Music Minor

A track from Michael Jackson’s debut solo album, I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE became the artist’s third top 40 hit, eventually landing the #2 spot on the U.S. R&B singles chart in 1972.

While some of the song’s verses may have been too mature for Jackson then, I feel that the refrain reflects the youthful exuberance one would expect from the singer. After all, wanting to be wherever your loved one is, seems to be such a puppy love thing. But then again, who’s to say that adults can’t feel the same way?

So here’s an adult version of that track. And because it’s from Monday Michiru, expect a psychedelic vibe with lots of soul and swagger (I particularly dig the dirty rhodes here). It’s the trippy kind of music that goes with a long drink. Let’s have one, shall we?

Ok, so NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE isn’t a track from a Michael Jackson record. It’s a single from the MAYBE TOMORROW album of the Jackson 5. But it does feature on lead vocals an 11-year old Michael lamenting about a painful break-up. And while many think it odd that a tween could harbor such feelings expressed in the song drafted by Clifton Davis, NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE was among the biggest hits of the 5 brothers, climbing to #2 on the Billboard Pop Singles.

So here’s a more mature take on the track. Interpreted by James Taylor’s brother, Livingston, this stripped down cover by the faculty member of the Berklee College of Music banks on folksy guitars, an acoustic bass, sparse percussion and sincere vocals to convey the song’s message loud and clear. And so while Gloria Gaynor’s 1974 disco version still invades my mind once in a while, I’d take Taylor’s subtler interpretation any day.

It was Michael Jackson’s first single and the title track of his debut solo album, GOT TO BE THERE, released in 1972. Written by Elliot Willensky and produced by Jackson 5 producer Hal Davis, GOT TO BE THERE topped the Cashbox singles chart, and peaked at #4 on the Billboard pop and R&B charts, establishing Jackson as a successful solo act at the age of 14. Soon after, he would be known the world over as the King of Pop.

A decade later, singer Chaka Khan placed her unique stamp on the soulful ballad, lending her uplifting vocals to the track, and climbing to #5 on the R&B charts. Scaling multiple octaves with precision, power and grace, Chaka Khan’s fierce cover of GOT TO BE THERE shows easily why the artist today is referred to as the Queen of Funk.

Recording duties this late night with flutist, Jay Gomez. It’s great to be surrounded with such talent.

Celebrated as the world’s best-selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s THRILLER is one of only three albums to remain in the top ten of the Billboard 200 for a full year, spending 37 weeks at number one out of the 80 consecutive weeks it was in the top ten. Of its nine tracks, the seven that were released as singles all reached the Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles. The remaining two were tracks penned by Rod Temperton—the catchy uptempo BABY ME MINE, and the adult contemporary ballad, THE LADY IN MY LIFE.

We feature here the latter, a smooth and laid back track that showcased MJ’s more sensitive side amidst such pounding dance cuts as THRILLER, BILLY JEAN, WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHIN’ and P.Y.T. In particular, we highlight the 2010 cover from Maysa Leak’s A WOMAN IN LOVE album, which debuted at number one on the Contemporary Jazz Charts.

Known for her splendid work with British soul, jazz, funk band Incognito, Maysa uses her signature velvety vocals to reinterpret the MJ original, switching the song’s point of view and lending the track a distinct feminine vulnerability.

Written by Stevie Wonder and Susaye Greene for Michael Jackson’s OFF THE WALL (1979) album, I CAN’T HELP IT is identified by many critics as an understated gem, a song that holds up in today’s music scene versus the artist’s more uptempo tracks. With a laid back R&B groove that crosses over to smooth jazz, I CAN’T HELP IT has seen covers from R&B powerhouse Mary J. Blige and Acid Jazz queen Monday Michiru to Brazilian guitarist Torcuato Mariano and soul saxophonist Grover Washington.

Here’s a recent cover from last year’s Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist, jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding. From her March 2012 release, RADIO MUSIC SOCIETY, Spalding’s version of I CAN’T HELP IT is irresistible, thanks to Joe Lovano’s smokey saxophone and Spalding’s silky tones.

Banking on his gut at the last minute, Quincy Jones, who was producing Michael Jackson’s THRILLER album, had ousted CAROUSEL from the track list, favoring instead an unfinished ballad from Steve Porcaro of the prolific pop rock band, Toto. With additional lyrics from John Bettis and a forward-facing arrangement from Jones, HUMAN NATURE achieved success in 1983, reaching #2 on Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary chart and #7 on the Hot 100. The song would also become Jackson’s 5th Top 10 hit from Thriller.

Fragile and airy, the track was seen by critics as a perfect complement to the album’s hard-edged songs like THRILLER and BEAT IT, due mostly to its “buttery harmonies,”  “cloudy synths,” and “drum pillows.” Often alluded to as a forerunner of today’s hip-hop soul ballad, HUMAN NATURE is still widely covered or sampled by contemporary artists including John Mayer and Chris Brown.

Here’s a 2009 interpretation from Dutch jazz-soul singer Trijntje Oosterhuis. Relying only on the artist’s raw pipes plus splendid guitar work from Leonardo Amuedo, the track shows us how HUMAN NATURE continues to be relevant in today’s music scene, proving convincingly that Jones’s hunch was right.

Originally written by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays as an instrumental track, THIS IS NOT AMERICA eventually became the theme for the movie THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN with the help of David Bowie, who crafted its lyrics. Ethereal, cryptic and tense, the song matches the spy thriller’s mood of deception and betrayal. It penetrated the US Billboard Hot 100 at #32 in 1985, and peaked at #7 in the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

In 2003, Norwegian jazz singer Silje Nergaard covered the tune in her Nightwatch album, giving it a more somber attitude while showcasing an earnest and raw performance with an acoustic band as her backdrop. While her tone may have a girlish charm about it, she delivers a rendition of THIS IS NOT AMERICA that sounds sophisticated and full of wisdom. Shalalalala…

After leaving his hometown in the U.K to pursue a musical career in effervescent New York City, Joe Jackson released his hit single STEPPIN’ OUT, considered by many as a perfect reflection of the artist’s anticipation for the night life and glamor of the big city. Bearing a perky pop rock and new wave vibe, the song featured some big chords on the piano, hinting at Jackson’s early training in classical and jazz music. Peaking at #6 in the Billboard Hot 100 list in 1982, STEPPIN’ OUT eventually earned Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

In his 2011 Grammy-nominated album, Kurt Elling releases some bold covers, displaying a swagger that gives new character to the originals. His rendition of STEPPIN’ OUT carries a vibrant swing and sneaks in some clever twists in the song’s harmony to surprise and delight the jazz ear.

It’s been 15 years since I chanced upon Elling’s music playing in a record store in California. I’ve been a fan for so long, and this track tells me why.

It was the song that ended the 10-week reign of Olivia Newton’s PHYSICAL at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981, and went on to reach #1 in both the Hot Dance Club Play and R&B charts. I CAN’T GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO), from the Private Eyes album of Daryl Hall and John Oates, received such extensive radio play in the 80s, it was also voted #6 on VH1’s list of The 100 Greatest Songs of that decade.

Signature to the music track are its drum machine rhythm and its distinct bass line, which Michael Jackson once confessed had influenced him in writing BILLY JEAN. I CAN’T GO FOR THAT has also been sampled for the albums of such artists as Puff Daddy and De La Soul, and its chord progression was the basis for Simply Red’s song, SUNSHINE.

Here’s a 2000 version from the Best Remixes album of Mondo Grosso. A brainchild of Japanese track master Shinichi Osawa, the version showcases his hypnotic fusion of American R&B, British Acid Jazz, and Brazilian Samba. The drum machine and original bass line have been silenced, however. And while I would no longer hit the dance floor with this cover, I’d happily settle in a divan, martini in hand, bobbing to the chillout lounge sound of this music track redux.

While Sting wrote the song in 1976, it was in 1981 when The Police recorded EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IS MAGIC for the British rock band’s album, Ghost in the Machine. Shortly after its release, the single topped the charts in the United Kingdom and hit #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

A song about a hapless romantic who feels totally inept at love, EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IS MAGIC borrows some elements of reggae—from choppy calypso guitars to a hint of steel drums—and infuses these into the group’s brand of pop rock to create a most infectious refrain that’s danceable, to say the least.

In 2002, jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour released his own version of the track in his album, Rit’s House. Showcasing the husky tones of The Doobie Brothers front man Michael McDonald, the version deviates from the uptempo original and goes instead for an adult contemporary, quiet storm ballad. However, the version retains in its refrain the skank rhythms of reggae, focusing on the off beat, as much of Jamaica’s music does. It’s quite a clever remake, and one that’s a mainstay in my iPod.

A song popularized by the new wave band Blondie, CALL ME was the main theme song of the 1980 film American Gigolo. With music by Giorgio Moroder, the song was originally offered to Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, who had declined it. But it was eventually picked up by Blondie’s Debbie Harry, who also penned the song’s lyrics. The single, which was released in the U.S. in February 1980, peaked at #1 for 6 consecutive weeks, and was #1 on Billboard magazine’s 1980 year-end chart. CALL ME eventually ranked #283 on the list of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Here’s a 2007 cover from Monday Michiru, a Japanese American actress, singer, and songwriter who is arguably best known for pioneering the acid jazz movement in Japan in the early 1990s. Those who are familiar with the original recording might miss Blondie’s rich guitars and synth work, but Michiru’s jazzy stripped down version is an interesting take.

Ok, so YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND isn’t by James Taylor; we all know it was written by his good chum Carole King. But the song contributed much to Taylor’s successful career, and it was his cover that filled the airwaves in 1971, topping the Billboard Hot 100 that year, and earning for him his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Though Taylor’s and King’s versions of YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND were produced at practically the same time, the song was never a big hit for King. That’s because it was Taylor who released his cut as a single from the album MUD SLIDE SLIM AND THE BLUE HORIZON, and as such, it was his cover that was promoted heavily. It was also Taylor’s version that won Song of The Year—an award that was of course given to Carole King.

Nonetheless, at the same Grammy Awards, King won Record of the Year for IT’S TOO LATE,  Best Female Pop Vocal for TAPESTRY, and Album of the Year.

Regardless of who won what, YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND remains a timeless song over forty years later, and the two artists remain a perfect embodiment of the song’s lyric.

Here’s a 2003 cover from one of my favorite jazz voices, Stacey Kent.

JT (1977), James Taylor’s seventh album but first under Columbia Records is considered by many critics as the artist’s best project since MUD SLIDE SLIM AND THE BLUE HORIZON (1971). It seems that years with his previous label led Taylor to produce safe mainstream material, and that the move reinvigorated his artistry, allowing him to return to his roots.

This meant creating more autobiographical songs. THERE WE ARE, for instance, was Taylor’s declaration of love for Carly Simon, while WHENEVER I SEE YOUR SMILING FACE was dedicated to his young daughter Sally. This also meant recognizing the darker side of life, which was a characteristic of his early work. From the album, ANOTHER GRAY MORNING and BARTENDER BLUES are clear examples, even from their titles alone.

IF I KEEP MY HEART OUT OF SIGHT is another such song. In the track, the singer seeks affection from a lover who is just looking for momentary pleasure, and Taylor’s deceptively simple tune captures succinctly the lyric’s somber mood. For me, the song is among Taylor’s most melodious work.

In the Philippines, I know of three artists who have covered IF I KEEP MY HEART OF SIGHT. Let’s hear this one from the Megastar.

The scorned lover. It’s the role James Taylor pursues in his song, DON’T LET ME BE LONELY TONIGHT. Odd perhaps because in the 70s, when the track was written, the song and its sentiments would have been more aptly attributed to a female persona. But Taylor has always been a living irony. While his music has often been categorized as folk rock, he shows us he is comfortable with a range of popular music, dishing on occasion a jazzy romantic ballad like this one. And though he might have had his biggest successes decades back, he continues to be relevant in this millennium, still managing to pack concert halls wherever he totes his guitar.

But ironic as James Taylor may be, my last 3 entries on his work show that DON’T LET ME BE LONELY TONIGHT is consistent with many of the artist’s songs. In the track, Taylor displays a vulnerability that marks his music. And once again, there’s that melancholic melody that accompanies his vaguely sad lyric.

Here’s a 1994 version of the song from the Amerasian smooth jazz band, Hiroshima.