Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?
I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.
This will probably be my favorite segment on my blog in a very long time! Welcome to Opening Lyrics to Songs That I Love!
“What You Won’t Do for Love” is a hit song by American singer-songwriter Bobby Caldwell.
The song was released in September 1978 as the lead single from his debut album, also titled Bobby Caldwell. Bobby Caldwell co-wrote the song with Alfons Kettner. It’s considered a classic example of smooth soul and “blue-eyed soul”. It incorporates elements of jazz fusion and R&B.
The song was incredibly successful, becoming Caldwell’s signature song. It reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.
It peaked at number six on the Hot Selling Soul Singles chart. It reached number ten on the Easy Listening chart. The song became a long-lasting standard and a career-defining hit for Caldwell.
It’s been covered and sampled many times by other artists, including Tupac Shakur’s posthumous 1998 hit “Do for Love”. -Google Gemini AI Mode via Wikipedia
I was nineteen years old when I found out Bobby was not Black. I am forty-five years old now, and I am forever changed by this man and this song. He had a sound that was incredibly distinctive and overwhelmingly soulful. He was one of those singers I refer to as a crooner.
His melodious riffs and perfect inflections will draw you in. It is my belief that he had a ton more hits inside him. However, he passed away in March 2023 — far too soon.
Bobby was openly embraced, admired, and loved on by the Black community. The song could be heard at many family functions, cookouts, and was often part of wedding playlists. I’ve even skated to it in various skating rinks over the years. It’s an all-time classic.
He was a man who had a hurdle to get over in the music industry regarding his race and being linked to his record label, TK Records. We live to love Bobby Caldwell and appreciate his creativity and personal spin on several songs that connect human beings in love, falling out of love, and trying to hold onto love.
He will continue to be missed, but his music, especially this song, lives on.
For one more Sunday, I’ll share with you my favorite opening lyrics to songs I truly love. Maybe you’ll enjoy it. Maybe you won’t. Perhaps you’ll share your favorite opening lyrics to songs you love as well. Perhaps you won’t. Either way, we’re going to have a good damn time.
See you next week!
This will probably be my favorite segment on my blog in a very long time! Welcome to Opening Lyrics to Songs That I Love!
“You Sure Love to Ball” is a song released by Marvin Gaye on January 2, 1974. It was the third and final single released from his album “Let’s Get It On”.
The song was issued as a single on January 2, 1974. Initial radio airplay was good enough for the song to peak at 13 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] However, “You Sure Love to Ball” soon peaked out allegedly due to the controversial nature of the track, making the song the least successful of the three tracks released on Let’s Get It On. Its b-side included the solemn ballad closer of the album, “Just to Keep You Satisfied”. –Wikipedia
I find it hard to believe this song couldn’t reach the top ten of any musical chart-topping list. Sure, the lyrics are sensual and overwhelmingly sexy, but this is Marvin Gaye. People were used to his overuse of sexually-charged songs.
Not only that, the melody is catchy and the chorus is unforgettable. If I want to take it further, I’d say even the instrumental is worth listening to repeatedly.
And if I’m willing to listen to an instrumental over and over again, that tells you a lot about the actual song.
Marvin was strategic in developing and crafting his lyrics and took his presentation of them seriously. He played up shows and wooed the panties off women faster than a bullet train. The man was a gift to creating music for baby-making.
Don’t believe me? Listen to this song. The opening lyrics are enough to reel you in. The rest of the song will keep you in its grip.
For the next two Sundays, I’ll share with you my favorite opening lyrics to songs I truly love. Maybe you’ll enjoy it. Maybe you won’t. Perhaps you’ll share your favorite opening lyrics to songs you love as well. Perhaps you won’t. Either way, we’re going to have a good damn time.
See you next week!
Patinkin grew up in an upper-middle-class family, descended from Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland, and was raised in Conservative Judaism, attending religious school daily from the age of seven to 13 or 14 and singing in synagogue choirs, as well as attending the Camp Sura in Michigan.
hope still lives, or at least, I think it does
many of us don’t
really have a heyday
to refer to–shouldn’t
we all–isn’t that
some sort of
requirement to doing
life the way it should
be done?!
I could be
overthinking this as
I typically do with
all things, but in my
head, it makes sense
for this to make
sense.
I know I can’t be the
only one.
I hope I’m not the
only one.
but it wouldn’t be
the first time, and
that, somehow, is
oddly relieving.
Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?
I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.
the carelessness of the few
if millions of breathing beings
proscribed evildoers and those greedy
enough to shake down the poor and
oppressed, we wouldn’t be dancing
in a pit of flames, trying our best to
outrun the burn.
but here we are…
walking on lit coal, struggling to stay
sane, and clapping away fire that aligns
itself with our truths.
we had the tools to succeed politically,
however, many were afraid to see how
well they worked.
and now, we’re all
drowning in this
inescapable Hell.
a griseous morning
morning isn’t sashaying over to
me as it’s done the
past few days.
it appears sullen,
griseous, and
downtrodden.
I don’t have the
words to heal the ache it feels, but
I offer a few anyway.
it wanders around my home,
anxious to see which one of us
will break first.
I’ve got news for it…
it won’t be me.
Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?
I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.
I am in production and continued training mode at work. That being said, my focus is on the grind and perfecting the roles I am transitioning through. I am also searching for a part-time WFH job due to the impending rent hike that’s just around the corner.
Needless to say, I need a break.
I want to enjoy all that I can during this coming week at my job, learn more, and devote my time to our patients. I also want to maintain a sense of self as I come to grips with the reality of going back to working two jobs.
I will return to this creative space with the Sunday features: Opening Lyrics To Songs That I Love and Sunday Microfiction next Sunday, August 10, 2025.
For now, please enjoy this groovy tune and a few posts from the past in my absence.
What If We Could Haiku the Pain Away?
The Beauty of Love and Creativity
A Cornered Gurl 
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