Jefferson Ball

superlative comparison: the pursuit of the beloved, a love song... unfinished

Williams1

Kenneth Williams

16 September 2010

Jefferson Ball

            “No one has ever loved anyone the way everyone wants to be loved,” Mignon McLaughlin. And without exception, we all like to be the one pursued, but how exalted must be the love with which I would pursue? An attentive pursuit of the beloved as exemplified in the love song “Jefferson Ball” by Rick James, Funk/R&B singer/song writer from the 70’s and 80’s. However, I find this quote by Mignon McLaughlin well apropos. Nevertheless, these words, “May I my lady, now may I, now may I, now may I, may I … my lady, escort you to Jefferson Ball?” this emphatic refrain of a love song composed of desire, whose beat pounds with the sound of pursuit, until the beloved is escorted to the sacred place - “Jefferson Ball.”

With a marvelous tale of desire and pursuit, a “love story,” engaged with very adequate and appropriate voice, lyrics, and musical arrangement, we true “romantics” are presented with the performance and the benediction of a true “love song.” It is a great love story transformed into its music compositional equivalent - a great love song. A love song hymned with a classically Victorian tone, appeal, and narration; propped in settings of chivalry and honor; in old-fashioned demeanors of virtue, affection, and passion. It is filled-in completely with the sensual erotica of love and, of course, Rick James at his finest. When it comes to erotic improvisation, there are few indeed as talented as Rick James.

In fact, Rick James has many hits that might be classify as love songs, in someone else’s book, songs likes “Fire and Desire”, a blazing hot duet with Tina Marie, and a very popular song in the 80’s, “Spacey Love” another very sensual and erotic R&B chart-topper, and also “Dream-maker” a sexy and very provocative hit, also an all-time favorite of mine, but none of these songs class with “Jefferson Ball” as a true “love song.”

Upon hearing the song there can be no wonder why I class “Jefferson Ball” as a love song above all others. With this song Rick James has beautifully orchestrated a “love song” which cannot fail its noble course. And because it is a love song which delivers upon its purpose, so perfectly, it leaves us wanting to continue in our own pursuit; it leaves us to fulfill our own consummation with our beloved. More importantly, it teaches us that pursuit is the heart that beats within desire. If it should stop beating, we shall fail to lull our beloved to “The Ball.”  “Jefferson Ball” speaks of true love, eternal love, and it is “the best” and, surely, “the most ideal” love song of the music genre entitled “Love Songs.”

            And, yet, I would be remiss if I said nothing of other songs which set the basic norm of “pursuit” as the beginning and absolute requirement of a love song. A love song which fails to exalt the significance of pursuit disqualifies its self as a love song. Thus, Jefferson Ball sits duly crowned “number one” atop a list of exclusives: “My wedding songs.” This list includes two other dearly admired love songs (1) Peter Cetera’s the “Glory of Love,” which very closely resembles Jefferson Ball in its nature (2) Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon in the Sky”, though not in the similitude of the others, yet it still represent the genre “love song” very adequately. Albeit these three songs could not fill the time allotment of a wedding occasion, so, admittedly, there are very many more songs on my second list, but it is enough just to mention the top one, Sade’s “Kiss of Life.”

Although Rick James may not head the list of singers when we think of famous vocalist, especially those noted soloists that sing love ballads. Yet, with the love song “Jefferson ball,” Rick James accomplishes what so many of them have not, and that is to present us with the love songs true purpose, i.e., to ignite desire and drive us�"the Lover�"in the pursuit of the beloved and consummation with our Beloved.

Now who could count the thousands … no, millions upon millions of love songs that have been written? All in their own way doing service for love, and of the very great many that I have heard and, too, once upon a time, ascended with them to high aspirations of love. Yet most fall short as representatives of the “love song. Now it maybe that others have achieved the quality of “Jefferson Ball,” but as of yet, I have not heard one, for they all fail to counsel the wisdom in Jefferson Ball - that it is in “the pursuit” of the beloved that we achieve, holdfast, and keep our advantage. Love is in the seeking, not the finding, and that is divine wisdom which never fails. So, many of these deficient love songs by great music artists are inadequate because they neither directly appeal to, nor even hint at, the idea of faithful pursuit, and this trump distinguishes the true love song from impostors.

Imagine these bad examples, one song which poses to be a love song, sung by the very popular R&B artist Luther Vandross, “Superstar, …until you come back to me again,” it suggests that we “wait for the beloved’s return, again,” and therein is this love song’s malady; there is no need for it to mention pursuit for it is not a love song; it has no lover to pursue love is not home, and so the house is not a home, as he exclaims in another of his would-be love songs. It has failed, and indeed, since it has ended right where it began with the admission of the beloved’s departure. This song has not only failed in purpose, but now can find none.

Here is another would-be love song “Oh, No.” And “oh no,” it has said right, for legendary music/songwriter Lionel Richie tells of how deep the want is for the beloved, but it must now pretend that love is just �" temporarily �" walking out the door and will return sometime later. But first it admits that another pursuer bids the beloved to come, and so she leaves. In a sense, this song gives credit to another more enthusiastic pursuer, who woos the beloved away. And this highlights my point exactly: love is victoriously won in the pursuit; this song implies the sounds of another’s more effective pursuit. This is a song about failure, and not pursuit which is the love song’s creed. This song has relinquished the beloved into the arms of another, and that is heart-breaking.

Kashif, a popular R&B artist of the same era, and one of my favorite singers, in one of his pretend love songs ask the beloved, “lover come turn me on”, his representative love song would have the lover makes demands upon the beloved to fulfill selfish desires, and so passion will not allow the lover to pursue, but only to lust. Anita Baker, the “Songstress,” so dominate in the 80’s and 90’s tells of how she will love the beloved “just because she does.” Her candidate of a love song presents us a love song that is unfounded of truth - a love song must first love truth, so neither does this song fulfill its exalted duty, for it wills not first to even pursue truth. Although I enjoy each of these songs immensely, they both fall short in their apparent self-centered affection, and so too in any presentation of honor in the chaste pursuit of the beloved.

Now let us listen to the words and verses of a true love song. A song that neither admits nor concedes anything of negative affections within it being, and which remains ever faithful to its very own meaning: love song. Therefore, it exemplifies in body the pursuit that pleases to win the beloved. In its admission of truth, “My clothes aren’t of satin, my horse not a white one; I bear neither riches nor fame,” modesty prevails. Can modesty fail? All know the beautiful nature of modesty. “I have been waiting, anticipating, in hope … that I might take you to the Ball, and love you that’s all;” loving patience is the chaste and persistence yearning, “May I my lady?” And these words admit of the highest heights of virtue, and the love song’s nature

But what is a love song that does not speak of the erotica of love. It is like a finely assembled orchestra playing its best before a completely deaf person. No such things with “Jefferson Ball” a love song of the highest order, and so being, it speaks not only rhythmically, melodiously, but very sensuously elegant of love’s highest fulfillment the romance, the passion, and the intimacies and nuisances of moans and sighs of love-making. And Rick James does this skillfully, poetically, and sensationally. Where in the last refrain of verses, he masterfully breaks the music down to a subtle and quieted level, and it is marked ever so delicately with repetitious, hypnotic, enticing, erotically sweet, aphrodisiac- chanting of women’s voices that inspire an erotic desire irresistible to any man. Then in a clear and monotone voice he delivers a summation of

Author's Note

unfinished