b/w I'll Never Fall in Love Again
| Released: 1983 (Gordy) Written by: Bobby DeBarge, Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge Produced by: El DeBarge Album: In a Special Way |
| U. S. Billboard Charts: | |
| Hot 100 | 18 |
| R&B | 1 |
| Adult Contemporary | 12 |
In a recent discussion with a another music blogger, I defined the "golden age" of soft rock as including the years 1970-83, so this little slice of soft rock perfection just gets in under the wire. DeBarge may have had bigger hits (Rhythm of the Night, Who's Holding Donna), but they never produced a better song than Time Will Reveal.
As simple love song, the lyrics are rather generic, but the melodies are absolutely gorgeous. El DeBarge's falsetto vocals are exquisite and the arrangement is flawless - from the electric piano to subtle string parts to 3 part harmony backing vocals to a flugelhorn solo worthy of any Bacharach single, it all fits perfectly.
In 1983, I was (unsuccessfully) cultivating a New Waver image, so I couldn't publicly admit to liking this song, but there was a copy of the In A Special Way album in my household at some point. I'm not confessing to anything illegal here, but I will say that when I discovered Napster in 2000, this was one of the first songs I sought out.
As simple love song, the lyrics are rather generic, but the melodies are absolutely gorgeous. El DeBarge's falsetto vocals are exquisite and the arrangement is flawless - from the electric piano to subtle string parts to 3 part harmony backing vocals to a flugelhorn solo worthy of any Bacharach single, it all fits perfectly.
In 1983, I was (unsuccessfully) cultivating a New Waver image, so I couldn't publicly admit to liking this song, but there was a copy of the In A Special Way album in my household at some point. I'm not confessing to anything illegal here, but I will say that when I discovered Napster in 2000, this was one of the first songs I sought out.
There goes the grading curve...
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my top DeBarge songs as well - solid ballad.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite DeBarge single is I Like It but this runs a close second.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about this family band is the indirect influence of Bossa Nova in their music, which sets them apart from their Soul peers then.
I even own two different editions of their Greatest Hits!
ric