Love: The Fifth Dimension

lol... I don't like the title. We'll work on that...

In conjunction with Doc Makin and his blogsite BlackLoveOneGrowth, I present to you "Love: The Fifth Dimension". Here's the premise: Doc and I each decided to choose 5 love songs each that we prefer and write about what makes them special to us. And if I understand correctly, the next blogs we'll switch our lineups and give cross-examination to the songs. Should be fun, and you know I got a crush on somebody pretty much all the time so it's always timelyB-J.

So so... lol, First lemme say, I was a bit jealous at Doc's lineup, as he picked several of my favorite love songs of the moment. But then I thought, there's enough love songs out there to last from the honeymoon to the Heavens. So I dug in the crate and found quite a lineup of my own:

1) Anita Baker - Just Because
2) Luther Vandross - Here and Now
3) The Emotions - Don't Ask My Neighbors
4) New Edition - Can You Stand the Rain
5) Jagged Edge - What's It Like to Be In Love

I'm anxious to talk about these, so let's get to it.

Anita Baker - "Just Because"
This song has always been a favorite of mine, even before I really had or understood emotions and feelings such as love. Even as a boy running wild, there was just something about someone telling you they love you "just because". It's a love you don't hafta look for or worry about being there for you. It's a love that allows you do be yourself; a love that WANTS you to be yourself and APPRECIATES the simple fact that you are who you are. I know it's a love song about the relationship between a man and a woman, but I've felt that love from a mother, I've seen that love between good friends, and I've known that love from God Himself. Anita may not have meant all that, but that's what the song means to me in so many dimensions.

Luther Vandross - "Here and Now"
Aw man... Yo, on the real, I wanna get married to this song; I've planned on it for some years now. This is THE marriage song. "Here and now, I promise to love faithfully... Here and now, I vow to be one with thee." There isn't much to be said here really; the concept is so plain and pure, the vocalist so perfected in his craft... When I think of it, this is the song I want played when I decide to take a woman to be with me and love with me for the rest of my life. The beauty of the song is the beauty of a love like that. Simple and clean.

The Emotions - "Don't Ask My Neighbors"
Oh man, Doc and I talked about this one for a LONG time, lol. Yes, it's a beautiful song. But more importantly it's SO REAL. So often in relationships, when there's a problem we go to everybody but the person we need to talk to, being our significant other. We talk to friends, family, strangers, therapists... ANYBODY but that person. What are we afraid of? It's hard to say. But then in the song the Emotions sing, "Come to me; you'll find I love you! Come to me...", and alleviate those fears we have. It's an sweet song with an enchanting feeling that offers comfort that some of us men desperately seek in dealing with significant others.

New Edition - "Can You Stand the Rain"
lol, it's funny this song came to mind. I taught my Sunday School class today about love, lust and friendship, and part of the discussion was about what authenticates love. You see, and I've probably said this in a blog before, you never know how strong a love is until it's tested. This song speak directly to a love on trial. And I love how the song is done because it compares fairweather love to love in a storm. But in the midst of the torrents, Ricky cleverly ad libs "no pressure, no pressure", pointing to the honesty element; when love is tried, it is better for lovers to separate than to pressure each other into false commitment. As I taught my kids, the trial is such a crucial aspect of a true love, and this song so fittingly makes it apparent.

Jagged Edge - "What's It Like to Be in Love"
I'm gonna call this song my sleeper: the one nobody expected. I'm gonna tell you why I like this song... Jagged Edge iz a pretty decent group; not great, but consistent. But this one particular song is so significant because it is a commentary on the current state of love in the current generation. You see, if you look around, you'll find that most cats nowadays really don't know what true love is; they know what they think it is and what they've been told, but they really don't know. Most singers and groups pretend as if they have love figured out, but what they truly have is lust and they try to pass it off as love. This is the first time I heard a song from the current generation that was brutally honest about things. The chorus goes: "What's it like to be in love; that's all a n!gga thinking of/ and I was just wondering will love ever know me/'Cuz my heart is open, and i've been hopin/to find what it is everybody keeps on talkin' bout/". Now THAT's truth. These are some young men who have come to the point of realizing that what they thought was love was not love, and they want to know what true love is. And it gives me hope when I hear the song: there are a few cats out there who realize that, to our generation, true love is an unexplored frontier.


So that's my 5 peeps. Don't get me wrong, they're not necessarily my 5 favorite love songs. But they're 5 of the most significant love songs I know, 5 that really capture love in 5 dimensions.

Love in 5 Dimensions... THAT's what I shoulda called this one! I'll use that title for the cross examination, lol.

Jesus Peace