Wednesday 2 May 2012

The Chalfontes "He Loves Me"

How I managed to completely forget the existence of a tune as all-conquering as "He Loves Me" by Detroit's The Chalfontes is a source of real puzzlement to me.  I mean, practically every single sliver of sound information encoded in its grooves is in some way memorable:
  • The ominous bass grumble at the start is so far from standard issue as to make it memorable.
  • The epic Dave Hamilton production (he of the brilliant "Dave Hamilton's Detroit Dancers" series on Kent  Records) with all its builds and fades and little instrumental dialogues is truly memorable.
  • The strident, unrelenting beat is memorable.
  • The guitar solo - almost post-punk in its buttoned-down, geometric austerity - is memorable.
  • Every impassioned word sung be it by the lead singer (as yet Google hasn't turned up her name, shame) or the subtle then soaring backing singers is memorable.
  • Yup, "He Loves Me" is a masterpiece; unforgettable.

For me it's not far off Rose Batiste's "Hit and Run" and The Flirtations' "Nothing But A Heartache" in the female-voiced pop soul stakes.  To ensure that it never slips my mind again, I've just bought a physical copy - a 70s reissue 7", not a 60s original, unfortunately - and have every intention of wearing it out.  If this episode has taught me anything, it's that a bookmarked YouTube link still isn't enough for me.  I still need to pay money for a song on a physical format for it to feel that it's a significant, memorable part of my life.

1 comment:

  1. Unfortunate name for the London market, though.

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