Seductive Mixtape Series #20: New Edition, Part 1

Like many of you, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the New Edition movie series on BET this week. If you are like me, you reminisced while busting out your old New Edition, Johnny Gill, Ralph….all of them…CDs and tapes, and some of us blew up YouTube after hearing one of your favorites sung in the movie.

This edition of the Seductive Mixtape Series is dedicated to the music from these guys that influenced our junior high school talent shows, our high school dances, and maybe even some of romantic activities in our adulthood. There are so many hits that I could highlight, but I will only pick a few. I am sure that these three are also some of your favorites, too.

Song #1 – I’m Still in Love With You

It wasn’t in the movie, but it is definitely one of my favorites. It is the type of song that you play on your 10th anniversary or something like that. I remember years ago watching this video and thinking that it was cool that all of them were in the video. I actually counted them. Anyway, this is definitely a song that I want to play during an anniversary dinner with the one that I am in love with. The message of the song (my interpretation) is “no matter what we have gone through, girl, what we have is definitely genuine and deep”. I like that.

Simple song, simple message…it speaks to my romantic soul. Also, it showed us back then that NE still had it.

Song #2 – Can You Stand the Rain

If I am remembering correctly, I saw on an episode of Unsung covering New Edition in which Johnny Gill said that he purposely showed out while singing this song to solidify his spot in the group to the other members and the producers. The movie portrayed that well. Good job! (I believe this is the right song…)

Oh man…life was so much more innocent back then, and most of us simply enjoyed the vibe of the song compared to the meaning of the words. More couples should play this song when their relationship is about to take the next step. Hell, it should be mandatory background music during marriage counseling…ijs.

“Sunny days… Everybody loves them, but tell me, can you stand the rain?
Storms will come, (this we know for sure), but tell me baby, can you stand the rain?”

Song #3 – Lost In Love

So young, so talented. Back when love was so innocent and pure. Do people get lost in love anymore? I assume so, but this song embodies the feelings of what infatuation should feel like. Just like the previous song mentioned, play this song to open up dialog about your future with the one that has you lost in love. Silly (or is it?), but try it.

I was looking up videos to post and ran across the live performance of NE singing this on Soul Train. They looked so awkward on the stage, but I couldn’t have done that as a kid. Actually, I use to imagine myself singing this song as a kid…singing in the mirror saying words in which my young mind didn’t quite understand yet.

Well, I hope that you have enjoyed the movie and the multiple trips down memory lane that it took us. In Part 2 of this blog post, I will look at some of the slow songs that the individual members/parts of New Edition blessed us with.