Where did the Love go? In today's black pop music, love songs are harder to find

The Undefeated ^ | 2020 | Jesse Washington

[CondoleezzaProtege]

“God is love,” the Bible says. Black American music began with this love. We asked Him, in our African call-and-response tradition, for strength and freedom. These “Negro spirituals” begat the blues, which begat jazz, rock ’n’ roll, R&B, and rap.

Today, much of the love expressed in classic songs seems as anachronistic as cassette tapes. The Hot 100 pop charts still have plenty of songs by black artists about sex, which has always been an essential thread in the emotional tapestry of music. But compared with past decades, when popular black artists consistently gave voice to humanity’s most powerful emotion, far fewer chart-topping songs today discuss love as that alchemy of need, companionship and commitment transcending the physical.

These numbers show a coldhearted truth: The deepest forms of love are fading out of popular black music. Or as Lil Wayne said in his 2018 hit single “Uproar”:

“What the f**** though? Where the love go?”

Yes, we are quoting profanity up in this piece. Because while there has never been more vulgarity in black pop than now, there has never been less love.

“Art reflects life. I think both men and women now are having a hard time buying into love and long-lasting love,” said rhythm and blues singer and musician PJ Morton. His catalog of love songs, including “Say So,” the 2019 Grammy winner for best R&B song, resides outside the popular mainstream.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

[albie]

Too busy shooting each other, beatin up honkeys and whining about reparations.

[LouAvul]

A love song in my generation, for example, was Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful."

A love song for the mongrels of today: "You a ho.You a ho.You a ho.You a ho.You a ho."

[Jamestown1630]

Black popular music of all kinds when I was growing up was artful, often brilliant and full of poetry.

I can’t stand to listen to much of what they call ‘music’ today.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Sad when the likes of Marvin Gaye and Nat King Cole used to record such beautiful love songs.

[odawg]

Love songs are too white. “That’s the way a white man thinks” is a snarky expression I use to hear while living in the Houston area from non-whites.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I lived in the Detroit area for a time when I was younger.

Those people who created Motown were geniuses.

I mean, flat-out geniuses. Listen to them talking about it decades later and I am in awe about how they were thinking so far ahead at so many different levels. How the fact that Ford Motor Company used to buy blocks of tickets to the Detroit Symphony and give them away to school children inspired them.

Certainly puts a lie to the tenet of Liberal racism that black people are stupid.

[Junk Silver]

I don’t know about this premise, some of the stanzas of “Tina Gotta Big Ol’ Butt” are deeply romantic.

[Sirius Lee]

Not just “black” music. I get the pigeonholeing, but ipopular music in general. Yes, there has always been the sexual subcontext, (see Renaissance madrigals). But always with whatever passes for genuine feelings of love.

No less a crooner than Frank Sinatra called the George Harrison song “ Something in the way She Moves” the greatest love song ever composed.

[Yaelle]

I find it is getting better. 10 years ago it was worse. Now rappers are having to try and hide or downplay their objectification and misogyny.

[Pox]

But that type of music doesn't meet the requirements of their dem masters who prefer that they live their own “culture”, insist that they hate whites, and perpetually advocate for strife and division in our cities and neighborhoods.

After all, how does that help dems get elected? If everyone is happy and enjoys nice music that appeals to everyone, there wouldn't be nonstop media "stories" that help keep making the divisions in our society deeper and wider, thereby keeping the media audiences low and hurting their advertising income.

[Fiji Hill]

Some great love songs by black artists.

• When the Boys Talk About the Girls--Valerie carr (1958)

• a Kiss from Your Lips--The Flamingos (1956)

• Afar into the Night--The Six Teens (1956)

• Such a Love--The Sensations (1957)

• You Gave Me Peace of Mind--The Spaniels (1956)

[justme4now]

These (black) guys are Fantastic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al4FjGc25y8

[albie]

Nonsense. Rump Shaker, Baby Got Back, Gin and Juice all will make you cry!

[eyeamok]

we love our bitches and ho’s, we love pimping our sister out, we love slinging dope, we love bustin caps in people asses, we love rapin,robbin,and killin,....

What is he talking About?? Lots of Love in Black Music.

[waterhill]

Leon Bridges a young songwriter from Ft. TX. Brilliant!

Beyond
https://youtu.be/ELPOCJvDz3w

[Steve_Seattle]

The black soul music of the 60s celebrated love and romance. Rap and hip hop represent misogyny, criminality, willful ignorance, and decadence.

[dblshot]

Rap is Crap. Bunch of homies drinking 40’s on the steps watching little girls jump roping to rhymes like:
Cinderella, dressed in yellow
Went upstairs to kiss her fellow
Made a mistake
And kissed a snake
How many doctors
Did it take?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5...

Just added in some cuss words and there ya go.

[Califreak]

I miss old school r and b like the Spinners. It was much happier sounding then and the songs were kind of wholesome.

[Fiji Hill]

Detroit was also the home of Fortune Records, a tiny label that put out a lot of discs that won critical acclaim and became collectible.

Daddy Rocking Strong--Nolan Strong & the Diablos (1955)

Baby, I Love You So--Joe Weaver & the Don Juans (1956)