Top 100 Soul/R&B Songs
#56: Lenny Williams 'Cause I Love You'
As lead singer of the group Tower of Power, Lenny Williams enjoyed a sprinkling of hits during his tenure with the funk outfit. But it wasn't until he returned to his solo career in the mid-'70s that his star really shined, and one of his stellar moments on wax was the soaring ballad "Cause I Love You." Clocking in at over seven minutes long, this song is as dramatic as an episode of The Young & the Restless. Between Lenny's soulful wails and his heartfelt monologue where he let it be known that he wasn't afraid to cry for the love that he lost, "Cause I Love You" is nothing short of a classic. Kanye West revisited the track when he sampled it for Twista's "Overnight Celebrity" in 2004, almost 30 years after the song's release. The sample was good, but it barely scratched the surface of the original's brilliance. Thank goodness at any given moment between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM you are liable to hear this tune on your favorite urban radio station, and you'll more than likely find yourself singing "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" just because it still sounds so sweet. Lenny Williams: "Cause I Love You"
Tags: audio, kanye west, lenny williams, twista
Comments
Beieve it or not, Lenny wrote and recorded this song in 1 day for his girl friend, with whom he had broken up. Needless to say...she took him back.
Butch | June 24, 2008 2:34 PM | PermalinkI cri-i-i-i-i-ied...ooooooooooooooh
and the TEARS...would fill up!!!
AND Then...and ONLY then...it got so bad!!!!
Good Stuff MAN!!!!!!!!
and that must have been one HELL of a smile!!!!!!
LaLa | June 3, 2008 2:26 PM | PermalinkClassic, one of my all-time favorites. I was a little disaapointed when Kanye sampled this, as much as R. Kelly irks me. I would love to hear him re-make this, I truly think he's the only one who could do it justice. Where is Lenny, seriously?
Del Will | June 2, 2008 3:11 PM | PermalinkLove this joint..hope Lenny had his paper work straight..he should have made a nice little chunk of change off the Twista/Kanye sample
Mutada al sader the king | June 2, 2008 12:44 PM | Permalinkfour words:
Original
darrius | June 1, 2008 7:10 PM | PermalinkKings
of
Comedy
Magnificent
Kaysha | June 1, 2008 10:20 AM | Permalinkumm... you're showing your age, Vivrant Thing. back in the day (*way* back in the day), television used to go off--around 1 or so in the morning. all the stations would play the national anthem, show the american flag waving, then -blip- no TV signal. now that there's nonstop TV, that meaning of that line changes just a bit.
lisaseymour | May 31, 2008 9:26 AM | PermalinkCut it out nOva.
Lenny is my favorite crier. He wailed through this entire song and I LOVE it. He was so strung out over this woman that he watched television until it went OFF! You know how long that is?! I mean he loves her no matter WHAT she do!
Can I get this please? They don't make them like Lenny anymore I tell you.
Vivrant Thang | May 31, 2008 12:47 AM | PermalinkLOL This is like black love's anthem.
Mr. Lowe | May 30, 2008 10:15 PM | PermalinkThis is way too low! How DARE you, Soulbounce?!!!!!
nOvaMatic | May 30, 2008 6:14 PM | Permalink