“You’ve Got A Friend”
AUDIO By TSSCrew on December 19, 2008 at 12:18 pmWords By Jada G.
We only had Donny Hathaway for 34 years. And though he was ours for only a moment, his voice remains one of the most prolific treasures of soul music. Behind the powerful tone existed a depth of pain not many in his life could understand. Despite his mental torture, he left songs of hope, love and inspiration—a blueprint for our own struggles.
When he first hit the airwaves, many people mistook Hathaway’s music for new Stevie Wonder songs. While he did cover songs from Stevie’s vast collection – which he referred to as “the Black pool of genius” – there was an extra well of emotion that Hathaway tapped into, setting the two apart. On “Giving Up,” his voice is the musical equivalent of tears. He actually speaks to our generation through songs like “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black.”
Aside from successful solo albums, Hathaway and his good friend Roberta Flack formed one of soul music’s unheralded partnerships. The Howard University friends penned the Grammy winning “Where Is The Love?” and “The Closer I Get To You.” Flack’s pure and powerful tone coupled with Donny’s raw emotion the duo offered a special brand of alternative soul, resulting in masterful duets without vocal acrobatics. The stripped nature of their songs hooked listeners with lyrics instead of catchy synthesizers and the flash of rising disco.
While his closest friends understood that Donny suffered from bouts of depression,
many did not realize that Donny suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. The disease led him to take his own life in 1979, silencing one of the greatest vocalists of our time.
Over the passage of time since his death, his music has received its share of regard – the utmost respect from everyone to Common to Fall Out Boy, sampled by the likes of Jay-Z – even while the man has not. His daughter Lalah Hathaway has created a name for herself in today’s soul music scene. I’ve always thought of his most widely known song “A Song For You” as the ultimate goodbye letter, to a friend, to a lover, to a child: “If my words don’t come together/Listen to the melody/Cause my love is in there hiding.”
In the soft strokes of the piano keys is the reflection of beauty within a troubled man.
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway
These Songs For You (Live)
A Donny Hathaway Collection
Everything Is Everything
Extension Of A Man
In Performance
Live
Donny Hathaway
This Christmas
Bonus Shot — TV One: Unsung Series – Donny Hathaway
Posted in AUDIO, Discography, GENERAL, MUSIC, STRAY SHOTS — Tags: Discography, Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack
13 Comments
Good post!!!!
Although I am not big on the Christmas spirit..I must admit it don’t seem the same if you don’t hear “This Christmas” at least once.
beautifully written
Donny is one of the greatest.
Of all the dynamic duos from that period in r+b, I think he & Roberta get the least recognition.
went to the OK Player Holiday Jan last nite with The Roots, 88 Keys, Q Tip, Alice Smith, Tanya Morgan, Estelle, Bilal, Talib, Res
went to the OK Player Holiday Jan last nite with The Roots, 88 Keys, Q Tip, Alice Smith, Tanya Morgan, Estelle, Bilal, Talib, Res
“Someday We’ll All Be Free” Is one of my favorite songs. RIP.
Good post….you forget most of these legends died so damn young..
One of the most influential artists of our time. I’ve been looking for half the joints on this. Kudos on a ill post
http://www.myspace.com/casmillions
Beautiful post. I stan for him posthumously, and his daughter Lalah has captured my musical heart as well. Thanks for this one, TSS crew.
lalah hathaway is beyond dope…
Label…………………….: Lamp Mode Recordings
Genre…………………….: Christian Rap
StoreDate…………………: Feb-12-2008
Source……………………: CDDA
Grabber…………………..: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme……………: Lame 3.97 V2 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size……………………..: 78,1 MB
Total Playing Time…………: 59:09
Release Notes:
Tracklisting
01. Intro 01:11
02. In Adam All Die 05:13
03. Atonement Interlude 1 00:40
04. School Daze 03:11
05. Atonement Interlude 2 00:36
06. Were You There? 06:01
07. Atonement Selah 02:27
08. Through My Eyes 05:15
09. CJ Mahaney Interlude 00:46
10. The Cross (3 Hours) 04:45
11. Atonement Interlude 3 00:46
12. Jesus Is Alive (House Of Tea Remix) 04:21
13. Atonement Interlude 4 00:40
14. Mission Accomplished 03:42
15. Atonement Q&A (Feat. Stephen The Levite) 04:30
16. Triune Praise 03:53
17. Throne Of Grace 03:55
18. The Gospel 03:58
19. Outro 03:19
Support The Artists, Buy Their Music….
http://rapidshare.com/files/174684693/Shai_Linne-The_Atonement-2008-C4.tar
or
http://uploaded.to/file/w2znay
damn…donny’s shit is the truth! it helps too that he was from the chi…
and don’t let me get started on lalah. i am in love with that thick girl.
i am grateful for these loosies…
Write more! Write more! :)