Friday, September 30, 2011

RIP, Sylvia Robinson

Just read that Sylvia Robinson, who helped take rap music from a street phenomenon to a mainstream sensation with her Sugar Hill Records, died Thursday at 75. While her contributions to hip-hop altered the musical landscape forever -- she was the mastermind behind the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” the first mainstream rap song, making the pop Top 40 and selling over 8 million copies -- I'll always remember her foremost for her classic song with Mickey Baker, "Love Is Strange," in which she famous responds to his "How you all your lover boy?" -- "C'mere, lover boy" -- one of music's sexiest lines of all time. Thanks for the music, Sylvia. You will be missed, but never forgotten.



And for a decidedly less sexy, but awfully sweet version, may I recommend Everything but the Girl's 1992 cover?

2 comments:

Prospero said...

Didn't Blondie's "Rapture" come out first?

Kenneth M. Walsh said...

@Prospero: No, "Rapture" was after. And if you listen to them back to back, you can see it borrow heavily from its predecessor.