Song Of The Day 6/17/2014: The Mighty Clouds of Joy - "Millionaire"

Black Music Month/Philadelphia Week: I'm finding it hard to bring the snark during Philadelphia Week. I reviewed yesterday's entry and counted only one line that could have been taken as a joke. The rest of it was me being evangelical about the Stylistics. Apparently this is one offshoot of music that I take a little more seriously than most of the others. You've found my weak spot. Don't gloat.

This song, like Mel & Tim's during Memphis Week, squeezes into Philly Week on a bunch of technicalities, most of them presumed. The Mighty Clouds Of Joy recorded "Millionaire" in Atlanta. According to discogs.com the album it came from, 1975's Kickin', was mixed at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia and ABC Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Sigma Sound was Gamble & Huff's go-to studio. I don't know where "Millionaire" was mixed and don't have a quick way to find out. I'm going to dare say it was Philadelphia because it bears a striking resemblance to Philly soul, and also because I adore this song so much I'd program it during Prog Week if I thought it would have more of a chance to be heard.

"Millionaire" was written by David Crawford, a producer and songwriter whose hits included "What A Man" by Linda Lyndell (later turned into a hip hop classic by Salt-n-Pepa) and "Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton. Crawford recorded his own version of "Millionaire" using pretty much the exact same backup track you hear on this, with his own voice and some alternate string arrangements. "Millionaire" was originally a breakup song, but when Crawford produced the Mighty Clouds' version they altered the lyrics, since being a gospel group they didn't really sing traditional love songs. So Crawford's "Every drop of water that fell from my eyes from your goodbye" became "Every drop of water that fell from my eyes every time the world made me cry."

Technicality or otherwise, take a good listen, because there aren't going to be too many Songs Of The Day I love more than this one.