Ashford & Simpson
The way in which things play themselves out in life are sometimes quite remarkable. It always trips me out and scares me a little when I have a particular song in my head as I walk to my car and then I happen to turn on the radio... and there it is! The song from that elusive 1984 era is just beginning to play on my radio. What. The timing of such things stirs a bit of fear and wonder in me.
Just last Friday, I posted on my Facebook, one of my favorite jams from the 1980s:
"Solid (As a Rock)", by the husband and wife team, Ashford & Simpson.
Sadly, this past Monday, Nick Ashford passed away. Not only was Nick Ashford part of the legendary music duo, Ashford & Simpson, but he also penned some of the most well known and popular songs of the Motown Era: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", "You're All I Need to Get By", "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)", and many others...
And I just remembered why I loved that "Tears Dry on Their Own" joint by Amy Winehouse. It contains the sample of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Sang by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell). Thank you, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.
It's not only the music of this couple that has left an impact on me, but the joy they exuded while being married and working alongside one another. I can remember at 8 years old, watching the "Solid" video, and thinking, "That's what I want when I grow up." Not necessarily a man with a press and curl, but you get the gist.
This couple made it seem too legit to quit regarding singing with your spouse as a living. One might even think that marriage was unique and a tad blissful if you watched this couple.
So yes. In honor of this great music couple of whom I adore, I will be singing, "Solid" at my wedding reception. Future Husband, I hope you're hip to this. I'm trying to start our future off right.
Wisdom's Knocking:
"And for love's sake, each mistake, ah, you forgave
And soon both of us learned to trust
Not run away, it was not time to play
We build it up and build it up and build it up
And now it's solid
Solid as a Rock."
- Ashford & Simpson