STAY!: David Bowie vs. Rufus & Chaka Khan

This is really tough, because both songs bring the funk and are among the best songs of their respective artists.... but I have to give it to Rufus for Chaka's masterful vocal perfomance.

Erykah Badu's version of Rufus' "Stay" from her Live album is also worth listening to, though it's not quite as good as the OG

In a contest like this Rufus & Chaka would demolish Bowie...but NOT THIS SONG.

Bowie's "Stay." That funk-metal fadeout might be the best thing he presided over.

as a Rufus fan I don't get the love for this particular song. "Everlasting Love" and "Best Of Your Heart", now those are contenders (or anything off Rufusized).

"Stay" is prime Bowie though - killer guitar funk and that vocal/lyric remains eerie.

Bowie's detachment is never employed more effectively; when he sings shit like, "If I did casually mention tonight/That would be crazy tonight," it's like he's not even paying attention to himself.

What I love most about Rufus' "Stay" is how Chaka's vocals go from smooth and jazzy to totally unhinged and raw and back again, so seamlessly. It's a perfect showcase of whats so great about Chaka as a vocalist. Plus it has an amazing keyboard solo!

Street Player is a really underrated album in general, "Destiny," "Best Of Your Heart" (definitely agree with you about this one... and the instrumental "Finale" is fucking incredible), "Blue Love"...

Bowie rules this one. Lyrics get to the point - "you can never really tell when somebody wants something you want to" that line hit me like a truck full of bricks when I first heard it - all delivered with a balance of detachment and on the the hand, honesty, and a minimum of theatrics. And then on top of that there's Earl Slick's killer riffs driving the song. The fade out is just four notes played over and over, but it sounds better than most Hendrix.

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cool at least Rufus got more than one vote