Where Has All the Love and Romance Gone in R&B?

So one day I was lying down on my living room sofa, staring at the ceiling, and reminiscing on my teenage years, which was from the year 2001, all the way to 2007. The songs that were playing in my head, all of the ones that gave me goosebumps and a heartthrob, most of them were the good old R&B and slow jams. I could dance all day long to these, they were touching and had real meaning to the songs.

I’m not sure whether it’s just me but, the new school stuff just isn’t cutting it, everything seems to be all about sex with no emotion, the material things you possess that can keep someone interested, or what you can buy a woman with 1 million dollars. Which doesn’t help those with insecurities or low self-esteem who begin to feel like a has-been without having some type of household name.

When I was growing up, the songs I was listening to had deep meaning; how a woman can be so special, how you can grab her attention with just flowers and not expensive jewellery, how you can both fall in love without having to have sex. Talk about falling in love these days, it seems like people are afraid to sing about falling in love, maybe being too concerned about the record sales they will make which, in my eyes, will probably not top the charts enough for them to make a living. Or maybe they’re worried about what the public will think of them; too deep, not manly enough, not enough oomph to attract both sexes. Maybe there are individuals and groups out there that have this burning desire and inner flame to get their music out there that portrays real love, but they’re being stifled by the system. They give up on the dream with no hope or too little faith that anyone will be interested in their type of music.

Now to name a few groups and songs that are from the 90’s to the mid/late 2000 such as: Tevin Campbell – Always In My Heart, Next – Wifey, Jagged Edge – Let’s Get Married, Troop – I Will Always Love You, New Edition – I’m Still In Love With You, Dru Hill – How Deep Is Your Love, Boyz II Men – End Of The Road. I can go on and on and on, the list feels endless.

These songs spark your mind, they give you that deeper intuition, especially when a man indulges and puts his energy into a woman. He gets back that endearment, that sentimental feeling which drives him to express his love even more. Whereas these days, I personally feel that there isn’t enough being put out there concerning brand new, meaningful R&B.

Have you noticed that everyone who engages in listening to this type of music always gets a CD/USB with old songs on them or goes to YouTube to type in their bests hits that are from the 90’s to late 2000’s? I do, it happens all the time, whenever I head out to a party; particularly a family function. It’s like what doesn’t mean anything respecting love is the new meaning for love, for example; an artist rambles on in a song about how this girl of his has the biggest private parts and that he’s in love with her because of it, even though he doesn’t know her. That has nothing to do with love yet, it can distort one’s view on what love actually is.

So where has all the love and romance gone in the slow jams, and the upbeat R&B songs that give you those extraordinary dance moves? They probably do exist, it’s just that you have to dig deep and search for them; stepping out of the usual box that many people are trapped in.

So for anyone who agrees with me on this, let’s hope that one day in our era we will experience a steady incline in miraculous R&B and slow jams, that will kickstart a new generation who will bring back the real meaning of love and romance and how it’s a good thing to fall in love without having to buy expensive material possessions, pose half-naked on social networking sites, and show off your latest gear.