THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
221-George Benson-Breezin.’
1976-Has never charted in the UK.
Best Bit-At 0.31.’Because I’m bad,I’m bad come on you know and the whole world has to answer right now.Just to tell you once again who’s bad.’
Breezin’ was the title track of George ‘Bad’ Benson’s 1976 triple platinum selling Album,it marked a change in style to a more commercial Jazz Funk style,by 1979 he would move into Soul and Funk working with Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton.
The song was written by the late Bobby Womack who had provided The Rolling Stones with their first UK Number 1 in 1964 with ‘It’s All Over Now.’
George Benson was not the first artist to record Breezin’ that honour went to Hungarian Jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo in 1970.In 1977 Szabo complained to the audience about Benson’s success with Breezin’ during a show at the Catamaran Hotel in San Diego. Szabo indicated that he had recorded the song before Benson and accused Benson of having plagiarised his arrangement.He expressed disdain for Benson’s success with his arrangement that he himself had created.
Incidentally both the Szabo and Benson versions were both produced by Tommy LiPuma who passed away in 2017 at the age of 80.
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The countdown continues tomorrow at 1.0.pm.