The Listening: "Be There"

I became interested in the late Donny Hathaway's catalog after Common's One Day it Will All Make Sense with all that talk of a stolen tape. "Be There" took a while to adhere but now it's a daily necessity. When I listen, I see a young woman on screen circa 1971 skipping through a lunch hour Manhattan people jam in a tawny skirt suit with embellished blouse, pirouetting to a stop at a Don't Walk sign and lifting her arms skyward in abandon as a camera closes in on her chestnut face. And with that, I'll make a plea for more wistful Black film.

Since this song considers the mechanics of romantic relationship, I must call attention to the second freshest event of this year so far, following and embodied by Obama's ascent, and that was Black Love in Public.

"Be There" [MP3]
Donny Hathaway

"...Black music is Black music and it's all good." - Common