THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

703-Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ashford & Simpson-Stuff Like That.

1978-Number 32 single.

Best Bit-At 4.21. Quincy Jones has certainly crammed a whole lot of ‘STUFF’ into his 90+ years.

Quincy Jones (see also best songs 1022-889-812-511-357 and 191) was born Quincy Delight Jones Jr. on March 14th, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, he is a record producer, conductor, arranger, record executive, and songwriter, who has worked in the genres of Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk, Big Band, Swing, Bossa Nova, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Rock and Roll, Pop, and Disco. Quincy Jones has several career highlights, which include producing the three Michael Jackson Albums, ‘Off the Wall,’ (1979) ‘Thriller,’ (1982) and ‘Bad,’ (1987) (see also best songs 889-812 and 703) with sales in excess of 70 million copies sold worldwide, ‘Thriller’ is the best selling Album of all time. In the early to mid 1960’s, Quincy Jones produced all four of the million selling singles by the American singer Lesley Gore, (1946-2015) including ‘It’s My Party,’ (1963) and ‘You Don’t Own Me,’ (1963) he was also the co-producer, and conductor on the 1985 charity single ‘We Are the World,’ which was recorded in order to raise funds for the famine in Ethiopia, with physical sales in advance of 20 million copies sold worldwide, ‘We Are the World’ is currently the eighth best selling single of all time, in that format. Quincy Jones also worked closely with Frank Sinatra, (1915-1998) (see also best songs 877-567-469-120 and 73) arranging and conducting Sinatra’s second Album with Count Basie, (1904-1984) ‘It Might as Well Be Swing’ (1964.) He also conducted and arranged Sinatra’s live album with the Basie Band, ‘Sinatra at the Sands’ (1966.)

The discography of Quincy Jones includes 16 studio Albums, 24 soundtrack Albums, four official compilation Albums, and three live Albums, released between 1955-2010. He has also played on the recordings of many of the top Jazz artists of the 20th Century, including Dizzy Gillespie, (1917-1993) and Dinah Washington, (1924-1963) with his compositions being recorded by such legendary names as Ray Charles, (1930-2004) and Tony Bennett (1926-2023.) The 16 film soundtrack Albums that Quincy Jones produced, and also wrote music for, include, ‘The Italian Job,’ (1969) and ‘The Wiz’ (1978.) He has also issued 22 singles between 1962-2010, of which five have reached the Billboard Hot 100 singles top 40 in America, with ‘One Hundred Ways,’ with James Ingram, peaking the highest at Number 14 in 1981, and ‘Stuff Like That’ reaching Number 21. In the UK, he had had five top 40 hits, with ‘Razzamatazz,’ with Patti Austin, charting the highest at Number 11 in 1981. Now that is a lot of ‘STUFF!’

‘Stuff Like That’ has a star studded cast, and is taken from Quincy Jones’ 27th Album release ‘Sounds…and Stuff Like That!!’ from 1978. ‘Stuff Like That’ which was written at the height of the ‘Disco’ era, originally started out life as an instrumental track, which was worked on by the top session musicians Steve Gadd, (percussion) Richard Tee, (1943-1993) (piano) and Eric Gale (1938-1994) (guitar.) The song was completed, with lyrics added by by Quincy Jones, (production) Ashford & Simpson, (vocals) (see also best songs 1001-359-228 and 28) and Chaka Khan, (vocals) (see also best songs 228 and 85) with the songs arrangement being by Ralph MacDonald (1944-2011.) The memorable alto saxophone which can be heard at 4.21, was played by the American Jazz saxophonist George Young, who can also be heard prominently on ‘A Fifth of Beethoven,’ which was a Billboard Number 10, and UK Number 28 hit for ‘Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band’ in 1976. Incidentally Steve Gadd, who played the percussion on ‘Stuff Like That,’ is probably best known for providing the drums on the Paul Simon track ’50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,’ which was a 1976 Billboard Number 1 single, and also reached Number 23 in the UK.

Quincy Jones re-recorded ‘Stuff Like That’ for his 1995 Album ‘Q’s Jook Joint,’ where this time the vocals were provided by Ashford & Simpson, Chaka Khan, Brandy, Charlie Wilson, and Ray Charles (1930-2004.) In 2002 the song was featured in a ‘Gap’ television commercial, this time the track was credited to ‘QJ’s Jook Joint and Brothers Johnson’ (see also best songs 1022 and 889.) ‘Stuff Like That’ is probably a song about ‘love at first sight,’ or maybe even ‘lust at first sight.’

‘Before my eyes was the promise of paradise, is she real, can she feel, is she a dream, if you know what I mean. ‘Cause she was built out of stuff like that.’