New music is great… but have you ever listened to old music?
New music is undoubtedly enjoyable, but have you experienced old music? Old music is, of course, subjective. It often carries emotional baggage, personal attachments, biases, and context. It can serve as a reliable refuge, a space where the emotions it evokes are familiar and reassuring. Additionally, old music can mark significant moments in one’s life.
Have you ever heard “I Got A Need For You” by David Ruffin? Picture yourself in your car, zoning out on autopilot while driving home after work. You stop at a traffic light, and in the vehicle next to you, Marvin Gaye and David Ruffin are harmonizing.
Imagine the sing-alongs happening in that car. This was a common scene in 60s Detroit. The two would often converse late into the night about their fame struggles and the pressures imposed by their record label, Motown. Ruffin’s raw, candid, and emotionally profound style is frequently credited with inspiring “What’s Going On.”
This track comes after his time with The Temptations, after leading on “My Girl,” and after being ousted from the group partly for insisting it be renamed David Ruffin and The Temptations. “I’ve Got A Need For You” has always struck me as an obvious hit, only to find out that it’s actually quite obscure.
The energy from the outset is contagious. It begins explosively with a powerful bass and brass introduction. You can envision Motown session musicians at the peak of their craft. The song reveals Ruffin’s fear of abandonment and showcases the vulnerability Gaye recognized all along. It builds into a high-energy chorus, brimming with a full band and stunning backing vocals.
It leaves you feeling that, this time, Ruffin has genuinely found someone special. Unfortunately, we lost Ruffin to a drug overdose. He was a man full of ego and flair (pun intended), known for arriving late to performances, often via limousines or helicopters, just to create drama and enhance the narrative. Ironically, the person who sought to be the “main man” actually inspired those main men to rise to prominence.
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Words: Owen Cutts
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New music is great, but have you ever listened to old music? The concept of old music is fairly subjective. It can carry emotional weight, personal connections, biases, and historical context. It can