Top ten R&B song intros of all time

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WHAT’S UP!

Am I writing too much about music of recent? Do bear with me, please. Life is kind of depressing right now, what with this silly season we refer to as election time. Wherever you turn, some corrupt politician is pretending to declare what they would do if they were in office.

We know too well what the incumbents have done, and that is to steal whatever they could as much as possible. And we have a pretty good idea what the wannabe newcomers will do — steal whatever they can as much as possible. And I'm not even mentioning Nandutu.

So, I turn to music to keep my sanity. Bear with me for this week, and next time we shall try to make light of the impending doom hanging over our heads.

Last week, fellow columnist Paul Busharizi sent me an Instagram reel where some DJ gave his top five R&B intros of all time, and in a way, dared me to do the same. The dude had some interesting ones, and some I wouldn't care for.

Please note that R&B (Soul, if you will) is my kind of thing. So, these are my top 10 R&B song intros of all time:

#10: I'D RATHER GO BLIND — SYDNEY YOUNGBLOOD

Every time I mention this song, someone asks if I have listened to the version by Etta James. Yes, I have. But the drum intro to this version, synthetic as it may be, is very memorable, and later becomes the mainstay of the song. Not to take anything away from Ms James, of course.

#9: LET'S GET IT ON — MARVIN GAYE

Who does not recognise this iconic intro and start singing along? Probably the best-known ‘wah wah' sound ever, and it lasts all of two seconds.

#8: I'M COMING OUT — DIANA ROSS

This one lasts almost a minute, but who's complaining? It starts with a guitar riff for about 10 seconds, and is then joined by drums. It needs a heavy bass system, played at a high volume, for you to really feel it. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic at their best.

#7: THEME FROM SHAFT — ISAAC HAYES

I think I heard the ‘wah wah' sound for the first time in this song, and all these years later I can instantly recognise it. It is amazing for its big orchestra sound, composed by a musician who could not read music but conducted the orchestra all the same.

#6: STAYIN' ALIVE — BEE GEES

A sharp guitar riff combines with a melodic bassline to introduce the song that came to define the age of disco. It does not waste time, too; 15 seconds into the song, the vocals join in and the party is truly on.

#5: FANTASTIC VOYAGE — LAKESIDE

Another one that needs a heavy bass system, and it gets you out of your seat with the first twang, and keeps you moving. I'm a mid-tempo kind of guy, but this is one of the few high-tempo beats that gets me. The bass is heavy and deep.

#4: WHEN DOVES CRY — PRINCE

Starts with a haunting guitar riff by the master himself, then the drums join in to create an eerie sound that sets the tone for the song. One of the most instantly recognisable intros to a song ever created.

#3: NO MORE RAIN (IN THIS CLOUD) — ANGIE STONE

The haunting intro to Gladys Knight's Neither One of Us has stayed with me since high school, but then came Angie Stone's sampling, and I cannot hear Ms Knight anymore, which is kind of sad. But that points to the power that Ms Stone brought to the song, as the bassline combines with keyboards and soaring strings to create a magic that enters me and tries to pull something out as it goes on. There is something almost primordial about it, and it will stay with you long after the last notes have died away. For the record, though, Gladys Knight still has the better vocals, by far. But that intro...

#2: FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY — THE O'JAYS

The late Anthony Jackson, one of the greatest bass players who ever lived, created this iconic intro using a Fender Precision bass with a wah-wah pedal. That haunting bassline has been described as one of the best intros ever.

#1: PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE — THE TEMPTATIONS

The instrumentation in this song is known to have driven people crazy, and it starts right with the intro, almost five minutes of it.

Producer Norman Whitfield followed this up with the even longer Masterpiece, cementing his place as one of the creators of the ‘Motown Sound'.

Ain't No Justice is another, albeit lesser known of the Whitfield instrumentations, but Papa Was A Rolling Stone was the first, and the best.