomenon.

Elliman’s association with the song launched a career that would later take her into collaborations with Eric Clapton—she sang backing vocals on “I Shot the Sheriff”—and to disco superstardom with her No. 1 hit “If I Can’t Have You” from the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. Still, “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” remains her most emblematic performance, a song that captured the intersection of sacred and romantic longing and became a cultural milestone of the early 1970s.

FLOATERS - FLOAT ON

Released: June 1977

Charts:  UK: #1 (1 week)  US: #2 

In the summer of 1977, a silky slice of astrology, romance, and R&B floated its way to the top of the charts. “Float On” by the Floaters became a phenomenon, blending the era’s fascination with star signs and the intimacy of phone-dating culture into a slow groove that captivated listeners on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Floaters, a Detroit-based group formed by former members of The Detroit Emeralds, crafted their debut single as both a love song and a playful roll call. Each member introduced himself with his astrological sign and a few lines about his ideal woman — a concept that was part pickup line, part personal ad, and entirely of its time. Delivered over a lush arrangement of strings, bass, and understated rhythm guitar, the spoken verses gave the track a conversational charm that set it apart from other soul ballads of the era.

The song’s origin story is just as dreamy as its vibe. James Mitchell, co-writer and former Emerald, recalled that the melody came to him in a dream — so vivid that he leapt out of bed and recorded it on tape to preserve the idea. Producer-arranger Dennis Coffey (famous for his own hit “Scorpio” and for shaping the sound of countless Detroit records) also had a hand in its magic, lending the group his Echoplex unit to create the watery, atmospheric guitar tones that give “Float On” its signature feel.

When released as the centerpiece of their self-titled debut album, “Float On” quickly became a blockbuster. It topped the US Hot Soul Singles chart for six weeks, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also soared to No. 1 in the UK — an unusual feat for a relatively unknown Detroit group. Despite the massive success of this single the Floaters never landed another Hot 100 hit, forever marking them as one-hit wonders.

DESTINY’S CHILD - INDEPENDENT WOMEN PART 1

Released: September 14, 2000

Charts:  UK: #1 (1 week) US: #1 (11 weeks)

Destiny’s Child released “Independent Women Part I” on September 14, 2000. Commissioned for the soundtrack of the “Charlie’s Angels” film reboot, the single married blockbuster marketing with an irresistible message of female empowerment. It also marked the first Destiny’s Child release to feature Michelle Williams and the only one to include Farrah Franklin, though Franklin had left the group before the song’s release.

At the time, Destiny’s Child were quickly emerging as one of the defining acts of late-’90s/early-2000s R&B. Following their breakthrough “The Writing’s on the Wall” (1999), the group leaned into themes of strength, independence, and financial autonomy. “Independent Women” extended that vision, with lyrics directly celebrating self-sufficiency: women buying their own cars, paying their own bills, and living without reliance on men.

The song’s origins were rooted in personal experience. Beyoncé Knowles had an argument with her boyfriend and began sketching lyrics about independence. That early draft became “Independent Women Part II,” a version that would later appear on the group’s “Survivor” album (2001). Columbia Records, however, saw the opportunity to tie Destiny’s Child to the “Charlie’s Angels” reboot, whose stars—Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu—were even name-checked in the lyrics.

To give the track a polished, radio-ready sound, Columbia turned to hitmaking production duo Poke & Tone (Samuel Barnes and Jean-Claude Olivier), best known for crafting Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Miami.” With additional contributions from Cory Rooney, the team reworked the original version entirely, creating the harder-hitting “Part I” that became the global smash.

Released just weeks before the film premiered, the single was a juggernaut. On November 18, 2000, it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 11 consecutive weeks—a record run for an all-female group. It also topped charts worldwide and became the biggest hit of 2000 in the US. 

THE PERSUADERS - THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE

Released: August 1971

Charts:  US: #15 

In 1971, New York vocal group The Persuaders delivered their signature hit “Thin Line Between Love and Hate,” a cautionary tale that became an instant R&B classic. Written and produced by brothers Robert and Richard Poindexter, along with Robert’s wife Jackie Members, the track spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and climbed to No. 15 on the Hot 100.

The song explores the fragile balance between devotion and resentment in a relationship. In its verses, the narrator describes a woman who dutifully tends to her man, even when he stumbles home at 5 a.m. without explanation. But the chorus delivers the lesson: a woman’s patience has limits, and repeated heartbreak can turn love into something dangerous. By the second verse, the man finds himself in a hospital bed, bandaged from head to toe—a chilling reminder not to take unconditional love for granted. Part of the song’s power lies in its ambiguity. While it alludes to violence, it never spells out exactly how the man ends up injured, leaving listeners to fill in the blanks.

The Persuaders themselves had a turbulent history. Originally performing as The Internationals, they were once duped into impersonating another group in the UK before reinventing themselves under their new name and signing with Atlantic Records. “Thin Line Between Love and Hate” was their first single and the title track of their debut album.

The Pretenders reimagined it in 1984, with Chrissie Hynde flipping the perspective to the woman scorned; their version charted modestly in both the UK and US. In 1995, Annie Lennox gave it her own haunting interpretation on her album “Medusa”, altering the lyrics and deepening the emotional narrative.

 

ERIKAH BADU - ON & ON

Released: December 10, 1996

Charts:  UK: #12   US: #12 

“On & On” marked the arrival of Erykah Badu as the queen of neo soul, a singular voice who blended jazz phrasing, hip-hop sensibilities, and spiritual wisdom into a new form of R&B. Released on December 10, 1996, as the lead single from her debut album “Baduizm”, the track was co-written with JaBorn Jamal and infused with lyrical teachings of the Five-Percent Nation. Its hypnotic groove and ethereal delivery introduced listeners to Badu’s distinctive artistry, often compared to Billie Holiday yet wholly original.

The single was both a commercial and critical breakthrough. It spent two weeks atop the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and climbed to number 12 on both the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. At the 1998 Grammy Awards, “On & On” won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

The accompanying video deepened her mystique, referencing the 1985 film adaptation of Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”. Badu plays a maid in a Southern household, shown tending chores, braiding hair, chasing a misbehaving dog, and eventually falling into mud. By the end, she appears dressed in green, leading a group in jubilant song and dance on a farm—a visual metaphor for liberation and transcendence. The video received MTV VMA nominations for Best Female Video and Best R&B Video in 1997.

The parent album “Baduizm”, released February 11, 1997, was hailed as a cornerstone of the neo soul movement. Produced under the guidance of Kedar Massenburg, who helped shape the very term “neo soul,” the record debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, eventually going triple platinum. Critics praised Badu’s blend of jazz, soul, and hip-hop, noting her torch-singer timbre and spiritual depth, and quickly crowned her the heir to a lineage stretching from Billie Holiday to Nina Simone. With “Baduizm” Erykah Badu not only launched her career but also helped define a new era in R&B, where tradition and futurism coexisted in a genre-bending, deeply personal sound.

JOCELYN BROWN – SOMEBODY ELSE’S GUY

Publicació: març de 1984

Llistes: Regne Unit: #13 · EUA: #75

Publicada el 1984, “Somebody Else’s Guy” es va convertir en l’èxit insígnia de Jocelyn Brown com a solista. Ella mateixa va coescriure i produir la cançó, que es caracteritza per una producció icònica post-disco i boogie, barrejant funk, soul i ritmes ballables. En el moment del seu llançament, el single va escalar fins al número 2 de la llista R&B dels EUA i al 75 del Billboard Hot 100. Al Regne Unit va gaudir d’un èxit més gran, arribant fins al Top 20.

Quan Jocelyn Brown va publicar “Somebody Else’s Guy” el 1984, no era una debutant buscant la seva veu —ja era una força vocal consolidada. Abans d’emprendre el camí en solitari, Brown havia estat una veu habitual a l’escena disco i post-disco de Nova York, posant la seva veu a grups com Musique, Inner Life i la Salsoul Orchestra. El seu timbre ric, format al gospel, la feia immediatament reconeixible, fins i tot quan era només una veu més dins d’un cor nombrós.

El cor del tema és la seva interpretació vocal. Poques cantants poden combinar poder i vulnerabilitat de manera tan convincent com ella. Explica la història d’estimar un home que ja pertany a una altra persona, amb una veu que s’eleva entre l’angoixa i la força. En lloc de dramatitzar el desamor, el canta amb una franquesa gairebé conversacional —com si confiés el seu dolor a una amiga davant d’una copa. Aquesta honestedat, unida a una secció rítmica pensada per a la pista de ball, és el que ha mantingut viva la cançó als clubs durant dècades.

El seu llegat va més enllà de l’original: CeCe Peniston en va fer una versió el 1998, que també va entrar al Top 15 britànic. A més, temes famosos com “The Power” de Snap! van samplejar la veu de Jocelyn d’una altra gravació. Mirant enrere, “Somebody Else’s Guy” és molt més que un bon groove—és una declaració d’identitat artística d’una de les grans heroïnes poc reconegudes del soul i la música de ball. Potser Jocelyn Brown mai no va ser un nom tan conegut com Aretha Franklin o Chaka Khan, però amb aquest single es va guanyar el seu propi racó a la història de la música.

JOCELYN BROWN - SOMEBODY ELSE’S GUY

Released: March 1984

Charts:  UK: #13    US: #75 

Released in 1984, “Somebody Else’s Guy” became Jocelyn Brown’s signature solo hit. She co-wrote and produced the song, which featured iconic post-disco and boogie-style production, blending funk, soul, and danceable rhythms. Upon its release, the single soared to No. 2 on the US R&B chart and claimed No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it achieved greater success, breaking into the Top 20. 

When Jocelyn Brown released “Somebody Else’s Guy” in 1984, she wasn’t a newcomer finding her voice — she was already a powerhouse. Before stepping out solo, Brown had been a go-to vocalist in New York’s disco and post-disco scene, lending her voice to groups like Musique, Inner Life, and the Salsoul Orchestra. Her rich, gospel-trained delivery made her instantly recognizable, even when she was just one voice in a crowded chorus.

At the heart of the song is Brown’s vocal performance. Few singers can straddle power and vulnerability as convincingly as she does here. She tells the story of loving a man who belongs to someone else, her voice soaring with both anguish and strength. Rather than dramatizing heartbreak, she sings it with a conversational directness — as if confiding in a friend over a drink. It’s that honesty, paired with a rhythm section made for the dance floor, that has kept the song alive in clubs for decades.

Its legacy spans beyond the original: CeCe Peniston covered it in 1998, also reaching the UK Top 15. Additionally, famed songs like “The Power” by Snap! sampled Jocelyn’s vocals from another track. Looking back, “Somebody Else’s Guy” is more than just a great groove — it’s a statement of artistic identity from one of the great unsung heroes of soul and dance. Jocelyn Brown may never have been a household name on the level of Aretha Franklin or Chaka Khan, but with this single, she carved out her own corner of music history.