(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE. At the bottom, I also explain why my posts have become a lot more sporadic lately)
Barry White - "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe"
Hit Number 1: September 21, 1974
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
Barry White was in love. In fact, he was very in love. So much so that he couldn't even sleep because of constantly thinking about the woman he was in love with. He wanted to be with her, forever. This woman wasn't just some random woman White met one night and suddenly got the hots for her. This woman's name is Glodean James, and she was one of the backing singers in White's band, the Love Unlimited Orchestra. (That band appeared in this blog already with "Love's Theme") One night when White couldn't get to sleep again, he wanted to finally write a song for her, and have that be the way to tell her how he really felt about her. The song, as you might have already guessed, is "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe", and without a doubt, the song won James over. After all, hearing White speak in the beginning with his low voice, similarly to Isaac Hayes fashion, it would be shocking to see him not win anyone over.
By this point, White was already a successful figure in '70s pop music. He led the Love Unlimited Orchestra to their first #1 hit, and he already cashed in some major royalties from that. But, White still had yet to reach his peak. The album Can't Get Enough was not only the peak of his career, but it was the peak of his life. He was scoring hits on the charts and he was married to the woman of his dreams while working on the album. I like to think that the album is a look into White's personal life: "Can't Get Enough" was obviously the song that won James over and the two would marry not long after, but his second biggest hit, "You're the First, My Last, My Everything" is like a celebration of getting married to James. It's a joyous, energetic song about devotion, needing the one you love and hoping to be together forever. It's an impossible song to not love upon hearing it. (It made it to #2 in 1975. It's an 8)
For the most part, the whole album is just one big warm embrace. It's comforting and it's extremely happy. White's spoken words at the beginning sound genuine. He sounds helplessly in love, but he also sounds like he's perfectly fine with that. He's at peace with the way he feels, but the only thing he wants to do is to tell this woman how much in love he truly is. The song begins to pick up the pace, and before too long you're swept up in this disco storm, but not one of dancing and partying. This disco storm is all about that sweet, sweet love that many were craving in the '70s, and wanting to tell that special someone everything you've never been able to tell them before. It's one of the more thoughtful disco songs ever created, and if you're a girl and this song catches you just right, I would imagine it could cause you to feel some type of emotion. And I'm not exaggerating here, the song literally sparked a happy, healthy marriage.
All things told, I probably like "You're the First, My Last, My Everything" a little bit more than "Can't Get Enough", but this is still a good song. I just like White's emotion behind the song. The strings behind him sound just as joyous, and everything else behind White swells up with his voice to create a pretty lovely song. And when he talks, forget about it. He speaks in that low, breathy voice that makes any girl alive shiver. He could probably win any girl over just by doing that. Though White won't appear in this blog again, the guy made a living out of talking like that, and writing songs about sweet love. Several of those songs would be well-charting hits. Simply put, the guy just had it.
White and James would eventually separate in 1988, but they never officially divorced and remained good friends for the rest of White's life. Unfortunately, White was overweight for much of his life, and it caught up to him in the early 2000s. It also didn't help that he smoked as much as 150 cigarettes a day. He suffered several strokes and could barely even walk. He developed diabetes and his kidneys began to fail. He was waiting for a kidney transplant when he suffered the most massive stroke of his life which forced him to retire from public life. He finally was put out of his misery when he went into cardiac arrest and died at the age of 58. James, however, is still alive today and remains as his sole executor of his estate. These days, I bet "Can't Get Enough" is a bittersweet song for her to listen to.
GRADE: 7/10
IN POP CULTURE:
"Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" has been featured in a lot of TV shows/movies. But this one I picked seems to make the most sense. It turns out White was a huge fan of The Simpsons and he was a guest star in the episode Whacking Day. He even sang a little bit of "Can't Get Enough" in the episode. Here's a 4 minute clip from that episode featuring the scene where White sings his song.
NOTE:
My posts have been pretty sporadic lately, and I just wanted to explain why that is. I can sum it up by just one word: college. I'm taking classes, doing homework and balancing a social life on top of trying to keep this blog going. So naturally, I'm simply just not able to post as much as I used to. However, the Hit Hammer is still very much alive, and I post whenever I have the chance. I just can't guarantee how often it will be. Thanks to everyone who's following along with me in this journey through pop music
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