THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

541-Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song-Where Is the Love.

1972-Number 29 single.

Best Bit-At 1.27. My only grumble is at the length of the song. If you like me wish it would last longer, then here’s a good idea, play it again.

Donny Edward Hathaway was born on October 1st, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, he committed suicide by jumping from the 15th floor of the ‘Essex House Hotel’ in New York, on January 13th, 1979, at the age of 33. Hathaway had suffered from severe bouts of depression, and in 1971 had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Donny Hathaway had first met Roberta Flack (see also best songs 251) in the mid 1960’s at the ‘Howard University’ in Washington D.C. where he was studying music on a fine arts scholarship, and Flack was employed as an assistant conductor of the University choir. Donny Hathaway began his music career working for Curtis Mayfield’s (1942-1999) (see also best songs 719) ‘Curtom Records’ label, as a songwriter, session musician, and producer, working with the labels top artists, including the ‘Staple Singers, the ‘Impressions,’ and Curtis Mayfield himself. In 1969 Donny Hathaway signed to ‘Atco Records,’ a subsidiary of ‘Atlantic Records,’ and then released his debut studio Album a year later. The discography of Donny Hathaway includes four studio Albums released between 1970-1973, and 16 singles released between 1969-1980, there is also one soundtrack Album, eight official compilation Albums, and four live Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, four of his singles have reached the top 40, with ‘The Closer I Get to You, a duet with with Roberta Flack, peaking the highest at Number 2 in 1978, while in the UK, he has charted on the top 40 twice, with ‘Where Is the Love,’ making Number 29, and the ‘Disco’ track ‘Back Together Again,’ another duet with Roberta Flack, reaching Number 3 in 1980. Donny Hathaway is considered to be one of the greatest vocalists of all time, with Stevie Wonder saying, ‘When Donny sings any song, he owns it.’ Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) called Hathaway her favourite artist of all time, and Justin Timberlake has called him ‘The best singer of all time.’

‘Where Is the Love’ was the third single released from the collaborative duets Album by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway of the same name, which was released in April 1972. The song was co-written by Ralph MacDonald, (1944-2011) and William Salter, with the production credited to Joel Dorn, (1942-2007) and Arif Mardin (1932-2006) (see also best songs 985-882-881-554-228 and 85.) Ralph Anthony MacDonald was born on March 15th, 1944, in Harlem, New York, United States, he died of lung cancer on December 18th, 2011, at the age of 67. MacDonald who was a percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer, who was influenced early on in life by his Trinbagonian father, Patrick MacDonald, who was a calypsonian and bandleader originally from Trinidad and Tobago, who used the stage name ‘Macbeth the Great.’ The list of artists who Ralph MacDonald has played for is endless, and after starting out playing the ‘steelpan’ for the Harry Belafonte show, he would go on to play on Albums, including ‘Young Americans’ for David Bowie, (1975) (see also best songs 209) George Benson, ‘Breezin” (1976) (see also best songs 221) and Daryl Hall & John Oates, ‘Abandoned Luncheonette’ (1973) (see also best songs 881.) As well as ‘Where Is the Love,’ other notable songs co-written or performed by Ralph MacDonald include, ‘Just the Two of Us,’ for Grover Washington Jr. featuring Bill Withers, (1981-Billboard Number 2 & UK Number 34) the song was later sampled by Will Smith, (1997-Billboard Number 20 & UK Number 2) although MacDonald’s most successful song is ‘Calypso Breakdown,’ which is one of the tracks featured on the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ soundtrack Album, which with sales in excess of 40 million copies sold worldwide, is the second best selling Album of all time.

‘Where Is the Love’ may be a duet, but Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway are not singing to each other. The song is about someone who has left their partner in order to start a new relationship, but after a while they realise it was a mistake, and attempt to go back to their first love. Both singers take the role of the one who has been left behind.

‘You told me that you didn’t love him, and you were gonna say goodbye, but if you really didn’t mean it, why did you have to lie? Where is the love.’