THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

408-Erykah Badu-On & On.

1997-Number 12 single.

Best Bit-At 0.39. Some music critics were impressed enough to draw comparisons, calling her the ‘Billie Holiday of the 1990’s’ (see also best songs 624.)

Erykah Badu was born Erica Abi Wright on February 26th, 1971, in Dallas, Texas, United States, she has been dubbed ‘The Queen of Neo Soul.’ In her youth she changed the spelling of her name from Erica to Erykah, as she believed her original name was a ‘slave name,’ the term ‘kah’ signifies the inner self. She chose the name Badu as it is her favourite Jazz scat sound, and is also the term used for the 10th child among the Akan people, living in Ghana. Erykah Badu has released five studio Albums to date, between 1997-2010, there is also a live Album called ‘Live’ which was released shortly after her debut studio Album, also in 1997. Badu has also issued 31 singles, including 13 as the featured artist, of which four have reached the Billboard top 40, and five have charted in the UK top 40.

It was the record label executive Kedar Massenburg who on seeing Badu perform live, first signed her to the ‘Universal’ record label, it was also Massenburg who coined the phrase ‘Neo Soul’ to describe the kind of music Badu was making. ‘Neo’ means new, and ‘Soul’ in this context was used to describe something old, that had always been there. What Massenburg could hear in ‘Neo Soul’ is a blending of Hip-Hop, African/American music, Funk, Soul, and Jazz, creating new sounds.

‘On & On’ was the debut single release from Erykah Badu,(see also best songs 351) and was taken from her debut studio Album ‘Baduizm’ from 1997, the song was co-written, and co-produced by Badu. In the song Badu is saying we are all made in God’s image, and we all deserve the same respect. She tells us that most intellects are convinced that God doesn’t exist, but the fear of a higher being or some other unknown force scares us. The lyrics also feature teachings of the ‘Five-Percent Nation.’

‘Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learn, if your knowledge were your wealth then it will be well earn. If we were made in his image then call us by our names, most intellects do not believe in God, but they fear us just the same.’