Wanna Be POLLIN' Somethin' ~~~ It's the ILM 80's R&B TRACKS POLL! ~~~

Change - A Lover's Holiday
Sharon Redd - Never Give You Up
Sharon Redd - Beat the Street
Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin'
Womack & Womack - A.P.B.
Gwen Guthrie - Peanut Butter
Sade - Love Is Stronger Than Pride

Exposé - Point of No Return

Aurra – Such A Feeling
George Benson – Inside Love
The Limit – She's So Divine
The Whispers – This Kind of Lovin'
The Whispers – Keep On Lovin' Me

Morris Day & The Time - Jungle Love
Morris Day & The Time - The Bird
Sheila E. - The Glamorous Life
Sade - Smooth Operator
Sade - Paradise
Sade - Is It A Crime?
Sade - Your Love is King
Sade - Never As Good As The First Time
Tina Turner - What's Love Got to Do With It
Tina Turner - Private Dancer
Prince - The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
Prince - Strange Relationship
Prince - Condition of the Heart
Prince - Private Joy

Chaka Khan - I Feel For You
Chaka Khan - Through The Fire

Chic - Rebels Are We
Funkadelic - Electro-Cuties

Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters
Chic - You Can't Do It Alone

Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City

Gayle Adams - Love Fever
Patrice Rushen - Feels So Real (Won't Let Go)
Chemise - She Can't Love You
Rainbow Brown - Till You Surrender
Fonda Rae - Over Like A Fat Rat
Inner Life - Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Sheena Easton - Sugar Walls
Neville Brothers - Brother John/Iko Iko

Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters

Thank you for this

"Beat It" is not an R&B song imo

it went #1 on the r&b charts (tho yes, it scaled the pop charts first). charting at all on the r&b side is more than some other nominees, like exposé's "point of no return" (even tho freestyle is def part of the r&b realm sonically), can say.

in any case i feel like if the fit seems questionable to people voting, even if they really like the song, it won't tend to get enough votes to place. so there's probably no reason to revoke nominations except for release date.

not that charting history means that much anyways. mj's "human nature" also didn't chart r&b at all but today it would certainly be considered more r&b than "beat it" (and is also most likely to be played on r&b stations today).

anyways really excited for this, lemme throw some noms together :)

I'm barely keeping myself from nominating Holiday, which is probably my favorite disco ever but the world decided dance-pop isn't r'n'b at some point so whatever. Same with ABC.

Maybe the Holiday Rap? Best of both worlds :)

Gonna wait til this settles down and the spreadsheet is up and running before nominating but this is already impossible

1980s soul
A Taste of Honey - Rescue Me
Aretha Franklin - Sweet Bitter Love
Aretha Franklin - Jump To It
Bobby Womack - Tell Me Why
C-Bank - One More Shot
Cameo - Single Life
Chaka Khan - I Know You, I Live You
Coati Mundi - Que Pasa/Me No Pop I
The Crusaders w/ Bill Withers - Soul Shadows
Dazz Band - Let It Whip
Dennis Edwards -Don’t Look Any Further
Defunkt - Thermonuclear Sweat
Defunkt - Avoid The Funk
Deniece Williams - It’s Gonna Take A Miracle
Donna Summer - State of Independence
ESG -You’re No Good
Frankie Smith - Double Dutch Bus
Gil Scott-Heron - B-Movie
Grace Jones - My Jamaican Guy
Grover Washington Jr. - Just The Two of Us
Inner City - Big Fun
James Brown - Don’t Stop The Funk
James Brown - Rapp Payback
James Brown- Bring It On
Junie - Rappin About Rappin
Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy
Linx - You’re Lying
Manhattans - Shining Star
Marvin Gaye - Turn On Some Music
Material/Nona Hendryx - Bustin Out
Material - Memories
MFSB - Mysteries Of The World
Neville Brothers - Sister Rosa
Parliament - Trombipulation
Peech Boys - Life Is Something Special
Prince - How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?
Professor Longhair - Cry To Me
Quincy Jones - Just Once
Roger - So Ruff So Tuff
Shalamar - I Can Make You Feel Good
Sister Sledge - Got To Love Somebody
Skipworth and Turner - Thinking About Your Love
Smokey Robinson - Let Me Be The Clock
Syl Johnson - Ms. Fine Brown Frame
Teena Marie - Lovergirl
Tom Browne - Funkin’ For Jamaica
Tramaine Hawkins - Fall Down Spirit of Love
Whitney Houston - You Give Good Love
Yarborough and Peoples - Don’t Stop The Music
Zapp - More Bounce To The Ounce

A Taste of Honey - Rescue Me
Aretha Franklin - Sweet Bitter Love
Aretha Franklin - Jump To It
Bobby Womack - Tell Me Why
C-Bank - One More Shot
Cameo - Single Life
Chaka Khan - I Know You, I Live You
Coati Mundi - Que Pasa/Me No Pop I
The Crusaders w/ Bill Withers - Soul Shadows
Dazz Band - Let It Whip
Dennis Edwards -Don’t Look Any Further
Defunkt - Thermonuclear Sweat
Defunkt - Avoid The Funk
Deniece Williams - It’s Gonna Take A Miracle
Donna Summer - State of Independence
ESG -You’re No Good
Frankie Smith - Double Dutch Bus
Gil Scott-Heron - B-Movie
Grace Jones - My Jamaican Guy
Grover Washington Jr. - Just The Two of Us
Inner City - Big Fun
James Brown - Don’t Stop The Funk
James Brown - Rapp Payback
James Brown- Bring It On
Junie - Rappin About Rappin
Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy
Linx - You’re Lying
Manhattans - Shining Star
Marvin Gaye - Turn On Some Music
Material/Nona Hendryx - Bustin Out
Material - Memories
MFSB - Mysteries Of The World
Neville Brothers - Sister Rosa
Parliament - Trombipulation
Peech Boys - Life Is Something Special
Prince - How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?
Professor Longhair - Cry To Me
Quincy Jones - Just Once
Roger - So Ruff So Tuff
Shalamar - I Can Make You Feel Good
Sister Sledge - Got To Love Somebody
Skipworth and Turner - Thinking About Your Love
Smokey Robinson - Let Me Be The Clock
Syl Johnson - Ms. Fine Brown Frame
Teena Marie - Lovergirl
Tom Browne - Funkin’ For Jamaica
Tramaine Hawkins - Fall Down Spirit of Love
Whitney Houston - You Give Good Love
Yarborough and Peoples - Don’t Stop The Music
Zapp - More Bounce To The Ounce

Whoops sorry about that

Please use ctrl f people. There were some issues with double nominations and small spelling differences in the last poll.

In My House - Mary Jane Girls

so uh are we excluding rap titles from consideration here

like i want to nominate e.g. newcleus - jam on it

i know there's a tendency to separate r&b and rap based on their vocals but considering the two have basically coevolved thruout the latter's entire existence i feel it would be a ridiculous omission esp. since rap titles tended to percolate thru the same spaces (radio/venues/retailers etc.) commercially. the commercial format of r&b, which did include rap, is more easily pinned down than nebulous genre definitions of r&b anyhow.

(pretty much all of the rap songs i want to nominate were hits on the r&b charts btw)

This will become a significantly less interesting poll if we include rap (whereas it would become even more interesting if we include dance pop but that's just me).

Stevie Wonder - All I Do
Patrice Rushen - Remind Me
Debarge - Time Will Reveal
Debarge - A Dream
Isley Brothers - Between the Sheets
Keni Burke - Risin' To The Top (Give It All You Got)
Stevie Wonder - Overjoyed
Loose Ends - Hangin' on a String
Chic - Flash Back
Odyssey - Native New Yorker
Otis Clay - The Only Way Is Up
Ednah Holt - Serious, Sirius Space Party

Well, "Rapper's Delight" made the '70s poll so ... ?

"Jam On It" reads as much electro R&B as it does rap, tho.

Native New Yorker is from 1977.

"jam on it" deserves to be nominated yes absolutely

"Jam On It" reads as much electro R&B as it does rap, tho.

this is what i mean by nebulous genre definitions (even tho i agree w/ the statement!). like where is the line drawn between electro r&b w/ largely rapped vocals (or no vocals) and actual rap? is it whodini's "friends"? j.j. fad's "supersonic"?

I'm the wrong one to ask, I think dance music is always at a disadvantage on ILM and if I can stack the deck in boogie's favor somehow, I'm likely to do it.

Rene & Angela - Your Smile
Pasadenas - Tribute (Right On)
Whispers - Rock Steady
Gavin Christopher - One Step Closer To You
ZZ Hill - Cheating In The Next Room
Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin'

I've had "Jam On It" on every list of the '80s I car eto name.

My go-to station on satellite radio is the Groove, which is basically this poll in real time. Random sample from earlier today:

Search results 1 to 50 of 711 total matches Next
Page
Channel Artist Title Date Time
50 Chic Good Times 4/18/2017 8:42:34 PM
50 Chuckii Booker Turned Away 4/18/2017 8:36:56 PM
50 System Don't Disturb This Groove 4/18/2017 8:34:01 PM
50 Kashif I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn M 4/18/2017 8:27:53 PM
50 The Groove SiriusXM 4/18/2017 8:27:43 PM
50 Maze featuring Frankie Beverly Back In Stride 4/18/2017 8:23:45 PM
50 Jermaine & Michael Jackson Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming 4/18/2017 8:19:43 PM
50 Evelyn "Champagne" King Shame 4/18/2017 8:13:23 PM
50 Sade Paradise 4/18/2017 8:09:56 PM
50 O'Jays Give The People What They Want 4/18/2017 8:05:54 PM
50 Bobby Brown My Prerogative 4/18/2017 8:01:32 PM
50 Sirius XM The Groove 4/18/2017 8:01:11 PM
50 Jody Watley Real Love 4/18/2017 7:57:12 PM
50 K.C. & The Sunshine Band Get Down Tonight (Long Version) 4/18/2017 7:52:03 PM
50 D Train Keep Giving Me Love 4/18/2017 7:45:12 PM
50 Stevie Wonder Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing 4/18/2017 7:41:23 PM
50 Gerald Levert Just Coolin' ` 4/18/2017 7:38:01 PM
50 Gap Band You Dropped A Bomb On Me 4/18/2017 7:32:13 PM
50 The Groove Old School R&B 4/18/2017 7:32:02 PM
50 One Way Cutie Pie 4/18/2017 7:26:44 PM
50 Chaka Khan I Feel For You 4/18/2017 7:21:01 PM
50 Linda Clifford Runaway Love 4/18/2017 7:14:13 PM
50 The Groove SiriusXM 4/18/2017 7:14:02 PM
50 Commodores Sweet Love 4/18/2017 7:07:44 PM
50 Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam Let The Beat Hit'em (91) 4/18/2017 7:04:02 PM
50 Change Paradise 4/18/

And so on.

Junior - Mama Used To Say
Cheri - Murphy's Law
Gap Band - You Dropped A Bomb On Me
Al B Sure - Off on Your Own (Girl)

Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious
Hall and Oates - Out of Touch
Hall and Oates - I Can't Go For That
David Bowie - Let's Dance
Bobby Brown - Every Little Step
Chaka Khan - What Cha' Gonna Do For Me
Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen

I listed "Mama Used to Say" upthread: a huge hit in England, #2 on te black chart, but like so many R&B hits of the era a dud on the pop chart.

Here's where I recommend The Blerb Radio Podcast, in which Thomas Inskeep and Michael Heyliger discuss every #1 and #2 of the eighties R&B chart.

http://blerdradio.libsyn.com/

Mtume – You Can't Wait For Love
High Fashion – Feelin' Lucky Lately
Starpoint – Satisfy Me Lover
Shalamar – I Owe You One
Imagination – Changes
D-Train – Keep On

George Benson - Turn Your Love Around
George Benson - Give Me The Night
Grover Washington - Just The Two Of Us

Egyptian Lover should count, no?

If so:

Egyptian Lover - I Cry (Night After Night)
Egyptian Lover - My House (On The Nile)
Egyptian Lover - Egypt Egypt

Womack & Womack - Baby I'm Scared of You
Bernard Wright - Who Do You Love
Jody Watley - Real Love
Rick James - Cold Blooded
Evelyn "Champagne" King - "I'm In Love"
Zapp - Computer Love
Zapp - Dance Floor
Fonda Rae - Touch Me (All Night Long)
Leon Ware - Rockin You Eternally
Sylvia Striplin - You Can't Turn Me Away
Sylvia Striplin - Give Me Your Love
Alicia Myers - I Want To Thank You

ok here are what i hope will be minimally objectionable noms (including "jam on it" since y'all seemed in favor)

The Deele - Two Occasions
Anita Baker - Giving You The Best That I Got
Anita Baker - Just Because
Prince - Hot Thing
Prince - It
Prince - The Beautiful Ones
Force M.D.'s - Love Is A House
Force M.D.'s - Tender Love
Nocera - Summertime, Summertime
Brenda Russell Featuring Joe Esposito - Piano In The Dark
Bobby Brown - My Prerogative
Bobby Brown - Roni
Freddie Jackson - Jam Tonight
New Edition - Can You Stand The Rain
Vanity 6 - Drive Me Wild
The Art Of Noise - Beat Box
The Art Of Noise - Moments In Love
Midnight Star - Slow Jam
Lipps, Inc. - Funkytown
Al Jarreau - Mornin'
Al Jarreau - We're In This Love Together
Madonna - Like A Prayer
Jennifer Holliday - And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
The Time - 777-9311
The Weather Girls - It's Raining Men
Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me
The Nick Straker Band - A Little Bit Of Jazz
Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home
Luther Vandross - Here And Now
Luther Vandross - If Only For One Night
Luther Vandross - Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
Jody Watley - Looking For A New Love
Mary Jane Girls - All Night Long
George Michael - Careless Whisper
George Michael - Father Figure
George Michael - One More Try
The System - Don't Disturb This Groove
Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well
The S.O.S. Band - Tell Me If You Still Care
Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly - Can't Get Over You
Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly - Joy And Pain
M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up The Volume
Bobby Womack - If You Think You're Lonely Now
Malcolm McLaren - Madam Butterfly
The Pointer Sisters - Slow Hand
Cheryl Lynn - Encore
Change - Searching
Herbie Hancock - Rockit
Shirley Murdock - As We Lay
Alexander O'Neal - Sunshine
Irene Cara - Flashdance... What A Feeling
James Ingram & Michael McDonald - Yah Mo B There
Phil Collins - Sussudio
Narada Michael Walden - I Shoulda Loved Ya
Levert - Casanova
Newcleus - Jam On It
Sybil - Don't Make Me Over
Surface - Happy
Janet Jackson - Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)
Quincy Jones - Ai No Corrida
Betty Wright - No Pain, (No Gain)
Deniece Williams - Silly
Mtume - You, Me And He
Laid Back - White Horse
Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money
Shalamar - The Second Time Around
Klymaxx - The Men All Pause
Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster (Jammin')

Irene Cara - Fame
David Bowie - Fame

is "escapade" from the 80s? i guess the album's from 89 but it came out as a single in jan 1990 and got big after that

I played Rhythm Nation 1814 about a thousand times in the fall of 1989, so for me it's definitely '89.

fair enough

Delegation - It's Your Turn (Extended version)
Zapp - Heartbreaker (Part I, Part II)
The Whispers - Tonight
Frederick & Janice Dowlen - Gentle (Calling your name)
Natalie Cole - Pink Cadillac
Kashif - Rumors
Change - Change of heart
Donna Allen - Serious (Extended Version)
Gwen Guthrie - Seventh Heaven (Larry Levan Remix)

Remove the extended versions/remix if it makes things simpler

David Bowie's Fame came out in 1976

or 75 idk

I am devastated to learn that Raydio/Ray Parker Jr's masterpiece, More Than One Way To Love a Woman came out in 79. It would have been in my top 10 for that poll.

Alexander O'Neal - (What Can I Say) To Make You Love Me

Stanning for the funk:

Tom Browne - Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)
Stone City Band - Freaky
The Bar-Kays - Freaky Behavior
Kabbala - Ashewo Ara
Zapp - Playin' Kinda Ruff
Ronnie Hudson and the Street People - West Coast Poplock
Bar-Kays - Do It (Let Me See You Shake)
Jermaine Jackson - Let Me Tickle Your Fancy
Tara - Fresh Flesh
D Train - You're the One for Me (Labor of Love Mix)
TZ - I Got the Hots For You
Westwood Cash - Psycho for your Love
D Train - Music
Prince Charles - Cash (Cash Money)
Bar-Kays - She Talks to Me with her Body
Caprice - 100%
Friction - Bar-B-Q
Circle City Band - Party Lights (Shake Your Body Get Loose)
Cat Miller - Ready or Not (UK Remix)
Val Young - Seduction
Andre Cymone - The Dance Electric
Maceo and the Macks - Cross the Track (We Better Go Back)
Deborah Allen - Telepathy (Club Mix)

BTW, I refuse to vote for ballads. Radio Behavioral Sink is 100% boogie.

Fuck it, 2 more from Victory:

Jacksons - Wait
Jacksons - Body

Herbie Hancock – Magic Number
Herbie Hancock – Gettin' To The Good Part
Brothers Johnson – Light Up The Night
Fatback Band – Double Love Affair
Fantasy – You're Too Late
Aurra – Send Your Love
Deodato – Skatin'
Johnny Gill – Super Love
Egyptian Lover – Freak-A-Holic

Alias - Shake
Ben E King - Street Tough
Debbie Deb - When I Hear Music
The Jets - Make it Real
Sexual Harrassment - I Need a Freak

Tom Browne - Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)

OMG, thank you for nominating this!

Fatback Band - Is This the Future?
Herbie Hancock - Lite Me Up
Klymaxx - Man Size Love

Boris Midney - A Child Is Born
Erotic Drum Band - Horny

Slave - Stone Jam
Funkadelic - Funk Gets Stronger Part I

Stacy Lattisaw - Let Me Be Your Angel

Earth Wind & Fire - And Love Goes On

--- NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSED ---

And here it is:

Let's Hear It for the POLL: It's the ~~~ 80's R&B TRACKS POLL ~~~ voting & campaigning thread