Perfect Song: Easy Lover
Have you seen the movie Predator? You know, the 1987 action movie classic that sticks a bunch of unreasonably jacked dudes in the jungle to fight a sentient alien who is perfecting its craft of killing. If you have never seen this movie I implore you to watch it purely based on the fact that former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger defeats an alien that he had no business defeating. Physically faster, stronger, and technologically advanced. Arnold Schwarzenegger is TCU, the Predator is UGA. This is not a contest.
This movie is arguably one of the best action movies of all time, and quite possibly might contain the single greatest scene in cinematic history? Yes, I like to inflate things here but this is my newsletter and I do whatever I want. So I will say it again. Predator contains the single greatest scene in cinematic history. Do you know what scene I’m talking about? It is brief but ever so powerful. The handshake to end all handshakes. Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (Schwarzenegger) is commissioned to join CIA officer Al Dillion out in the field to help find what they think are a group of rebels that are doing some killings (80s action movies had suspect socio political themes in them but that’s for another blog) but they will later come to find is the Predator. Dillion and Dutch served together in Vietnam and are homies. When they see each other for the first time is when we get the greatest scene in cinematic history. Let’s just watch it.
Do you feel the power of this handshake? Do you feel the racial tensions of American history being crushed with the power of Carl Withers and “The Govna’s” grip? If you do please stop reading this and go pick up some bell hooks. But much like other art forms, this scene is trying to project something. A simple handshake and a reunion of old pals, but also a semblance of a type of colorblind racial that America was chasing for during this time period. These two did not see each other for the color of their skin but rather, just a person they served in the military with.
This “buddy cop” dynamic of a white and Black male was heavy in the 80s into the 90s but never quite did the racial healing that I think some folks thought it would do. These failed attempts at showing “how far we have come” and that we are “truly living in King’s dream” are usually futile. They often sour the fruit they are asking us to taste. But that is the beauty of art. We can acknowledge the failings of the social messages but still largely enjoy the art itself. Predator is an incredible action movie that is a bonafide rewatchable. But what if I told there was a music equivalent of the Predator handshake yet it actually kind of slaps? Actually what if I told you it was a perfect song?
Welcome to the Perfect Song. A once a month newsletter on the Mesh Point where we discuss the perfect songs. This month’s song is “Easy Lover” by Phillip Bailey and Phil Collins
“Easy Lover” lives in a perpetual state of duality. At some points it is the whitest song ever made. At other times it feels like an extremely Black song.
The 1984 hit by Phillip Bailey and Phil Collins is a yacht rock classic. This song, like our handshake scene, is taking two dudes from different places and mashing them together to make some heat. By 1984 Bailey was a certified soul and funk legend with his songwriting and vocal work as a front man of Earth, Wind, and Fire. There is no statistical data to support this but if you are Black and fall into the millennial age demographic there is a good chance that your conception was inspired by the sounds of Mr. Bailey and Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Younger millennials like myself were introduced to Collins with the Tarzan soundtrack. It was not until later that I learned he was a phenomenal drummer and front man of the progressive rock band Genesis and had an impressive solo career as well. So what happens when you have an angelic like figure in the soul and funk genre and a dude that spent many years making quite possibly some of the whitest music you have ever heard (this is not a diss by the way, Genesis has some dope songs). Also I can not go any further without mentioning that Phil Collins might be the most basic looking star this world has ever seen
If you were walking the streets of wherever you live and saw a dude like this you would not think that this dude is a bonafide rock star. This guy looks like he waits till his Coors Light can turns blue and works at H&R Block during the tax season. Phil Collins looks like your white friend's dad.
This song takes the average white dad and puts him with one of the greatest voices in music history but does not dwell on that moment for too long. Just a quick handshake, that eventually moves on to the next thing. No trying to spice things up or watering it down for those with a weaker palate. Just having fun like they have always know each other. The perfection lies in the simpleness of this song. It is everything all while trying not to be bigger than itself. The song just exist and once you hear it you cannot find yourself to escape it. Just look at the fun they are having in this music video? There are the typical Black/white cross cultural dynamics at play. Like what the hell are these dance moves Mr. Collins is doing? Just like our handshake, the fun is less in the racial dynamics but in the music itself.
It is hard to imagine getting a song like this in 2022 but forever thankful that we got this fantastic handshake, even just once.
😂😂 this was a great read!