If you're like HERC, you've had your share of Summer crushes. Today's song is about a guy crushing on a girl but she doesn't seem to know he's alive. Been there, done that. The romantic slow jam "I Wanna Get Next To You" by Rose Royce was originally featured on the 1976 Car Wash soundtrack. The band was newly christened Rose Royce by producer Norman Whitfield after adding vocalist Gwen Dickey into the fold and he chose to introduce his new group with this soundtrack. For HERC, it is quite possibly the greatest slow jam of all time, possessing the perfect tempo as well as yearning, self-deprecating lyrics. MRS. HERC often joins her lucky hubby for an impromptu hug whenever this song comes on.
But if HERC is going to listen to one song from Car Wash, he's going to listen to two or three more. The song immediately following "I Wanna Get Next To You" on the album is "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is", a bass and horn heavy slab of funk.
The twelfth track on the double disc soundtrack is a sad, sad song. Her man has left her and she's going down cause he ain't around. Nevertheless, "I'm Going Down" is a great song with a strong emotional performance from Dickey (who was renamed Rose by Whitfield). It has been sampled and covered more than a few times and HERC can guarantee that once you hear it you'll want to hear it again.
The titular track from the album is one of HERC's all-time favorites - the song forced him to buy the 45 and then the double album. He's been known to listen to it on repeat for hours at a time. The hand claps, the bubbling bass, the percolating guitars, the soaring strings and the truth-telling vocals. Great Summer song that peaked at #1 during the winter of 1976-1977.
Good stuff! I knew the title track (I too owned the 45 and still love the song today) and I believe I may have caught the movie once or twice on HBO back in the day. I need to check the whole album out now.
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