Admittedly never a huge fan of Michael Jackson, I actually didn’t like Right Here by SWV when it was first all over the radio in 1992. But, like other songs on this list, the retrospective aspect of the song is why I love it today.The girl group’s sampling of Michael’s Human Nature was cringe-worthy to me at the time, yet when I hear it now I am taken back to the sales floor of Chess King in Bay Shore, laughing with Don and Joe, fawning over Justin. So many amazing memories of that time in my life as I fought the battle of youth versus responsibility, the most prevalent of which was how impacted I was by music at the time. What saved my sanity in that job was the music soundtrack, and SWV provided their moment. Gabrielle’s Dreams was just as big a hit on the radio waves, serving up as many memories while pushing me along into the nineties. This song stayed with us to Oceanside, and by us I mean me and Don and Jimmy. Those days were a time of never knowing which end was up in my personal life. And as it turns out, some things never change.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: November 8, 2018. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.