from BAD FOR ME
written by David Foster & Carole Bayer Sager
Dee Dee Bridgewater is an American jazz singer and three-time Grammy winner. Born Denise Eileen Garrett, this gifted vocalist married renowned trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater around 1969 and started a phenomenal career that lead her to become one of the world’s most praised jazz songbirds.
Ms. Bridgewater eventually won a Tony Award for her 1974 performance in the Broadway musical, The Wiz. She started a consistent recording career with many high-profile collaborations with jazz/fusion legends including Ray Charles, Jimmy Scott, Frank Foster, Roy Ayers, Michael Franks and Stanley Clarke. After her 1974 straight-ahead jazz debut album titled Afro Blue, Ms. Bridgewater jumped on the soul-disco bandwagon for her next four albums released between 1976 and 1980. The most solid of those efforts was Bad For Me, a 1979 creation produced by the late, great George Duke (January 12, 1946 to August 5, 2013).
Bad For Me was a collection of soul material that, under the direction of the soul/jazz maestro, reached high levels of sophistication. Bad For Me was comparable to the most refined works of such contemporaries as Earth, Wind & Fire or Quincy Jones. The tracklist presented material co-written by luminaries including Ashford & Simpson, Larry Dunn of EWF, Gene McDaniels and the Duke himself. Among the highlights of Bad For Me was a soulful rendition of Michael Jackson’s “It’s The Falling In Love.”
A mid-tempo jam, “It’s The Falling In Love” was co-written by David Foster and Carole Bayer Sager. Duke reworked the song to give it a stronger soul/jazzy vibe and enhanced the feel with Ms. Bridgewater’s jazz-infused vocals. Jerry Hey, who arranged the horns on Jackson’s original, lead the horn department again and delivered another of his world-class performances. Greg Phillinganes played the silky fender rhodes while another EWF alumni, guitarist Ronald Bautista, added his touch with the rhythm guitar’s licks. The all-star team was rounded-out by the late Ricky Lawson (November 8, 1954 to December 23, 2013) on drums, former Weather Report bassist Alphonso Johnson and star percussionist Sheila Escovedo (aka Sheila E). This was a fantastic re-reading of “It’s The Falling In Love” thanks to Duke’s craftsmanship, the stellar playing and Ms. Bridgewater’s amazing performance.
In the archives, read about other versions of the classic “It’s The Falling In Love.” They include Jackson’s, Smoove & Turrell’s and one by its co-writer, Ms. Bayer Sager’s, arranged by Foster.
Listen
[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Dee-Dee-Bridgewater-Its-the-Falling-in-Love.mp3|titles=It’s The Falling In Love|artists=Dee Dee Bridgewater]
Lead & Backing Vocals: Dee Dee Bridgewater
Drums: Ricky Lawson
Bass: Alphonso Johnson
Fender Rhodes: Greg Phillinganes
Keyboards: David Foster
Guitar: Roland Bautista
Percussion: Sheila Escovedo
Trumpet: Jerry Hey
Trombone: Bill Reichenbach
Tenor Saxophone: Larry Williams
Horn Arrangement: Jerry Hey
Produced, Arranged & Orchestrated by George Duke
Lyrics
It’s the fallin’ in love that’s makin’ me high
It’s the being in love that makes me cry cry cry
You got me falling in love, got me falling in love
You’re not like anybody I ever knew
But that don’t mean that I don’t know where we are
And though I find myself attracted to you
This time I’m trying not to go too far, cause
No matter how it starts it ends the same
Someone’s always doing someone more
Trading in the passion for that taste of pain
It’s only gonna happen again
It’s the fallin’ in love that’s makin’ me high
It’s the being in love that makes me cry cry cry
It’s the fallin’ in love that’s makin’ me high
It’s the being in love that makes me cry cry cry
All night, all night
And though I’m trying not to look in your eyes
Each time I do they kind of burn right through me
Don’t want to lay down in a bed full of lies
And yet my heart is saying come and do me
Now we’re just a web of mystery
A possibility of more to come
I’d rather leave the fantasy of what might be
But here I go falling again
It’s the fallin’ in love that’s makin’ me high
It’s the being in love that makes me cry cry cry
It’s the fallin’ in love that’s makin’ me high
It’s the being in love that makes me cry cry cry
It’s the fallin’ in love that’s makin’ me high
It’s the being in love that makes me cry cry cry
It’s the fallin’ in love that’s makin’ me high
It’s the being in love that makes me cry cry cry
It’s the fallin’ in love that’s makin’ me high
It’s the being in love that makes me cry cry cry