Scribbler's "Get Out of My Brain!" Countdown of the Month (November 2016)

With so much on my mind during the month of October, music was the John Stockton to my Karl Malone of adversity and dished a much needed assist.  For a while, most of the songs which made the list at the beginning of the month seemed like they would prevail.  Alexander O'Neal tried to do like his entry attempt and "Hang On" by virtue of The Original Quiet Storm nostalgia and a "RANDOM THOUGHT ALERTS!!!" post.  Composer Vangelis' "Love Theme" from Blade Runner possessed more sparkle within the song than its possibility of withstanding the challenge from its future competitors.  George Benson tried to sneak in a second entry (spoiler alert) with "Turn Your Love Around," but couldn't reverse his fortune.  With appearances in commercials and made-for-TV biopics, Chance The Rapper and Michel'le both had late pushes with "No Problems" (featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz) and "Something in My Heart", respectively.  However, with the passing of a legendary producer, songwriter, musician and singer as well as brand new music surfacing, it created the following playlist inside of my head which ended up more like a predominantly 80s version of Black Music Month...

#10 EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING, "Kisses Don't Lie" (Flirt, EMI-Manhattan, 1988).  While "Shame", "I'm in Love" and "Love Come Down" are her most popular hits, a song which often comes to my mind quicker simply when I see her name is one of her lesser-known Top 20 R&B hits.  On the same compilation CD I talked about in my tribute to Kashif, "Kisses Don't Lie" was one of the album's most treasured gems and I've been a fan ever since because it has helped to shape my philosophy regarding physical intimacy and how the chemistry and synergy between two people can be expressed simply through a kiss.  Recently reading the lyrics influenced how frequently this slow jam rotated around my brain: "To go crazy for someone so special/Tailor made, heaven sent just for me/This time I know it's real/'Cause I asked my heart a question and it replied/Kisses don't lie, kisses don't lie."  So if you want to know whether a potential mate is going to be the real deal or a dud, then forget numbers: the saying should be "women lie, men lie, kisses don't" mainly because Evelyn King said so and what dissenting person doesn't listen to somebody with "Champagne" as their nickname?!?!  I thought so...

#9 SOLANGE, "Cranes in the Sky" (A Seat at the Table, Saint/Columbia, 2016).  The hook on its own merit is infectious enough.  With smooth production from Raphael Saadiq and vocals reminiscent of vintage Brown Sugar D'Angelo--another phenomenal album also co-produced by the former Tony! Toni! Tone! frontman--resisting singing "Well it's like...craaaa-eeeeeenes in the sky" often feels like an exercise in futility.  Interpreting "sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal clouds" also guided my infatuation because I'm standing there thinking, "Does she mean if metal clouds were like real clouds and had the ability to produce precipitation, then she wouldn't want to feel the result, or is she simply saying there's nothing attractive about the mere presence of cranes in the sky in what should be a beautiful sky on its own?"  Throw in last week's "review" of A Seat at the Table as well as everybody and their grandmomma who probably thought Beyoncé was the alpha and omega of Knowles offspring posting about it on social media and voila!  Le repetition...

#8 MELBA MOORE, "Love's Comin' At Ya" (The Other Side of the Rainbow, Capitol, 1982).  In Round 1 of the "Blame Kashif Game", I frankly haven't thought much about song since purchasing her greatest hits in high school and running it into the ground.  However, as is the case with 40 percent of this month's countdown, the passing of Kashif began a journey of milling through some of his best work and "Love's Comin' At Ya" is a solid example of how he assisted Melba Moore in establishing herself as a reputable and versatile soul singer in the 1980s.  Although her strength was often on ballads like "Lean on Me" or midtempo numbers like "Falling", Kashif brought out some of her big guns on this danceable track as well.  So when you ride around the neighborhood blasting this song like it's 1982 again while checking out the rest of the work from Mighty M Productions (Kashif, Paul Laurence and Morrie Brown) on The Other Side of the Rainbow, even a song you haven't chosen to listen to in nearly 20 years can roll around in that big old brain of yours...

#7 EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING, "I'm in Love" (I'm in Love, RCA, 1981).  In Round 2 of the "Blame Kashif Game", take hold of this moment: if you're an avid Evelyn "Champagne" King fan, then you may never see this many entries from her on one of my countdowns ever again.  No shade because she has pipes and dope music to her name, but I haven't done much deep sea diving into her catalog beyond her greatest hits.  Anyway, when you share the same creative brain space with an alter ego twin while he's on a mission to write the perfect verse, memorize it because he feels restricted when he reads from his notebook or cell phone and practice his delivery because he's a stickler for how his recorded voice sounds, then you're bound to hear a song containing a well-produced sample job of "I'm in Love" repeatedly.  You might ask, "Given your history of shamelessly plugging your alter ego's contributions, shouldn't the song containing the sample be featured on the countdown?"  To that, I simply reply, "Patience, my brethren..."

#6 SHERRICK, "Just Call" (Sherrick, Warner Bros., 1987).  Welp, it's official: we have the first song in "Get Out of My Brain!" history to make the countdown for three consecutive months, but not in a million years would I think an obscure top ten R&B hit from a brother who released one album in his entire singing career would be it.  Despite resisting listening to the song out loud all month, the first 30 seconds still reeked havoc on my mental frequency as if I was back in 1987 tuned into WPGC or New York Hot Tracks.  However, in this era where adults celebrate their kids eighth place trophies a la "The Wall of Gaylord", I feel some kind of way giving someone a confetti shower for coming in sixth two months in a row.  In all fairness, he was on a feverish pace to make a comeback for the top spot.  Furthermore, spoiler alert for next month: he's not only on pace to make the list for a fourth straight month (curb your enthusiasm), but he's also currently beating his competition by a convincing margin.  Unfortunately, once the top half of the countdown made their way into my rotation--especially the next three entries--the late soul singer dropped like a brick from five stories high--which could be his fate next month as well if he's not careful...

NXWORRIES, #5 "Best One", #4 "Khadijah" and #3 "Get Bigger / Do U Luv" (Yes Lawd!, Stones Throw, 2016).  The pleasant surprise of Yes Lawd! complicated this countdown and made "Get Out of My Brain" history of its own as the first album to post three entries in consecutive slots.  Although I could ramble on and on about how indelible these three songs are without playing them for everyone to hear, I already covered my love for these tracks in last month's edition of "In Heavy Rotation".  If you don't feel like doubling back, here's a condensed version: 1) "you fix a n---a cheese grits and cornbread/you know a n---a hungry" as standalone lines drive my love affair with "Best One"; 2) "Khadijah" is a super smooth groove which might be on a short list of my favorite two-minute songs along with Average White Band's "Overture" (a song I pray makes this countdown one day); and 3) I press my mental repeat button of Knxwledge's sampling of Webster Lewis' "The Love You Give to Me" in "Get Bigger / Do U Luv".  Basically, raspy singer with a rap flow + gritty producer with soul = dope, doper and dopest.  For a few days, it appeared this trifecta was strong enough to make more history and take all three top spots, but a last-minute surge from the top two entries rained on Yes Lawd!'s parade...

#2 KASHIF, "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)" (Kashif, Arista, 1983).  In Round 3 of the "Blame Kashif Game", this was one of the songs which nearly made his aforementioned tribute before further consideration knocked this song off of that particular list.  However, pondering that list still led to spinning "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)" around and around in my brain for days.  Furthermore, what caused this song to climb up my chart was sitting around and giving thought to how much he has influenced my alter ego's production style more than I ever realized; in fact, the first four bars of "Condition of the Heart" largely inspired the main groove of what was supposed to be a single over twelve years ago.  Thinking of that was part of an interwoven thought pattern including "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)"--which always makes me think of listening to the radio and jamming to a Kashif mix one night back in high school--and the song which clearly didn't abide by this countdown's unwritten "no cuts, no buts, no coconuts" rule...

#1 GEORGE BENSON, "Inside Love (So Personal)" (In Your Eyes, Warner Bros., 1983).  In the fourth and final round of the "Blame Kashif Game", my tenacious research actually began with Lillo Thomas, but still ended with Kashif.  In looking up Thomas' background work, I stumbled upon George Benson.  When I came upon his In Your Eyes album and saw Lillo did backing vocals, Kashif was co-producer with longtime Benson collaborator Arif Mardin and Paul Laurence arranged the vocals, I immediately headed to Apple Music to hear this song.  All I needed was one good listen and it's been stuck in my brain ever since, coming back and forth in big and small waves.  Another factor which stood out about this Top 5 R&B hit was how it was part of a hit-making formula: the style of the verses are similar to Evelyn "Champagne" King's "Love Come Down" (produced by all three Mighty M members) and the aforementioned "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)" while the chorus sounds like the precursor to Lillo Thomas' "I'm in Love" (produced by Paul Laurence and Timmy Allen).  Bottom line, that crew knew how to get it done and, more important to this discussion, make a song certain to be lodged in your brain space all day long...

BONUS TRACK: SHEILA E., "The Glamorous Life" (The Glamorous Life, Warner Bros., 1984).  When I first heard this song while in pre-kindergarten, I knew I was in love with what would be one of my favorite songs of 1984 (along with "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams) and all-time.  Combined with her immense sense of fashion, the percussion work for which she was known before the beginning of her professional and personal relationship with Prince was on full display on the biggest hit of her illustrious career.  Fast forward 22 years later, this song takes on a brand new meaning--albeit bittersweet.  Amidst the recent passing of my mother--who was actually Mrs. Scribbler's mother, but I never liked calling her my "mother-in-law" largely because she referred to me as her "son" in lieu of her "son-in-law"--I was reminded of how much this song meant to her.  As we rolled down the windows on the way to the funeral service, the natural choice to honor her mother was "The Glamorous Life".  Frankly, I couldn't think of a more appropriate song because much like Sheila E.'s classic is full of style, energy and life, so was my mom.  Moreover, with a running time of exactly nine minutes, she couldn't have picked a more perfect song to last the entire ride to the church.  Although this track didn't end up making the final ten, mentioning it in loving memory of a great woman was mandatory.  Rest in Paradise, Mrs. Sheila Yvonne Stanford...

Have a song or two or ten stuck in your head?  PLEASE feel free to share your inundation in the comments.  Don't forget to return on Tuesday, December 6th to see who's still on the chart and what newcomers will threaten the mainstays in the next edition of "Scribbler's 'Get Out of My Brain!' Countdown of the Month"!!!