Something is Holding Me Back
February 7, 2022 1:31 PM   Subscribe

Syl Johnson, Mississippi-born Chicago soul singer, has passed away at age 85. His biggest chart hit was 'Is It Because I'm Black,' on what is arguably the first soul concept album, but his most enduring song might be 'Different Strokes', one of the most sampled songs of all time.
posted by box (12 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
been a while since I watched "Fight the Power" and that was fun all over again.. nice to get a reminder of how playful De La Soul can be, also
posted by elkevelvet at 1:45 PM on February 7, 2022


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posted by allthinky at 1:57 PM on February 7, 2022


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posted by eotvos at 1:58 PM on February 7, 2022


Came back because I wanted to add that "Is It Because I'm Black" is just so heartbreaking.

Rest in Power, Syl.
posted by allthinky at 2:32 PM on February 7, 2022


Great artist.

First heard of him thanks to Ken Boothe's killer mid-70s cover of Is It Because I'm Black?

RIP, Syl.
posted by dobbs at 2:58 PM on February 7, 2022


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posted by Silvery Fish at 4:05 PM on February 7, 2022


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posted by JoeXIII007 at 4:18 PM on February 7, 2022


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If you don't get goosebumps while listening to "Is It Because I'm Black?" then you probably wouldn't help a turtle flipped over on its back.
posted by lord_wolf at 5:09 PM on February 7, 2022 [2 favorites]


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posted by riverlife at 10:17 PM on February 7, 2022


It's astounding to me that I only started to learn who Syl Johnson was thanks to recent listens to WFMU. And I have listened to soul / hip-hop for literal decades.

Thank you for posting this.

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posted by Sheydem-tants at 3:13 AM on February 8, 2022


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posted by Kosmob0t at 6:55 AM on February 8, 2022


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posted by LobsterMitten at 6:15 AM on February 10, 2022


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