Ten Reasons Why Silk's "Freak Me" is 100000x better than "Sexual Healing"

1. Titles. Now, admittedly, as a title, "Freak Me" is no "Bizarre Love Triangle" or "How Soon is Now?," but it's simple, direct, and integrates the word "freak" into a title way better than (and three years prior to) Adina Howard. "Sexual Healing," on the other hand, is most likely the most despicable song title in music history--a pretentious, pseudo-spiritual declaration of horniness that basically amounts to an extremely cheesy pick-up line (as pricelessly demonstrated in the movie Heathers, even).

2. Intros. Though perhaps the most redeeming value of the Gaye song, the semi-enticing "get up, get up"s simply can't compare to the ultimate set-up that is the "freak me, baby" intro to the Silk song. It's immeditaely grabbing but still extremely mysterious, and the launch from that into the synth-riff that introduces the chorus before any of the verses (a rather bold structural move for an R&B ballad) is spectacular.

3. Singing on the verses. After the first chorus, Silk wisely choose to scale back to the mystery of the pre-chorus intro, opting for a booming, attention-commanding, almost spoken-word method of lyrical conveyance. Now compare this breathy, seductive baritone to Gaye's braying "baaaaayyyyyybaaaayyyy...I'm hot just like an ovvveeeeEEEEEEEEeeeennnnn" on the vereses of "Sexual Healing". Cringe.

4. Gorgeous harmonies. Silk has 'em. Marv doesn't. Unfair comparison, perhaps, but a fact nonetheless.

5. Production. Both tracks are clearly products of their time, but still, hold the paper-thin guitar, boom-bap drums and barely audible bass of "Sexual Heaing" up against the crystaline keyboards, endless vocal echo and thundering bass of "Freak Me" and tell me which one's held up better over time. Compared to "Sexual Healing," even "Let's Get It On" sounds fucking futuristic.

6. Chorus. The chorus to "Freak Me" is soaring, awe-inspiring and utterly timeless--hardly clever or terirbly impressive lyrically, but still exemplary for a seduction ballad of its sort. The chorus to "Sexual Healing" is essentially banking on the fact that you were really, really impressed with the literary innovation of the title, because it doesn't offer much else. Maybe he should've hedged his bets a little.

7. General tone of inclusiveness. Though Silk are perhaps being a little self-centered with the title, they also promise to lick you up and down (and to be sensitive to your limits while doing so), also offering to make you real hot and to do all of the things you want them to do. Marvin, on the other hand, isn't thinking about anyone's needs besides Marvin's. "I need some loving," "I know you'll be there to relieve me," "you're my medicine," "it's good for me and it's good to me"--Marvin requires his sexual healing, dammit, and fuck if he's going to let your wants and desires get in the way of that.

8. Climax. What would a good sex song be without one? Silk peaks with a fantastic breakdown section with just them and the beat, then continues on to a rapturous "baby / don't stop" finale. The Gaye song continues on the "I need sexual healing" beat and track, merely petering out to its finish.

9. Overexposure. Both songs hit their peak (no pun intended) before my time, yet despite "Sexual Healing" being over a decade older than "Freak Me," I must have heard the former close to fifty times before I heard "Freak Me" once. You can't go more than a day or two without catching the video on VH1 classic, and god help you if you flip past a classic R&B station past the hour of 11:00 on a weeknight. I've only seen the video for "Freak Me" once, and I don't think I've ever heard it on the radio. And guess what? "Sexual Healing" sounds just as bad the 50th time as it did the first.

10. Reputation. For some reason which will be eternally beyond me, not only does "Sexual Healing" remain more of a popular favorite than "Freak Me," it's more of a canonical one as well, with the former actually making critics' polls and the like on a semi-regular basis--and I guarantee you, when the day of the 80s poll on ILM rolls around, it'll be nominated and probably'll make at least the top 50. Yet "Freak Me" is forever nowhere to be found. Tragic.

Here are the songs for you to evaluate for yourself:

Silk - "Freak Me"
Marvin Gaye - "Sexual Healing"

Examine the evidence. Arrive at your own conclusions. Be sure to post them here.