Best Song from my March 2023 flood PART 2, a poll of 7" singles in my collection

Best Song from my March 2023 flood, a poll of 7” singles in my collection

I'm hoping nate woolls will be coming along and hooking us up with another Spotify playlist.

BTW, why that Bee Gees track got two songs and is a nod to the open Canadian poll.

Its B-side was "You Stepped into My Life". In Canada, "You Stepped into My Life" was chosen as the A-side and this song, "Love So Right" was the B-side.

Very hard to pick a favorite from “Last Dance,” KC’s “Booty,” “Le Freak,” “Boogie Oogie Oogie” and a couple others, but I saw Thank God It’s Friday at age 10 and it blew my little mind so gotta vote for “Last Dance.”

1. Exile – "Kiss You All Over"
2. Raydio – "You Can't Change That"
3. Chic – "Le Freak"

this is really tough but in the end my Donna Summer stanning always wins out, going "Last Dance". but it coulda been like 11 others.

thought of voting for "Logical Song". love everything about that arrangement, the vocals, the melody. might make me square but I will not apologize.

Killer live performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT9WUWTPQrs

(Won't you help me?) But please, tell me who I am
Who I am
Who I am
Who I am

This part was blowing my mind, at the time, because religion was being shoved down my throat.

With this too, classic song:

I said, now, watch what you say, they'll be calling you a radical
A liberal, oh, fanatical, criminal
Oh, won't you sign up your name? We'd like to feel you're acceptable
Respectable, oh, presentable, a vegetable

Oh, take, take, take it, yeah

Massive nostalgia trip with this list. As a middle school kid I probably would have gone with Cold As Ice.

Smokey Robinson – Being With You

I used to have the 45 of this on green vinyl

This is a better collection than the first batch imo. First inclination is "Whip It" which, like "Cars" on the first poll, was my new wave tastes infiltrating the Top 40 (which Flying Lizards did not, at least where I live.) Love the SOS Band and Brick songs, and I'm still a sucker for "Kiss You All Over." This is tough.

Smokey or Prince probably

Donna Summer was my first favorite artist, I was so in love with her at the time. In fact I had another 7" single by her in the box that I edited out as she was well represented in these polls.

the ones i like most are the dance/disco ones. will probably vote for one of

Sister Sledge – We Are Family
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover
Frankie Smith - Double Dutch Bus
A Taste of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie
Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive
Donna Summer – Bad Girls
The S.O.S. Band - Take Your Time (Do It Right)

Stephen Bishop – On and On is cute too tho

Chic is my actual favorite of these, but going with Patrick Hernandez for the music video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UaJAnnipkY

Runner-up goes to Brick though. People do not talk about Dazz or Dusic enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpr9qvuodVA

I didn't see the image in Bee OK's original post. Patrick Hernandez also wins for fonts.

dazz is roller skating magnificence

I once saw Brave Combo bust out an amazing version of "Dazz" in between their usual polkas and cha-chas.

Are we not men?

I didn't expect Hernandez to look like one of the Strokes.

Donna Summer – Last Dance
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover
Supertramp - The Logical Song
Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
Player – Baby Come Back
Heatwave – The Groove Line
A Taste of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie

taew's avatar
taew 11 Jan 2017
Edited 6 years ago

referencing Born To Be Alive (12", 45 RPM) JV 5555
It is my interpretation of this song, that 'born to be alive' means the rejection of metaphysical meaning in our lives, we are not born for any purpose other than life its self. How ever it over comes nihilism in the Nietzschean sense by affirming life on these terms, the song is cheerful, however there are key changes that signify perhaps an edge of sadness or tragedy, in this sense the song knows it dances on the edge of an abyss and that most are unable to achieve the celebration of life drives without a meaning beyond, it knows the despair to which most respond to its insight, and even this, it can dance to as a life drive worthy of affirmation. Another line, 'people ask my why I never find a place to stop and settle down down down, but I never wanted all the things that people need to justify their lives lives lives'. this again links to Nietzsche's rejection of 'herd mentality' as well as his repeated poetic uses of the image of the wanderer.

'I said "Freak"'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnqQddhUUv8

i always loved the proto-goth bassline on heatwave's 'the groove line'. was just looking at the credits on the album it's from ('central heating') and one of the engineers on it was actually mike hedges who obviously went on to produce the cure's 'faith' and 'seventeen seconds' along with a whole load of other goth-ish stuff (associates, siouxsie & the banshees, southern death cult, the glove etc), odd coincidence!

Donna Summer – Last Dance
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover

― fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Friday, April 7, 2023 7:32 AM (forty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

The two I weighed

Good catch on the "Groove Line" bassline. I don't think I realized the international makeup of Heatwave till now. Interesting back story.

yeah, they have a chaotic history. at least two members had their careers ended by being stabbed!

then the O'Jays wrote a song about it

the guy who played bass on 'the groove line' was knifed after a party at elton john's house:

Heatwave were about to return to the studio when Mantese attended a party at Elton John's house in London.[2] He was with his girlfriend, who decided to go home early from the party, reason unknown. When Mantese arrived home, she was furious with him, perhaps from an incident that happened at the party and stabbed him.[2] The knife hit him in the heart and for several minutes, he was clinically dead. When, after several months, he awoke from coma, he was blind, mute and paralysed in his entire body.[2] To date, he has no memory of this tragic event.[2] He decided not to press charges against his girlfriend, and moved in with her after leaving the hospital.[2] Mantese was replaced by bassist Derek Bramble.[2]

https://www.mariomantese.com/en/

I knew I liked "The Groove Line" when it was new, but I couldn't recall a bit of it until now. That "Heathwave" video is weirdly great. I did not know any of the back stories. (Also, lol Neanderthal.)

During his time of 'death', Mario made a tremendous journey through the beyond. This deep and powerful experience in the other world caused a total transformation of his entire being. This journey is described in his first book "Visionen des Todes" ("Visions of Death").
The moment Mario came out of his coma, he realized that he was blind, completely paralyzed and unable to speak. But during his long journey into the beyond, which seemed to him like a thousand years, he had discovered hidden powers, and had uncovered an infinite universe within himself.

Speaking of basslines, the part of “Le Freak” I always look forward to is the instrumental break where the bass is so locked in it almost feels like time and space are dissolving.

Can someone make a Spotify of this? I just don't have time myself and want to listen over the weekend.

working on it

here's the playlist: Bee OK poll: Best Song from my March 2023 flood, PART 2, a poll of 7” singles in my collection.

not on Spotify*: Nigel Olsson's "Dancin' Shoes" and Teri DeSario with K.C.'s "Yes, I'm Ready" (I added a re-recording as a placeholder)- I provided YouTube links in the info box.

(note: I made this on my Dutch Spotify - let me know if there's any tracks that don't work in other regions, I'll try to find a different source)

Nice, thank you breastcrawl! If others don't answer you, I will get back to you.

this is, as they say, how I break it down to an extent:

TIER 1 (winner to be decided):
Sister Sledge – We Are Family
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover
A Taste of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie
Chic – Le Freak

TIER 2:
Brick – Dazz
Donna Summer – Bad Girls
Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive
Frankie Smith - Double Dutch Bus

TIER 3:
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Donna Summer – Last Dance
Heatwave – The Groove Line
The S.O.S. Band - Take Your Time (Do It Right)

TIER 4:
KC and the Sunshine Band - (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty
Earth, Wind & Fire - Saturday Night
Commodores – Brick House
Smokey Robinson – Being With You

BONUS TIER (category: just a bunch of Gibberish):
Olivia Newton-John – A Little More Love (another of my favourite ONJ tunes - poll will be up soon)
Bee Gees – You Stepped Into My Life
Exile – Kiss You All Over
Andy Gibb - I Just Want to Be Your Everything (but I’m pretending it’s “Shadow Dancing”)

Earth, Wind & Fire - Saturday Night Nite

I'm sure everyone is aware of this, but the main reason Heatwave were as good as they were is they had Rod Temperton as their main songwriter. "Groove Line" was written by him as well. it was just a small step from there to "Off The Wall" (the song) one year later.

Voted "Dancin' Shoes" as it always tickles me to be reminded the Nigel Olsson solo career existed (and also because it's too good for Spotify).

The only song that is grayed out is "Escape" in the US.

(George Costanza voice): That’s a shame

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGAeI5KODLA

Speaking of basslines, the part of “Le Freak” I always look forward to is the instrumental break where the bass is so locked in it almost feels like time and space are dissolving.

Yes, same here. That's what I was alluding to cryptically. At that point ('I said "Freak"'), the break has lasted for 16 bars, and you think it must be about to end, but then it goes on for another 16 bars, even on the 7-inch.

The only song that is grayed out is "Escape" in the US.

Yes, that worked, thanks again.

"I am not much into health food
I am into champagne"

Upon further reflection this is Prince quite easily. Silver to Donna Summer, bronze to Heatwave

which Donna tho? there are two

Last Dance!

whole bunch of heavy hitters here but I have to vote for I will survive which is one of those songs that has really suffered for its cultural omnipresence

The Nigel Olsson song is available to me here in New Zealand:

https://open.spotify.com/track/3DdqJR9hrVAaXQRwJkkJP6?si=6Ma3VcNVSourfcnsfueC0g&dd=1"> https://open.spotify.com/track/3DdqJR9hrVAaXQRwJkkJP6?si=6Ma3VcNVSourfcnsfueC0g&dd=1

I was such a romantic as a kip, music wise, even if I had no idea what adult feeling were.

The disco songs have been the ones that have stood out over these last two polls, some of the adult contemporary stuff is long in the tooth. Even if some are still guilty pleasures.

Kip = kid

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

For me it's between Prince, Chic, and dark horse contender Heatwave

I could probably vote for any of these:

Donna Summer – Last Dance
Exile – Kiss You All Over
Smokey Robinson – Being With You
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover
Commodores – Brick House
Supertramp - The Logical Song
Olivia Newton-John – A Little More Love
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
The Flying Lizards – Money
Little River Band – Reminiscing
Player – Baby Come Back
Heatwave – The Groove Line
A Taste of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie
Chic – Le Freak
Devo - Whip It
Brick – Dazz
Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive
Donna Summer – Bad Girls
The S.O.S. Band - Take Your Time (Do It Right)

I finally went with Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Piña Colada Song) as it sounded great drunk this last weekend and when will I ever have a chance to vote for this again?

The lyrics and what happens in that song is classic too, It went over my head at the time.

TIER 1 (winner to be decided):
Sister Sledge – We Are Family
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover
A Taste of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie
Chic – Le Freak

Thanks again for the link breastcrawl, looking forward to ONJ poll.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Wow, my vote (for Prince) made a difference!