(1985, WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY RICK JAMES FROM THE ALBUM “HOW CAN IT BE?” AS RELEASED BY COLUMBIA RECORDS)
THE SETTING
There are music industry professionals in a recording studio, where a
song is being created: It is a song of intense longing and urgency.
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE
These recording veterans have been waiting hours for singer Eddie
Murphy. In that time, they have been working diligently with
writer/producer Rick James to maximize the impact that this song will
have.
“Don’t ask him for an autograph when he comes through the door–forget
that this man is a star,” James has told the studio professionals.
“Forget you even know the name Eddie Murphy. When he arrives–and it
should be any minute–I want you to treat him like the singer that he
will be after the song is released. And that won’t be long. There will
only be one take.”
There are murmurs of disbelief: Rick James raises his hand and
immediately these utterances are sent back into the throats from which
they dared to escape.
“One take,” Mr. James repeats, “Because that is all that we’ll need.
His voice is magic.”
One take? Everyone, from Mr. James, to the quiet man who works the
sound board, want the singer Eddie Murphy to leave the studio as a
champion, but they also know the odds:
The year is 1985, and magic is in short supply, particularly for Eddie
Murphy: so much of it has already used to make Beverly Hills Cop.
“One take? ” asks a large man with blond hair, whose presence in the
studio is only understood by Rick James, “We don’t even have the guy
here. Where the hell is he?”
The phone rings, a woman answers. Rick James smiles knowingly.
“Since you asked,” Rick James says to the blond man, “Maybe you should
show him in.”
The woman who answered the phone–her name is Clara– gasps, “How did
you know it was singer Eddie Murphy?” she asks.
“I know a lot of things,” Mr. James says, quietly.
THE FIRST TEN SECONDS
Our hero arrives, running down the steps with no thought to his own
safety. The blond man–the Doubting Thomas–is by his side,
breathless.
No time is wasted: singer Eddie Murphy pays respect to writer/producer
Rick James with an embrace of friendship, and then singer Eddie Murphy
graciously and seamlessly greets the other studio professionals.
There is the sound of his distinctive chuckle as he enters the booth,
a nod to the career he is about to leave behind forever.
“OK, put your phones on man,” says Mr. James.
30 SECONDS IN
The studio technician at the sound board has lost all track of time.
This is because even though he arrived just seconds ago, it is as if
singer Eddie Murphy has been in the studio all day: the first verse is
a perfectly polished gem. And he is not surprised by the fact that
there are several musicians in the studio booth with him. Ordinarily
that would be a little weird.
Despite this ease, singer Eddie Murphy’s first lyric haunts the studio
technician.
“Girl I can’t understand it, why you wanna hurt me?”
“Heartbreak,” the studio technician thinks, “the source of all
lateness. The very bane of punctuality.”
The studio technician has had his share of heartbreak. He decides to
increase the vocal levels. This song must be heard.
35 SECONDS IN
This is what Rick James envisioned. This is the sound of mad
merriment, a mind lost to love.
“She likes to party all the time,” he sings along. Magically, his
voice is carried from outside the sound booth, onto the recording
itself. This is something that has only been done once before, but no
one was there to see it happen, or dramatize it in a music video.
WITHIN 2 MINUTES
“Girl I seen you in clubs, just hanging out and dancing,” sings
Murphy, and his body becomes that of a Salome. His hands clap above
his head, his hips sway.
It seems that if the singer cannot have her willingly, he shall
possess her another way: He shall become her.
“She lets her hair down,” sings Mr. James, “She lets her body down”.
To make a syrup, sugar must be dissolved in a pure liquid, such as
water, the source of all life. The recording studio is the water, and
the sugar is the combined effort of Eddie Murphy and Rick James. This syrup flows into the ears of all who hear this song. It cannot be removed from the ear canal, nor should it be.
Yes, this is madness. All those in the studio–whether it be inside or
outside the booth–succumb to the intemperate strains and respond with
orgiastic swaying.
This is something that God has warned Man about on numerous occasions.
“Man,” said God, “You may party some of the time. But not all the
time. That is what Heaven is for.”
AFTER 4 MINUTES
There has been partying–all the time–for four minutes now.
The song ends and the spell is broken.
There is an embrace between Mr. James and Mr. Murphy, the embrace of
victory. There is applause.
A new star shines bright in the sky. Or rather, an already discovered
star shines brighter.
Video, strangely not in MTV’s archive, can be found here.
