Yeah, so what, it’s my birthday tomorrow. I really don’t give a shit. But it’s the people who have made such a deep impact not only on me but on so many that I would rather celebrate. On January 16th, the world was blessed with Sade Adu. I can’t even put into words what her music does to me. Any song brings me close to tears–I think it’s a frontal lobe thing–or just bc I’m a sap. Her beauty is timeless; her voice is flawless and full of range; her music is beyond memory. We are blessed to still have her with us after this horrible year of loss. And thank you to Sweetback, her band. You are truly a gift. This is one of my favorites though it’s hard to quantify ever.
And then, there’s baby girl, Aaliyah who would be 38 today. I can’t even imagine what her career would have blossomed into had she not tragically passed years ago. “Rock the Boat” is pretty much the track that does me in and ironically enough, it was from this island where they filmed where she met her demise. Also, file it away in the irony drawer, she’s also all over the water, same as Sade in “No Ordinary Love”. In fact, around the 3 minute mark, she’s slo-mo’ing the fuck outta the sexy mermaid look actually IN the water. I can’t with this song. Everytime I play one of her songs, I go to a place all by myself (even if the party is ridiculous) and I don’t care what’s going on around me, I stay there. Every now and then, I’ll see someone else on this island and I’ll nod from afar. She does this and I thank her.
Unrelated to music, tomorrow I share my actual birthday, January 17th with Muhammed Ali (RIP), Michelle Obama (Please Stay…), and Betty White (Rose, it’s a bucket of fried chicken).
Here’s a montage of Betty White as Rose setting up Bea Arthur as Dorothy for the perfect dramatic (sarcastic) swoosh. Never stop being Golden, Girl.
