In light of filmnoirdame's thread, I thought I'll again give props to one of my favorite Bobby Debarge's songs "I Call Your Name". About 2 years ago, ironically, I ran a thread in this forum specifically dealing with Prince's "Do Me, Baby" and Switch's "I Call Your Name". In that thread, I mentioned the impact that both songs had on radio, which song did ya'll favor, etc. And I even threw Micheal's "She's Out Of My Life" into the mix as well. I've also done threads on "I Call Your Name" and "There'll Never Be". To me, I think "I Call Your Name" is one of the best ballads ever. The intro alone, is one of the most prettiest, musically speaking, I've ever heard in a ballad. And then Bobby's talking in the intro, the shit he's saying,..."Is this really your REAL phone number?" and all of that, that worked like magic on the girls back in the day. The combination of the pretty keyboards and what Bobby was saying and HOW he sounded while saying it...It represented perfectly how the vibe was at that time. To me, in many ways, it was an updated version of the Ohio Players "I Want To Be Free". Similar structure, similar elements in the music, similar "vibe". Both had the beautiful keyboard strings and the same yearning. This song and Cameo's "Why Have I Lost You?" are in the same vein as well. The vocal intro pleas,..."I Call Your Name" was a HUGE hit for Switch and a perfect follow up to "There'll Never Be". Anyway, who here digs this song?
[Edited 10/7/08 15:15pm]
[Edited 10/7/08 15:16pm]

There wasn't a girl on earth at this time who didn't like this song and this mack;

"I used to think about immature things. You know like "Do you love me? Do you want me? Are you ganna call me like you said you would? Is this really your real phone number? (Here's the killin' part) But you know I'm a man now baby, A grooooowwwn man. And I came a long way. Because those tears taught me one thing. Taught me to hold on to my love."
That shit is bangin'!

yup...this was thee jam

hard to hit those hit notes now

"But I'm a man now, baby!!!"

I use that line all the time

This and "There'll Never Be" are my fave cuts by Switch.

See, to me Bobby sounds like El. Even his speaking voice. That intro is corny, but that's the 70s for you.

filmnoirdame said:

It's the OTHER way around....Bobby was the elder brother, so El has to sound like Bobby. That intro may be corny, just like the speaking part on Do Me Baby, but I tell you what...it got them laid! That shit was so potent for them that even if another cat played it in his car or at the crib,...he was going to get some!

This is a great track man. It sounds so funny though when he says I'm a grown man now baby sounding high pitched like that. I always crack up there. It's funny I was just talking about this track 2 "shesoffthewall" from the forum. Great song by Bobby and Greg Williams. I heard Motown released three different edits of this track.

NOBODY COULD F**K WITH
1)BOBBY DE BARGE or
2)WAYNE COOPER (CAMEO)

REST IN PEACE, FELLAS.....

NMusiqNSoul said:

I know...I always thought the same thing.

I'm cheesing sooo hard right now, just GRINNING like hell

I was still a little girl when I Call Your Name came out. What I can tell you though is that THAT song, as well as the others you mentioned, represent my transition phase as a kid finding MY OWN music, and discovering my own generation of radio heroes. See, until that time I was only cognizant of whatever the adults around me were playing, I only knew songs based on THEIR preferences...but enter the era of Switch & company, and the radio kept on the counter, and I was suddenly working that radio dial between AM & FM trying to sing along with songs I liked:

"YOU. I callyour naaaame, gurrrrrl"

...I didn't even know what Bobby Debarge looked like but I was pretty sure at maybe age 8 I wanted him to marry me

woogiebear said:

switch and cameo were my two favorites back in the day I even had the sitch 2 8 track

blackguitaristz said:

yup

Ooh, I love 'I Call Your Name"!

Ottensen said:

There you go...That's EXACTLY what I described in my thread. I personally knew girls just like you. The girls loved "There'll Never Be" but REALLY loved "I Call Your Name". Switch hit the nail right on the head with that one. They were going straight for the hearts of all girls. Pre-teens, and high school. They knew grown women wouldn't fuck with it cuz the record was too young sounding. And the mack Bobby was saying, grown women who went to work didn't have time for all of that bubblegum heartbreaking shit Bobby was talking in the intro. Switch was hitting their target audience. I too at age 8, really and totally discovered all types of music and got eveything under the sun. And I also was back and forth from FM to AM.

"I Call Your Name" is one of my most favorite songs of all time! Everytime that song comes on I get so excited and have to sing along, always.

One of my favorite slow jams. It's exactly how a slow jam should be....a male singing a falsetto and the song having a sexy, after midnight, bring home a stranger at 2 a.m. and sleep with them type feel to it. None of that dull Sunday afternoon, listen to it with your family, adult contemporary type sounding shit that came in the late 1980s.

vainandy said:

JesseDezz said:

Mine too.

funkpill said:

Huh pill?

blackguitaristz said:

My favorites are I Call Your Name and Love Over And Over Again