ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Barry White (4 songs)
This singer-songwriter-composer’s greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo artist. His distinctive bass-baritone voice helped give him his romantic image. He also acted, with notable appearances on TV’s “The Simpsons” & “Ally McBeal”, & several commercials (Oldsmobile, Jeep, Apple, Prodigy, Arby’s).
#1
This song, his 7th overall release, became his 1st charting single. Released spring 1973 as the 1st single from his 1973 album ‘I’ve Got So Much To Give’, this song (which he wrote & produced) claimed #1 for 2 weeks on the R&B chart while notching at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #27 on the Adult Contemporary charts. Elsewhere, it reached #10 in Canada, #21 in Netherlands, #23 in England, #26 in Australia & #37 in France. It sparked a string of 9 straight Top 10s on the R&B charts, with all but 1 landing in the Top 5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YChL6tQvcY
#2
This song (which he wrote & produced) hit the airwaves 07/25/1974 as the 1st single from his album ‘Can’t Get Enough’. It topped both the Billboard Hot 100 & R&B charts, while reaching #26 on the Adult Contemporary chart & #8 in England, & has become his most-recognized signature tune. He performed this song live on “The Midnight Special” (1974) & “Soul Train” (05/24/1975). In 1993, Taylor Dayne successfully covered it.
#3
Written & produced by White, this 1975 release from his album ‘Just Another Way To Say I Love You’, peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 & claimed #1 on the R&B chart. It peaked at #5 in England. On the R&B chart, it was his 3rd straight chart topper, behind 1974’s “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe” & 1974’s “You’re The 1st, The Last, My Everything”. It was also his 7th straight Top 10, a string that stretched to 9 with 1975’s “I’ll Do For You Anything You Want Me To” (#4) & 1975’s “Let The Music Play” (#4).
#4
Of 29 releases 1976-1992, only 4 reached the Top 10 on at least 1 chart: 1977’s “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me”, 1977’s “Playing Your Game, Baby”, 1978’s “Your Sweetness Is My Weakness” & 1991’s “Put Me In Your Mix”. This song, released in 1994 from his album ‘The Icon Is Love’, spent 3 weeks at #1 on the R&B chart while notching at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100. This single also won the Soul Train Best R&B-Soul Song Of The Year Music Award.