Shitski, really late once again....
I have absolutely no recognition of when I began hearing this week's tune, so I'll just chalk it up to being someone who came of age musically in the seventies. And, oh, what an era that was...and, oh, what a song our featured song this week is....
The Chi-Lites formed in Chicago (hence the "chi" in their name) in 1959, which was the same year I was born--coincidence? Most certainly. They started out as a six-member band, but by their heyday in the seventies they were a four-piece outfit. The Chi-Lites have had so many iterations that I could have used this entire bio just to name half the people that at one time or another were in the band. They have been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the R & B Music Hall of Fame. For their career, they released eighteen studio albums (with one top five LP), and sixty-four singles (with two top three singles). Sadly, only one of the original Chi-Lites is still alive, but to end on a positive note, Marshall Thompson is keeping their music going some sixty-five years down the road.
Fun Fact: I've spent years pronouncing the band's name with a hard "ch" (as in chair), only to find out as I was doing my half-assed research that the "Chi" is actually pronounced as in the word "shy." You learn something new every day, friends.
"Have You Seen Her" was the fourth single released from their rather omnipotently (and stunningly cool, as well) entitled album (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People. The single reached number three (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album would peak at #12.
There has never been a decade like the 1970's for what was once called soul music--just off the top of my head (in addition to this week's band), I can think of Marvin Gaye, Al Green, the Spinners, the O'Jays, War, and Stevie Wonder (and I'm certainly missing countless more), all of whom created a legacy that will last generations. "Have You Seen Her" is an incredible addition to that legacy--from its spoken opening (Eugene Record's intro is truly an Oscar worthy performance) to the band's heavenly harmonies to Record's falsetto solo mixed in the chorus. It's also an excellent addition to the pantheon of songs dealing with a broken heart, though with the added bonus of being from a viewpoint of a guy who thought he "had her in the palm of [his] hand." One of the surest ways I know to how much I love a song is how much I smile while I'm playing it during my weekly half-assed research and this week my smile was absolutely plastered to my face. A joy, a triumph--one of those songs that make all the time you devoted in your life to music well worth it.
Lyric Sheet: "Well, I know I can't hide from a memory/Though day after day I've tried/I keep sayin' she'll be back/But today again I lied..."
Enjoy:
Republicans = Nazis
Peace,
emaycee
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