Jazzie's Groove

Album: Club Classics Vol. One (1989)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Jazzie" is Jazzie B (born Beresford Romeo), the leader of Soul II Soul. In this song, he's essentially answering the standard interview questions, starting with "What is Soul II Soul?" The answer: "We're a sound system. An amalgamation of good dance music."

    To clarify, "sound system" is a British term for a team of mobile DJs that provide the music at various functions. Soul II Soul expanded to make their own recordings, combining different flavors of dance music into distinctive grooves.
  • Jazzie B delivers the vocals in spoken word (he's not a singer). The music is a pastiche of samples, with the main horn riff coming from the 1973 song "Soul Travelin' Pt. I" by Gary Byrd.
  • This song was released as a single in America, where Soul II Soul's previous singles, "Keep on Movin'" and "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)," both topped the R&B and Dance charts. "Jazzie's Groove" rose to #6 R&B and #3 Dance.
  • Jazzie B wrote and produced this song with Nellee Hooper, his main collaborator on Soul II Soul's debut album, the boldly titled Club Classics Vol. One.
  • This is one of Jazzie B's favorite songs to perform live. Soul II Soul played it at the 1990 Soul Train Awards, where the group won three trophies.
  • The song closes with Jazzie B answering the cliché final interview question: "What's the future of Soul II Soul." The answer serves as his mission statement:

    A happy face
    A thumping bass
    For a loving race

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.