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,
Jay Ray:because we are the podcast dropping the needle on black music history.
Jay Ray:And Jay Ray, speaking of the holidays, guess who's heading or
Jay Ray:guess who's headlining DJ Cassidy's pass the mic live for the holidays.
Jay Ray:Ah, the person that we are talking about this evening.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: That's right.
Jay Ray:The one and only Chaka Khan.
Jay Ray:But.
Jay Ray:We're talking about Chaka Khan because as of October 7th of this year, 2024,
Jay Ray:I feel for you was certified platinum by the RIAA, which is the Recording
Jay Ray:Industry Association of America.
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: And it's a core.
Jay Ray:Apparently I feel for you out of nowhere has surpassed 85.
Jay Ray:8 million streams on Spotify.
Jay Ray:So Chaka is in the zeitgeist.
Jay Ray:She is, people are streaming that song and enjoying it, which is, you
Jay Ray:know, I feel for you as a dope song.
Jay Ray:Is that one of your favorite Chaka Chaka Khan?
Jay Ray:Is that one of your favorite contracts?
Jay Ray:Actually, it's not one of my favorite Chaka Khan tracks.
Jay Ray:It's not a bad song.
Jay Ray:Um, it's just not one of my favorite Chaka Khan songs, but I
Jay Ray:will say there's a lot of childhood nostalgia attached for me to that
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Absolutely.
Jay Ray:featuring Grandmaster Melly Mel on the rap, which itself was controversial
Jay Ray:because Chaka was like not into that.
Jay Ray:but it actually helped that song to be in the, the hip hop
Jay Ray:zeitgeist of the era of 1984.
Jay Ray:So, uh, yeah, I feel for you deserves all the love that it gets.
Jay Ray:And I mean, it's written by Prince.
Jay Ray:I mean, come on.
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: cover of Prince's song.
Jay Ray:And, um, yeah, she hates, I think she, what she really despises about the
Jay Ray:song is the repetitiveness of her name.
Jay Ray:Like she hated hearing her name over and over and over again.
Jay Ray:But I mean, Hey, you're Chaka Khan.
Jay Ray:People are going to want to say your name over and over again.
Jay Ray:And so this, um, Jay Ray, this achievement actually coincides
Jay Ray:with the 40th anniversary.
Jay Ray:Of the album of the same name
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: of October 1st, I feel for you.
Jay Ray:The album is 40 years old.
Jay Ray:Can you believe it?
Jay Ray:Now, I, that, if time flies, man, and Sir Daniel, I know you'll
Jay Ray:agree with me when I say this, I know we talking about, I Feel For You, but you
Jay Ray:know what the jam from that record is?
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: What's your jam from that record?
Jay Ray:is my night, baby,
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: I'm going to tell you this thing, which is so funny because.
Jay Ray:Well, like we always do, you and I are going to compile a list of
Jay Ray:our favorite Chaka Khan records.
Jay Ray:And so, you know what, since you said that first one, I'm going to go first.
Jay Ray:And I'm going to tell you what my first pick for our ultimate.
Jay Ray:Ladies and gentlemen, our ultimate Queue Points podcast Chaka Khan playlist.
Jay Ray:My first submission, ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration, this is my night.
Jay Ray:I promise you it is on my, it is on my list.
Jay Ray:I love this song.
Jay Ray:I have the 12 inch that, that, um, remixes a jam.
Jay Ray:Why do, why do you like that song so much?
Jay Ray:Um, it is the melody.
Jay Ray:It is, um, just the, the right combination of like early eighties production.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Oh, yes,
Jay Ray:Um, and I think it's just like dope.
Jay Ray:I just think it's a well-produced song and well-written song.
Jay Ray:It's a party jam.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: it is a quintessential 80s jam with synthesizers and, you
Jay Ray:know, and those doubled up vocals with your, um, the phrases being repeated.
Jay Ray:So, you know, in 1984, that's like falls right into like a set if you
Jay Ray:want to do like a freestyle set
Jay Ray:Mm-Hmm.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: and it just fell right in with the rest of those.
Jay Ray:Dope jams from 1984.
Jay Ray:So
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: this is my night.
Jay Ray:That's my first pick.
Jay Ray:So Jay Ray, what is your submission?
Jay Ray:What is your first submission for the ultimate Chaka Khan playlist?
Jay Ray:Oh my God, this is so hard.
Jay Ray:So what y'all can't see is there's one, two, three, four, five, six.
Jay Ray:We're not doing six.
Jay Ray:We're only doing three.
Jay Ray:And so my first pick for my number three actually going to be clouds.
Jay Ray:So let me explain,
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Okay.
Jay Ray:All right.
Jay Ray:how I am thinking of this.
Jay Ray:I decided to approach my list from songs that I consider to be Chaka songs, so they
Jay Ray:didn't necessarily have to be singles.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Okay.
Jay Ray:they had to at least be like, if somebody said, I know nothing about Chaka
Jay Ray:Khan, I would be like, play this, play
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Play that.
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:songs.
Jay Ray:So clouds is the first song that I'm going to pick.
Jay Ray:So clouds, of course, written by Ashford and Simpson, who also
Jay Ray:wrote Chaka songs I feel for you.
Jay Ray:sorry.
Jay Ray:Um, uh,
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: every woman.
Jay Ray:You
Jay Ray:It's a lot of imes.
Jay Ray:Um, um, and so what I love about clouds is it has that quintessential
Jay Ray:Chaka mix of jazz and dance like, uh, subdued Chaka and loud Chaka.
Jay Ray:You get like all the versions of her.
Jay Ray:So I tend to like Chaka songs that you get like.
Jay Ray:The mix of her.
Jay Ray:So clouds is like the perfect thing of that.
Jay Ray:And you could play clouds in a gospel set or in a dance set and it will fit.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: know, you took the words out of my mouth because I love clouds.
Jay Ray:My favorite part is the, it's gonna rain.
Jay Ray:It's gonna rain.
Jay Ray:I love that.
Jay Ray:That is very, that's very gospel.
Jay Ray:That's very, the repetition.
Jay Ray:The, um, I really feel like if you.
Jay Ray:Saying that outside on a clear night with the moon you could call for rain to
Jay Ray:actually start pouring Um, yeah, it's it.
Jay Ray:I look I don't have any faults with that pick clouds is definitely dope So
Jay Ray:are you ready for my number two pick?
Jay Ray:two.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: All right, i'm gonna slow it down
Jay Ray:Okay.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: come to a very slow a halt with this one, but this song um actually
Jay Ray:popped up on the Um And the clockers soundtrack as well as on epiphany,
Jay Ray:which was her greatest hits album.
Jay Ray:Um, it is her collaboration with what is his name?
Jay Ray:The pianist.
Jay Ray:Bruce Hornsby.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Bruce Hornsby.
Jay Ray:It is love me still.
Jay Ray:And you're probably wondering, well, you, you want to slow jam and
Jay Ray:certainly there's something very beautiful and sentimental about, and
Jay Ray:it's a simple song, it's a very simple song, but it's a very poignant to me.
Jay Ray:Um, I love the way it was placed in the McClockers movie.
Jay Ray:Um, And I just really, it just does something for me.
Jay Ray:I like that song, Love Me Still.
Jay Ray:So that is my second submission for Chaka Khan's Ultimate Playlist by Queue Points.
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:The Chaka Crescendo.
Jay Ray:what I consider to be a quintessential Chaka song lyrics by Chaka.
Jay Ray:And that is, I know you, I live you once again.
Jay Ray:Once again, you get of the hallmarks of Chaka.
Jay Ray:You get the sweet, you get the calm, you get the jazzy, you get the, you
Jay Ray:know, the thing that Chaka does.
Jay Ray:the Chaka crescendo.
Jay Ray:Um, and so I know you, I live you.
Jay Ray:And we've talked about this before.
Jay Ray:This is one of those songs that in today and forevermore, you can
Jay Ray:absolutely hear at any block party, at any family picnic, It's a multi
Jay Ray:generation song where people know it.
Jay Ray:And Sir Daniel, you know this as a DJ, you can't not play that most
Jay Ray:important part, like that bridge to the end, the people waiting for that.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: All the way I call that the flowy the flowy skirt song
Jay Ray:you have to have ladies have to have on a flowy skirt and non binaries to
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: have on a flowy skirt because you have to pick lift it up by
Jay Ray:the size and you spin around to that song to I'm to I know you I live you I
Jay Ray:actually I kind of knew you were going to go for that because I, I have a
Jay Ray:feeling, I have a feel for your taste
Jay Ray:Okay.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: shotgun taste.
Jay Ray:And we've had conversations about shotgun.
Jay Ray:We both love that song.
Jay Ray:So I'll let you have that one because that's one of my favorites as well.
Jay Ray:But dope, dope pick.
Jay Ray:And my, our final pick, my final pick is I'm going back to Epiphany.
Jay Ray:Okay,
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: There was a song on there called everywhere
Jay Ray:baby.
Jay Ray:That's the jam.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: everywhere is such a jam everywhere It was kind of has that that
Jay Ray:slick dancehall feel that 90s that mid 90s dancehall feel where you can we can
Jay Ray:drop it in the dancehall set and you could put it in between like any one of
Jay Ray:the top shelf rhythms or And put it next to the Chaka Demus & Pliers and just
Jay Ray:really go in Or start off your reggae set with that song, but it's so cool.
Jay Ray:It's so it's laid back, but it's still, it's still, that beat is still
Jay Ray:driving and it gives you a good, you know, a good dance hall feel,
Jay Ray:but Chaka is doing her Chaka thing.
Jay Ray:She starts off kind of mild and then she goes into the Chaka crescendo,
Jay Ray:which I think is one of her superpowers.
Jay Ray:Cause I, and I think it's something that we kind of look forward to
Jay Ray:the only song that I don't think.
Jay Ray:She does the Chaka crescendo where she really comes out the gate hard.
Jay Ray:It's disrespectful when Mary J.
Jay Ray:Blige, I don't think they come, they both come out,
Jay Ray:just come out.
Jay Ray:Like
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: they come out swinging like, ah, they come out like mad.
Jay Ray:yeah.
Jay Ray:What, you know, that was part of, you know, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Jay Ray:Um, during that funk, this era, from what I recall, um, were, wanted Chaka.
Jay Ray:to be Chaka full out.
Jay Ray:And because prior to that, she had come off of that classy con, which is amazing.
Jay Ray:Chaka did this jazz standards album.
Jay Ray:I think it's with the London Philharmonic or whatever, because Chaka is that girl.
Jay Ray:I
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Absolutely.
Jay Ray:Mm hmm.
Jay Ray:yeah, she they came out full out But so it's interesting
Jay Ray:that for your number two you went with the slow jam because for my
Jay Ray:quintessential Chaka song my number one now keep in mind We had a conversation
Jay Ray:with the dream like two years ago.
Jay Ray:I probably picked, I think I know you, I live, you was on my list for
Jay Ray:that, but I think the other songs were different, which is fine.
Jay Ray:Cause I got plenty of Chaka songs.
Jay Ray:Like I said, I got.
Jay Ray:six right here, my number one Quintessential Chaka song is actually
Jay Ray:from the rufus and Chaka days and it's sweet thing so Yeah, so sweet
Jay Ray:thing From a cultural standpoint is once again a multi generational song,
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: For sure.
Jay Ray:Young folks still singing that song in
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Uh
Jay Ray:shows today.
Jay Ray:No matter which version you play, either the Chaka version or the Mary version,
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Uh huh.
Jay Ray:the difference.
Jay Ray:They know how to sing it either way.
Jay Ray:But what's so beautiful about the Chaka version of that song is it's,
Jay Ray:it's sweet and it's seventies Chaka.
Jay Ray:So.
Jay Ray:One of the interesting things about Chaka is her voice has changed over time.
Jay Ray:It's actually gotten more Chaka.
Jay Ray:I call it more Chaka.
Jay Ray:It's gotten more Chaka over the years.
Jay Ray:So when you listen to 70s Chaka, her, her voice is much lower.
Jay Ray:Um, and now she sounds more like a horn today, even way more than she did then.
Jay Ray:that was her hallmark is Chaka Khan kind of sounded like a trumpet, you
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Yes, she's a living instrument.
Jay Ray:She's a living instrument, but Sweet Thing, um, is a beautiful song.
Jay Ray:She sings it so lovely.
Jay Ray:You get a little bit of that crescendo, but it's not like, know, it's sweet.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Yes.
Jay Ray:um, you can play it at any, uh, event and people are
Jay Ray:going to be able to sing along.
Jay Ray:And that's my quintessential number one Chaka song.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: So I think you and I have started off a really
Jay Ray:dope Chaka Khan playlist.
Jay Ray:And I'd like to invite our listeners.
Jay Ray:If you out there, our viewers and listeners, if you want to add and
Jay Ray:make submissions to, uh, Our ultimate Chaka Khan playlist, feel free.
Jay Ray:As a matter of fact, in the comments below this video, please
Jay Ray:go ahead and leave your submissions.
Jay Ray:Let us know what you think is your, what are your favorite
Jay Ray:Chaka Khan songs and why?
Jay Ray:I mean, cause Chaka Khan is just, she's just one of those omnipresent.
Jay Ray:People that has been in our lives since as long as we can remember,
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: the it's the voice.
Jay Ray:It's the hair.
Jay Ray:It's all of those things.
Jay Ray:The, the person that Aries personality.
Jay Ray:And now, you know what I love now, Jay Ray is that she's turned to this earth mother.
Jay Ray:Who's doling out advice so calmly while she's meditating, you
Jay Ray:know, in her backyard somewhere.
Jay Ray:I love that about her, but she's still singing.
Jay Ray:Absolutely.
Jay Ray:That tiny desk.
Jay Ray:Woo.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: excuse me?
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:That's rutabaga that tiny desk was amazing, but Jay Ray listeners.
Jay Ray:Did you all know this Chaka?
Jay Ray:Her sister Taka
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: that is being submitted for a Grammy consideration.
Jay Ray:Well, they're featured on the song.
Jay Ray:The artists are called a million sons and.
Jay Ray:They are the featured vocalists on the song Misty blue, too.
Jay Ray:If you look on, um, iTunes, whatever, there's like a hundred
Jay Ray:remixes of this one particular song.
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: it's being submitted to the Grammys.
Jay Ray:So shout out to Chaka, Taka and Mark and a million sons.
Jay Ray:And here's looking, hoping that you get this Grammy nomination for the song.
Jay Ray:Misty blue.
Jay Ray:To
Jay Ray:The
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Jay Ray
Jay Ray:Khan.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: people love them some Chaka Khan.
Jay Ray:That's right.
Jay Ray:She's won quite a few
Jay Ray:Yeah, they
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: She is they love a Chaka car So Jay Ray, um, if if the
Jay Ray:listeners want to go ahead and submit their favorite Chaka Khan songs to us
Jay Ray:Or just want to subscribe to the show.
Jay Ray:Let them know what they need to do
Jay Ray:Absolutely.
Jay Ray:First of all, if y'all can hear our voices, if you can see
Jay Ray:our faces, thank you so much.
Jay Ray:We really appreciate y'all.
Jay Ray:Make sure that you subscribe wherever you are tuning in.
Jay Ray: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.
Jay Ray:You can support the show.
Jay Ray:You could definitely, we, we love a coffee.
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Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Yes, please
Jay Ray:that it helps to keep the lights on here in Queue Points land.
Jay Ray:We'd really appreciate it.
Jay Ray:And also we have a lot more content over on our Patreon.
Jay Ray:Visit our website at Queue Points.
Jay Ray:com because that's where you can get information on
Jay Ray:completing, uh, submitting your.
Jay Ray:Favorite Chaka song and why for the Um, and by the way, if you submit your
Jay Ray:video, if you submit a video or some audio, it might end up in the live show.
Jay Ray:So, you know, we do our Queue Points live on Thursdays.
Jay Ray:So your video might end up in that show.
Jay Ray:So visit the website, Queue Points.
Jay Ray:com there.
Jay Ray:You can, of course, participate in submitting your song, but you
Jay Ray:can also, uh, read our newsletter.
Jay Ray:You can sign up, uh, you can read our blog and sign up for the newsletter.
Jay Ray:Rather.
Jay Ray:We really appreciate y'all.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: We sure do.
Jay Ray:Thank you for checking out this latest episode of Queue Points podcast.
Jay Ray:As I always say in this life, you have a choice.
Jay Ray:You can either pick up the needle or you can let the record play.
Jay Ray:I'm DJ Sir Daniel,
Jay Ray:My name is Jay Ray y'all.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: and this has been Queue Points podcast, dropping
Jay Ray:the needle on black music history.
Jay Ray:We'll see you on the next go round.
Jay Ray:Peace.
Jay Ray:Peace y'all.