Chaka Khan's Greatest Hits: According To Queue Points
Episode 1635th November 2024 • Queue Points • Queue Points LLC
00:00:00 00:18:29

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Speaker:

DJ Sir Daniel: Greetings and welcome to another episode of Queue Points podcast.

Speaker:

I am DJ Sir daniel.

Jay Ray:

And my name is Jay Ray.

Jay Ray:

Sometimes known by my government as Johnnie Ray Kornegay III.

Jay Ray:

And let me tell you something, sir.

Jay Ray:

Daniel, I got the air back on.

Jay Ray:

DJ Sir Daniel: We're going to have a very warm fall season.

Jay Ray:

That's right.

Jay Ray:

But you know, and we're going to keep it even hotter here on Queue Points podcast,

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because we are the podcast dropping the needle on black music history.

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And Jay Ray, speaking of the holidays, guess who's heading or

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guess who's headlining DJ Cassidy's pass the mic live for the holidays.

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Ah, the person that we are talking about this evening.

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DJ Sir Daniel: That's right.

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The one and only Chaka Khan.

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But.

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We're talking about Chaka Khan because as of October 7th of this year, 2024,

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I feel for you was certified platinum by the RIAA, which is the Recording

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Industry Association of America.

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Yes.

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DJ Sir Daniel: And it's a core.

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Apparently I feel for you out of nowhere has surpassed 85.

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8 million streams on Spotify.

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So Chaka is in the zeitgeist.

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She is, people are streaming that song and enjoying it, which is, you

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know, I feel for you as a dope song.

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Is that one of your favorite Chaka Chaka Khan?

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Is that one of your favorite contracts?

Jay Ray:

Actually, it's not one of my favorite Chaka Khan tracks.

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It's not a bad song.

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Um, it's just not one of my favorite Chaka Khan songs, but I

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will say there's a lot of childhood nostalgia attached for me to that

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DJ Sir Daniel: Absolutely.

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featuring Grandmaster Melly Mel on the rap, which itself was controversial

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because Chaka was like not into that.

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but it actually helped that song to be in the, the hip hop

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zeitgeist of the era of 1984.

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So, uh, yeah, I feel for you deserves all the love that it gets.

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And I mean, it's written by Prince.

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I mean, come on.

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Yes.

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DJ Sir Daniel: cover of Prince's song.

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And, um, yeah, she hates, I think she, what she really despises about the

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song is the repetitiveness of her name.

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Like she hated hearing her name over and over and over again.

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But I mean, Hey, you're Chaka Khan.

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People are going to want to say your name over and over again.

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And so this, um, Jay Ray, this achievement actually coincides

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with the 40th anniversary.

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Of the album of the same name

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Yeah.

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DJ Sir Daniel: of October 1st, I feel for you.

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The album is 40 years old.

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Can you believe it?

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Now, I, that, if time flies, man, and Sir Daniel, I know you'll

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agree with me when I say this, I know we talking about, I Feel For You, but you

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know what the jam from that record is?

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DJ Sir Daniel: What's your jam from that record?

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is my night, baby,

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DJ Sir Daniel: I'm going to tell you this thing, which is so funny because.

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Well, like we always do, you and I are going to compile a list of

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our favorite Chaka Khan records.

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And so, you know what, since you said that first one, I'm going to go first.

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And I'm going to tell you what my first pick for our ultimate.

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Ladies and gentlemen, our ultimate Queue Points podcast Chaka Khan playlist.

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My first submission, ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration, this is my night.

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I promise you it is on my, it is on my list.

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I love this song.

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I have the 12 inch that, that, um, remixes a jam.

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Why do, why do you like that song so much?

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Um, it is the melody.

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It is, um, just the, the right combination of like early eighties production.

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DJ Sir Daniel: Oh, yes,

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Um, and I think it's just like dope.

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I just think it's a well-produced song and well-written song.

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It's a party jam.

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DJ Sir Daniel: it is a quintessential 80s jam with synthesizers and, you

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know, and those doubled up vocals with your, um, the phrases being repeated.

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So, you know, in 1984, that's like falls right into like a set if you

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want to do like a freestyle set

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Mm-Hmm.

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DJ Sir Daniel: and it just fell right in with the rest of those.

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Dope jams from 1984.

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So

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Yes.

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DJ Sir Daniel: this is my night.

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That's my first pick.

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So Jay Ray, what is your submission?

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What is your first submission for the ultimate Chaka Khan playlist?

Jay Ray:

Oh my God, this is so hard.

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So what y'all can't see is there's one, two, three, four, five, six.

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We're not doing six.

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We're only doing three.

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And so my first pick for my number three actually going to be clouds.

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So let me explain,

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DJ Sir Daniel: Okay.

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All right.

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how I am thinking of this.

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I decided to approach my list from songs that I consider to be Chaka songs, so they

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didn't necessarily have to be singles.

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DJ Sir Daniel: Okay.

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they had to at least be like, if somebody said, I know nothing about Chaka

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Khan, I would be like, play this, play

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DJ Sir Daniel: Play that.

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Yeah.

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songs.

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So clouds is the first song that I'm going to pick.

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So clouds, of course, written by Ashford and Simpson, who also

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wrote Chaka songs I feel for you.

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sorry.

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Um, uh,

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DJ Sir Daniel: every woman.

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You

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It's a lot of imes.

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Um, um, and so what I love about clouds is it has that quintessential

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Chaka mix of jazz and dance like, uh, subdued Chaka and loud Chaka.

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You get like all the versions of her.

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So I tend to like Chaka songs that you get like.

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The mix of her.

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So clouds is like the perfect thing of that.

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And you could play clouds in a gospel set or in a dance set and it will fit.

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DJ Sir Daniel: know, you took the words out of my mouth because I love clouds.

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My favorite part is the, it's gonna rain.

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It's gonna rain.

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I love that.

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That is very, that's very gospel.

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That's very, the repetition.

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The, um, I really feel like if you.

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Saying that outside on a clear night with the moon you could call for rain to

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actually start pouring Um, yeah, it's it.

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I look I don't have any faults with that pick clouds is definitely dope So

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are you ready for my number two pick?

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two.

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DJ Sir Daniel: All right, i'm gonna slow it down

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Okay.

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DJ Sir Daniel: come to a very slow a halt with this one, but this song um actually

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popped up on the Um And the clockers soundtrack as well as on epiphany,

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which was her greatest hits album.

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Um, it is her collaboration with what is his name?

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The pianist.

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Bruce Hornsby.

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DJ Sir Daniel: Bruce Hornsby.

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It is love me still.

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And you're probably wondering, well, you, you want to slow jam and

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certainly there's something very beautiful and sentimental about, and

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it's a simple song, it's a very simple song, but it's a very poignant to me.

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Um, I love the way it was placed in the McClockers movie.

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Um, And I just really, it just does something for me.

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I like that song, Love Me Still.

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So that is my second submission for Chaka Khan's Ultimate Playlist by Queue Points.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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The Chaka Crescendo.

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what I consider to be a quintessential Chaka song lyrics by Chaka.

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And that is, I know you, I live you once again.

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Once again, you get of the hallmarks of Chaka.

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You get the sweet, you get the calm, you get the jazzy, you get the, you

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know, the thing that Chaka does.

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the Chaka crescendo.

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Um, and so I know you, I live you.

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And we've talked about this before.

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This is one of those songs that in today and forevermore, you can

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absolutely hear at any block party, at any family picnic, It's a multi

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generation song where people know it.

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And Sir Daniel, you know this as a DJ, you can't not play that most

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important part, like that bridge to the end, the people waiting for that.

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DJ Sir Daniel: All the way I call that the flowy the flowy skirt song

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you have to have ladies have to have on a flowy skirt and non binaries to

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Yes.

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DJ Sir Daniel: have on a flowy skirt because you have to pick lift it up by

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the size and you spin around to that song to I'm to I know you I live you I

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actually I kind of knew you were going to go for that because I, I have a

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feeling, I have a feel for your taste

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Okay.

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DJ Sir Daniel: shotgun taste.

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And we've had conversations about shotgun.

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We both love that song.

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So I'll let you have that one because that's one of my favorites as well.

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But dope, dope pick.

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And my, our final pick, my final pick is I'm going back to Epiphany.

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Okay,

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DJ Sir Daniel: There was a song on there called everywhere

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baby.

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That's the jam.

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DJ Sir Daniel: everywhere is such a jam everywhere It was kind of has that that

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slick dancehall feel that 90s that mid 90s dancehall feel where you can we can

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drop it in the dancehall set and you could put it in between like any one of

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the top shelf rhythms or And put it next to the Chaka Demus & Pliers and just

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really go in Or start off your reggae set with that song, but it's so cool.

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It's so it's laid back, but it's still, it's still, that beat is still

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driving and it gives you a good, you know, a good dance hall feel,

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but Chaka is doing her Chaka thing.

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She starts off kind of mild and then she goes into the Chaka crescendo,

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which I think is one of her superpowers.

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Cause I, and I think it's something that we kind of look forward to

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the only song that I don't think.

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She does the Chaka crescendo where she really comes out the gate hard.

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It's disrespectful when Mary J.

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Blige, I don't think they come, they both come out,

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just come out.

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Like

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DJ Sir Daniel: they come out swinging like, ah, they come out like mad.

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yeah.

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What, you know, that was part of, you know, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

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Um, during that funk, this era, from what I recall, um, were, wanted Chaka.

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to be Chaka full out.

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And because prior to that, she had come off of that classy con, which is amazing.

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Chaka did this jazz standards album.

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I think it's with the London Philharmonic or whatever, because Chaka is that girl.

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I

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DJ Sir Daniel: Absolutely.

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Mm hmm.

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yeah, she they came out full out But so it's interesting

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that for your number two you went with the slow jam because for my

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quintessential Chaka song my number one now keep in mind We had a conversation

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with the dream like two years ago.

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I probably picked, I think I know you, I live, you was on my list for

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that, but I think the other songs were different, which is fine.

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Cause I got plenty of Chaka songs.

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Like I said, I got.

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six right here, my number one Quintessential Chaka song is actually

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from the rufus and Chaka days and it's sweet thing so Yeah, so sweet

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thing From a cultural standpoint is once again a multi generational song,

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DJ Sir Daniel: For sure.

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Young folks still singing that song in

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DJ Sir Daniel: Uh

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shows today.

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No matter which version you play, either the Chaka version or the Mary version,

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DJ Sir Daniel: Uh huh.

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the difference.

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They know how to sing it either way.

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But what's so beautiful about the Chaka version of that song is it's,

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it's sweet and it's seventies Chaka.

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So.

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One of the interesting things about Chaka is her voice has changed over time.

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It's actually gotten more Chaka.

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I call it more Chaka.

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It's gotten more Chaka over the years.

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So when you listen to 70s Chaka, her, her voice is much lower.

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Um, and now she sounds more like a horn today, even way more than she did then.

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that was her hallmark is Chaka Khan kind of sounded like a trumpet, you

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DJ Sir Daniel: Yes, she's a living instrument.

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She's a living instrument, but Sweet Thing, um, is a beautiful song.

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She sings it so lovely.

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You get a little bit of that crescendo, but it's not like, know, it's sweet.

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DJ Sir Daniel: Yes.

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um, you can play it at any, uh, event and people are

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going to be able to sing along.

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And that's my quintessential number one Chaka song.

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DJ Sir Daniel: So I think you and I have started off a really

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dope Chaka Khan playlist.

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And I'd like to invite our listeners.

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If you out there, our viewers and listeners, if you want to add and

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make submissions to, uh, Our ultimate Chaka Khan playlist, feel free.

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As a matter of fact, in the comments below this video, please

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go ahead and leave your submissions.

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Let us know what you think is your, what are your favorite

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Chaka Khan songs and why?

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I mean, cause Chaka Khan is just, she's just one of those omnipresent.

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People that has been in our lives since as long as we can remember,

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Yes.

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DJ Sir Daniel: the it's the voice.

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It's the hair.

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It's all of those things.

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The, the person that Aries personality.

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And now, you know what I love now, Jay Ray is that she's turned to this earth mother.

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Who's doling out advice so calmly while she's meditating, you

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know, in her backyard somewhere.

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I love that about her, but she's still singing.

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Absolutely.

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That tiny desk.

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Woo.

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DJ Sir Daniel: excuse me?

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Yes.

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That's rutabaga that tiny desk was amazing, but Jay Ray listeners.

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Did you all know this Chaka?

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Her sister Taka

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Yes.

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Yeah.

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DJ Sir Daniel: that is being submitted for a Grammy consideration.

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Well, they're featured on the song.

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The artists are called a million sons and.

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They are the featured vocalists on the song Misty blue, too.

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If you look on, um, iTunes, whatever, there's like a hundred

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remixes of this one particular song.

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Yeah.

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DJ Sir Daniel: it's being submitted to the Grammys.

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So shout out to Chaka, Taka and Mark and a million sons.

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And here's looking, hoping that you get this Grammy nomination for the song.

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Misty blue.

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To

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The

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DJ Sir Daniel: Jay Ray

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Khan.

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DJ Sir Daniel: people love them some Chaka Khan.

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That's right.

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She's won quite a few

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Yeah, they

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DJ Sir Daniel: She is they love a Chaka car So Jay Ray, um, if if the

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listeners want to go ahead and submit their favorite Chaka Khan songs to us

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Or just want to subscribe to the show.

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Let them know what they need to do

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Absolutely.

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First of all, if y'all can hear our voices, if you can see

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our faces, thank you so much.

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We really appreciate y'all.

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Make sure that you subscribe wherever you are tuning in.

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Do us a solid.

Jay Ray:

Tell a friend, tell a family member, tell a co worker.

Jay Ray:

If you love Queue Points, chances are they will love Queue Points too.

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You can support the show.

Jay Ray:

You could definitely, we, we love a coffee.

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10, 20 coffees.

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DJ Sir Daniel: Yes, please

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that it helps to keep the lights on here in Queue Points land.

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We'd really appreciate it.

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And also we have a lot more content over on our Patreon.

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Visit our website at Queue Points.

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com because that's where you can get information on

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completing, uh, submitting your.

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Favorite Chaka song and why for the Um, and by the way, if you submit your

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video, if you submit a video or some audio, it might end up in the live show.

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So, you know, we do our Queue Points live on Thursdays.

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So your video might end up in that show.

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So visit the website, Queue Points.

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com there.

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You can, of course, participate in submitting your song, but you

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can also, uh, read our newsletter.

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You can sign up, uh, you can read our blog and sign up for the newsletter.

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Rather.

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We really appreciate y'all.

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DJ Sir Daniel: We sure do.

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Thank you for checking out this latest episode of Queue Points podcast.

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As I always say in this life, you have a choice.

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You can either pick up the needle or you can let the record play.

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I'm DJ Sir Daniel,

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My name is Jay Ray y'all.

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DJ Sir Daniel: and this has been Queue Points podcast, dropping

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the needle on black music history.

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We'll see you on the next go round.

Jay Ray:

Peace.

Jay Ray:

Peace y'all.

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