Montell Jordon "This is how we do it"

*****Number One, April, 1995*****


A couple of weeks ago, we dissected the 2015 ultra-hit single, "UpTown Funk!"  It was an eye-opening process, and not just because I learned that there was an actual artist person named "Mark Ronson."  I know, seriously!  Man, musicians have some funny names.

And, in addition to the oddity that is the Ronson-ness, another surprising aspect came to light.  That being, my knowledge of the song itself.  Or, more accurately, lack of knowledge.

Because that song exploded so fiercely, parts of it ended up in pretty much every corner and crack of media broadcast.  Sports events, commercials, movie trailers, the tune couldn't be avoided.  When that sort of thing happens, I just assume that some parts of it get into your system.  They almost have to.  And yet, with that particular release, I only absorbed one line from the whole damn thing.

Sadly, Sandra won't be able to believe anyone.  Not even Mark Ronson

I really thought that through sheer osmosis, I would have picked up at least half the lyrics of that number one smash.  But, no, nothing of the sort.  It was a bit of a shock, to be honest.  This got me to thinking about the whole list of singles the Single File podcast has kicked down so far, and how they stack up from this perspective.

To date, we've taken on twenty-two songs.  These hits have ranged from ones I'd never heard to others that have been burned into my brain for eternity by MTV.  It's an eclectic mix for sure.  But, this week, we're wanting to figure out something very particular about this group. That is, upon mention of each song, how many lyrics come to mind.

That's right, it's time to punch some buttons on the NOPR and see what shakes loose.

For today's entry, we're using this highly complicated technology to mine the depths of my insides.  This info we seek is very specific to my experience only.  But, uh, how can this music-sorting podcasting super computer help process something so intrinsic as one person's memory?  Is it really able to access this kind of data and sort it by such a subjective metric?

Come on, the NOPR can do lots of things!

Honestly, it's not really running at full capacity anyway

Right, so, let's break down the prior 22 into three groupings based on how much of each song I can pull from previous input.  To keep it simple, we'll go with the most rudimentary qualifier, which is if I can remember more than one line, one line exactly, or no lines at all.  For the entries so far;

• December
• 3 SOME / 1 ONE / 1 NONE
• November
• 3 SOME / 1 ONE / 0 NONE
• October
• 1 SOME / 0 ONE / 3 NONE
• September
• 4 SOME / 0 ONE / 1 NONE
• August
• 4 SOME / 0 ONE / 0 NONE

Interesting!  So, to date, the only songs that are summarized in my beer-enriched noggin by one line and ONLY one line are the following;

1. Ronson/Mars' "Don't believe me just watch"
2. Ricky Martin's "Livin' la vida loca"

That's a very selective group.  And, they both were, as the kids are want to say, bangerz.  I wonder if there's anything to gather that these hook heavy party jams are the ones in which I picked up just an individual snippet.

Could be.  This week, that couple adds a third, with a familiar sound. 

How we...wear our glasses askew? That's more of a why question.

Montell Jordon had a chart topper in 1995 with "This is how we do it."  It hit at a time when I was forced by friends to go to clubs for the purpose of dancing and meeting girls.  Those blog readers out there who know me and my remarkably unremarkable social skills would probably not be surprised by how those nights out went.

To clarify for those not close to me, I'll just state the following.  I don't dance, and I'm even worse at chatting up people I've never met before (especially those of the enticing lady-folk persuasion).  Like a penguin in juggling school, I simply had no skills to succeed in that environment.  My lone "move" was to stand perfectly still with a drink in my hand and wait for some girl to walk up to me and start talking.  That's all I did.  Someone could've yanked me out of that club and thrust me into that one Monty Python sketch, and I would have been a star.  Unfortunately it never happened.

And, suffice it to say, in the club, that technique worked exactly never.

So, yeah, the good old days.

Anyway, where were we?  Oh yeah, Montell.  He hit number one!  Nice job.  I know it wasn't your fault about that whole club thing.  Nor the frustrating lack of 1970's sketch comedy scouts. 

So, let's give a few of your lyrics a fair and equitable once-over.  For today, we'll focus just on the chorus.  After all, that's really the only part people grab hold of in dance tracks.  But maybe your words will make me sorry I didn't try harder at the club.  Shall we try?  I'll just stand off to the side with my arms crossed and give them a looksee.

This Is How We Do It
Chorus
I'm kinda buzzed and it's all because (this is how we do it)
South Central does it like nobody does (this is how we do it)
To all my neighbors you got much flavor (this is how we do it)
Let's flip the track, bring the old school back (this is how we do it)

Hmm, I can definitely see why only the song title stuck in my head.  These stylings are really pretty standard for that time.  Seems like he likes his neighborhood a lot, which is nice.  The people around my place decidedly do not have much flavor.  Well, wait, vanilla is a flavor.  But, yeah, not something to sing about.

I don't feel the above really makes a case for any adding it to my mental queue.  There's a slightly different chorus at the end.  Let's take a look and see if that gets me on my feet and ready to bust, uh, something.  A move?  No, that doesn't sound right.

Chorus 2
Oh it's party time (this is how we do it)
Straight up comin' from the west side (this is how we do it)
OG's got the flavor (this is how we do it)
And Monty does it like nobody does (this is how we do it)

Ah, the referring to yourself in the third-person call out.  Classic.  I should have tried that back in the day.

"Hiya there, um, unencumbered female.  You know, nobody does it like Neil does it."
"I'm calling security."

FINAL THOUGHTS
Actually, Monty, everybody did it like you did it.  This song doesn't stand out in any way, and is original as calling yourself an OG.  No offence, but no further wordlings from your tune need to find their way into my memory banks.  I'll remember the title forever, but that's about it.

So, quietly (of course), I'll return to my prior position.  But, instead of listenting to your single, I'll adjust my focus back on the real OG Monty.  They really get me, after all.

Ah, much better. Now this is how we do it.