Hump Day Slow Jam of the Week: The Delfonics, "Ready or Not Here I Come"
The Singers: Along with the Stylistics, the Spinners and Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, the Delfonics were one of the premier Philly soul acts of the '60s and '70s. Hit-making producer Thom Bell helped the group hone its sound with hits like "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" and "La-La (Means I Love You)." Bell wrote and produced this week's jam, "Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)" -- the man clearly loved parenthetical phrases in his song titles.
The Song: The turgid strings and bowel-shaking low brass that introduce "Ready or Not Here I Come" hint at the obsessive streak that runs through this brief tune. Think of it as a precursor to great stalker love-songs like the Police's "Every Breath You Take" and Elvis Costello's "Alison." The song also features founding member Randy Cain, who died last week at the age of 63.
The Video: No video today, just a still screen of the cover of the 1969 album The Sound of Sexy Soul from whence the song sprung.Hipster Cachet: The Delfonics have been sampled by everyone from Missy Elliott to Nas, but this song found new life when the Fugees turned it into "Ready or Not" on the watershed 1996 album, The Score. Peep the ridiculous, Michael Bay-inspired video below:
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