So… I’m the only one who used to listen to the slow jam show at night? Nah, y’all listened to it too. Truthfully, I spent a good part of my teenage years being more interested in “GTD-ing” than bein’ in love and all that ol’ bullshit. But of course, there’d be those times where so-called “love” would take over and I’d be in my tight-ass room with the radio on at 10 p.m., checkin’ out the Love Zone.
All of these songs that I usually wouldn’t listen to would suddenly make all kinds of sense. I’d be sittin’ there really feelin’ these niggas’ plights, even though you couldn’t have forced me to listen to three hours of slow joints the week before. It was especially serious when it’d be a song that spoke specifically to the situation that was goin’ on. I’d be noddin’ along with the song and agreeing, on some “yeah, why she can’t see that?” shit.
But you KNEW it was serious when you’d call and do an on-air dedication. I’ll admit, I did a couple before. When you think about it, there’s always a song for just about any situation. Allow me… and as usual, if you want ‘em, click ‘em:
For That Time You Were Just Tryin’ To Impress Her… TROOP “All I Do Is Think Of You” (1990): You prob’ly had other shit on your mind, but she didn’t know that. It was very ego-catering to believe she was all you thought of, so you really couldn’t lose with this one. If you really did happen to look forward to seein’ her in school everyday (hopefully in a non-stalker way), this helped get that across. Also, yet another reason why The ’90s Loved Michael Jackson.
For That Time You Just Wanted To “GTD” Her… H-Town “Knockin’ Da Boots” (1993): Or “KDB”, either/or. This was that undeniable one right here: it was smooth enough to be a slow joint, but still ig’nant enough to say “I’m tryna take that”. I learned in time that blatant is just the way to go sometimes. I took a hot minute to realize this, but better late than never I guess.
For That Friend You Liked Who Was Bein’ Mistreated By The Dude She Was With… Shai “Comforter” (1993): Not that you were preyin’ on her vulnerability, but you really liked this got-damn girl. This could only go one of two ways. She was either gonna end up fallin’ for you the more she confided in you (possible), or she was gonna completely miss the hint and continue to be with the dude she cried to you about (likely). And on the off-chance that she did get with you, she wasn’t gonna take half the shit from you that she accepted from him. But hey… it’s a good song.
For That Time You Actually Had A Chance Of Pullin’ Someone Who Was Taken… Joe “All The Things Your Man Won’t Do” (1996): Realistically, you weren’t gonna do anything that much different from her man, but it sounded like some true stuff to say. And with Joe, these “tryna pull another dude’s girl” songs don’t just stop here. I’ll never forget the “I Wanna Know” video- the girl was havin’ an argument with her man, and this nigga Joe couldn’t even wait ’til it was over before he was already headin’ towards her, talkin’ bout “ya man givin’ you trouble?” But uh, yeah!
For The Time When It Was Over And You Were Sad As Shit… Aaron Hall “I Miss You” (1994): We’re all adults here, right? It’s OK to admit it. You put on a front in public, you told ya mans n’nem that you weren’t sweatin’ it cause you don’t luh dem hoes, you mighta even told her you weren’t gonna miss her ass. But when you got home and her number wasn’t poppin’ up on that Caller ID anymore, you heard this song and shit got REAL.
And there’s definitely more. I’m not done with these, as I’ll surely be adding on to this topic at least a few more times in the future. I used to think love songs were all the same, but as I’ve gotten older, I realize that it’s a lot more complex than it gets credit for sometimes. In the meantime, stay tuned… and feel free to add your own here.
-D!
Posted by Danj! 
