1001 Songs Challenge #843: I’ll Be There for You (1996)
On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenge of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.
My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.
I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead
of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.
So long as I post every day (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be… legendary!
Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige – I’ll Be There for You (1996)
I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By – Wikipedia
” I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By” is a duet song by the American recording artists, rapper Method Man and singer Mary J. Blige who sings the intro, the choruses, and backing vocals. The song is a remix of Method Man’s “All I Need” (which appears on his 1994 debut album, ).
We’re continuing in the US today, dear reader, but leaving California behind and making our way across the continent to New York. Method Man began his career in the early 1990s and was a founding member of Wu-Tang Clan. However, today we are concerned with Method Man’s solo work. In 1994 he released his debut album, Tical, which featured the song, All I Need. When we pick up the story in 1996 Method Man has remixed All I Need, bringing in Mary J. Blige to work on the track too and together they created – I’ll Be There for You.
I’ll Be There For You is a heartfelt tribute from one man to his woman. Method Man sings the verses, resorting to a rap and
telling us of his good fortune in finding the woman he is with. Of all the guys she could have had, she chose him and he is so grateful for her. He is loyal to her, devoted to her and by the sound of things he is a better man for having her in his life. Blige sings the backing vocals and also the chorus which reiterates the song title ideal of being there for the one you love through all and everything.
The chorus to I’ll Be There For You sounded familiar to me so I have come across either this track or a sample of it at some stage. It’s a decent collaboration between Method Man and Mary J. Blige, a touching testament to love and support between couples. The song would be a Top 10 hit in the US and land itself a Grammy Award for Best Rap Vocal in 1996. Both artists continue to perform today with their respective careers.
Favourite songs so far:
The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)
Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)
The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)
Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)
Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (1994)
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My name is Dave and I live in Yorkshire in the north of England and have been here all my life. I hope you enjoy your visit to All is Ephemeral.
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