Five songs from the 1980s that have no business being as good as they are
By Lee Vowell
Ivan Neville - "Falling Out of Love" (1988)
Neville comes from music royalty. His father is Aaron, and his uncles are the other members of the Neville Brothers. (Another track I could have had on this list is the Neville Brothers' "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," which is a cover, of course, but they do the track brilliantly. Ivan only produced four studio albums, and his debut record, If My Ancestors Could See Me Now, contains this tune. Perhaps the best-known song on the album is "Not Just Another Girl," though.
"Falling Out of Love" has a simple melody and does not stretch to be anything other than what it is: A track about heartbreak. The song is immensely listenable because the track doesn't force its way to be overly saccharine or cheesy.
Bonnie Raitt also has a vocal part of the song, but she is more of a perfectly placed background voice. She lifts the song without the listener even knowing she is involved. The song is truly Ivan's, and he emotes just enough to create a piece of beauty.
Cameo - "Candy" (1986)
Talking about simplicity, one could strip this tune down to the voices and the bump-bump-bump-bump of the bass, and the track might remain as strong. The lyrics appear to happen almost by mistake, as if the band is thinking, "Well, we have to say something here, right?" But that free-flowing vibe augments the track to something much more than it might have been in lesser hands.
Nearly halfway through, there is a guitar solo that has no business being in the song. However, since it matches the rest of the track with pieces forced together into sublime brilliance, one can find no annoyance with the breakdown. The lyrics also include gems such as "You're giving me a heart attack. It's the kind I like."
The song has been sampled quite often by musical artists such as 2Pac and Mariah Carey. There is simply something about it you cannot push pause on, like a flavor you love but do not know how to describe.