Throwback Thursday: Bobby Caldwell – “Open Your Eyes”
There are times when you’ll need someone, I will be by your side
I take my chances before they pass, pass me by
There is a light that shines special for you and me
You need to look at the other side, you’ll agree
When it comes to blue-eyed soul, Bobby Caldwell is that nigga. Over the years, I’ve become stingy with compliments for white people who make black music because — often times — they get too much praise for just making passable imitations of black art (see: Eminem, Adele and Amy Winehouse). That being said, I think it’s important to give credit to those who truly deserve, and Bobby Caldwell DESERVES.
“Open Your Eyes” is a beautifully written R&B song about a picky love interest who seems to be in search of a perfect love that doesn’t exist. Sung from the perspective of a suitor, the lyrics are hilariously pointed, asking the love interest, “How could you be so blind?” and telling her that she will “never find a love that’s right.”
Though an album cut from Caldwell’s sophomore set, Cat in the Hat (1980), its chorus is well-known due to being sampled in Common’s classic, “The Light.” John Legend also made a solid cover of the song on his 2013 album, Love in the Future.
If this is your first time hearing this track, the music gods are shining a light specially for you today. Darling, open your eyes.
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