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| Good songs, talented group, but sorry, no Hall. |
Why?
Simple: In 1993, the Hall inducted Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers. As a performer. Not even as an "early influence" or through any other kind of b.s. induction category the lame-o voters use to sneak in their favorites.
The Hall says that their smash single "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" defined the doo-wop sound. (No mention of the lawsuit, not long after their induction, that essentially said other members of the Teenagers, and not Lymon, wrote the tune).
To their credit, they made the R&B Top 10 six times, albeit with songs that I bet you can't hum right now: including "Out in the Cold Again," "I Want You to Be My Girl," "Who Can Explain?" and "The ABC’s of Love." They're all really solid tunes, but are they Hall-worthy?
Perhaps Hall voters were swayed by the tragic story of Lymon's death - he died in 1968, at age 25, of a heroin overdose.
They should not need any swaying to put New Edition in. The group placed within the Top 51 of the Billboard Top 100 eleven times, including four in the Top 10. Don't even mention the R&B charts - they freaking destroyed them for more than a decades with tracks like "Candy Girl," "Mr. Telephone Man," "Can You Stand The Rain" and "Cool It Now." (WARNING: THE BELOW VIDEO IS BEYOND SICK):
Oh, and let's not forget the Spawns of New Edition, which are almost better than the group itself.
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| Post-Bobby, with-Johnny era. |
When the Hall finally recognizes modern R&B as a legitimate genre of music, New Edition should be among the first to get in.
Shit. I'm wasting my time on something that should (and hopefully will) get its own post down the road.
For now, let's focus on the task at hand: Sorry Frankie - you and your Teenagers have got to go.
Ruth Brown
Dick Clark
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Milt Gabler
Etta James
Van Morrison
Sly and the Family Stone
Dinah Washington
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