S1: It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS. Valentine's day is almost here , so today we are dedicating our show to love. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and engaged. We'll tell you about a KPBS project to share your love stories.
S2: I felt as I was reading them , it was just sort of hard to believe that these were true love stories that happened here in San Diego.
S1: Then we'll talk about romance novels and even songs that put us in the Valentine's Day spirit. That's ahead on Midday Edition. So if you love love stories , you're in luck because KPBS is dropping a Valentine's Day series today. My next two guests led the project. I'm joined by KPBS South Bay engagement producer Marielena Castellanos and KPBS web producer Leslie Gonzalez. They're here to talk about the series and some of the submissions that made them swoon. Maria , Elena and Leslie , welcome.
S3: Thank you. Thank you so much. Happy to be here.
S1: Glad to have you both here.
S2: It was during a webinar that several of us were in , and it was with someone from a different PBS station , and they were talking about projects they'd been working on to foster engagement and connection. And one of the projects was a Valentine's Day project. And as soon as they mentioned it. Immediately some of us started texting each other that it would be a project we wanted to do here. And now , a few weeks later , here we are.
S1: All right.
S3: A lot of the people who submitted have given us photos of either themselves or loved ones , their pets , or places that they've been to that they've just fell in love with in the San Diego area. And underneath those photos are going to be the stories that they submitted along with them. And that way , when you go on our landing page for the love story , you'll be able to see the images with their story. And we'll also have more a couple stories that are in depth with a couple of people who've submitted. So you'll have people's story that are more detailed or gives us a little bit more of an insight about their relationship from either place , person or pet.
S1: All right. And , you know , there's always a lot of focus on , uh , the romantic aspect of Valentine's Day , but you all decided to focus on other kinds of love. To tell me why that was so important. Mary Elena. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. Um , I think for a lot of reasons. Um , one , because it's just one form of love. And I think a lot of times on Valentine's Day , there tends to be a big emphasis on the romantic part of love. And I feel like we don't often get to hear about the other forms of love. And so I think we were hoping that people would submit stories of how they've experienced the other forms. And I think we got a really great response. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S3: Um , honestly , I always felt like romance isn't just the only way to love. There are so many different shades and hues and varieties of love that can be drawn from. Like , for instance , love could be the sound of the first breath of a newborn , or the place that holds so much significant memories to somebody of whether it's self-discovery or someone who's went with them in that journey beside them. Um , I just feel that love is so profound , and to me , it felt right to celebrate it in many forms , um , beyond romance. And for me , there's just a myriad of ways to celebrate that kind of love , and we wanted to really exemplify it through our platform or through our landing page.
S1: Okay , well , let's dive in to some of the stories. Maria Elena , you picked one about a marriage of over 50 years. Tell us about it and why it resonated with you. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. You know , it's I think it's a beautiful story , and I think it's just one of the many beautiful stories that we received. Um , but it resonated for for a lot of reasons. But I think mostly because for me , it's one story that sounds like all of the stories. I felt like they were so incredible. They seem so unreal to me , just how romantic they are , how beautiful they are. And I felt as I was reading them. It was just sort of hard to believe that these were true love stories that happened here in San Diego , and this one was submitted by Diane Ingalls , and she submitted the the story through the phone. And her story goes back 55 years. She met her husband on the Bahia Bell in Mission Bay. He was playing in a band in the bar upstairs. She was selling ice cream downstairs. It was her first week of working while she was on a summer break during college , he got stung by a bee and went downstairs to get ice from her. She said that she took the stinger out and that's how they met.
S1: So cute. Um , and we've got a couple of clips to share of Diane and her story.
S2: In this clip , she's talking about how she knew that that they were meant to be in a way.
S4: It wasn't really a proposal. We just started talking about what was going to happen when we got married. He thinks he remembers a proposal that I don't. There was no there was no down on one knee with a ring type of thing at all. It was just like a foregone conclusion that we were getting married , and we had both agreed to that. We both understood that that was what was going to happen.
S1: Well , they say when you know , you know. That's right. That is such a lovely story. Lesley , you spoke to Nina Thompson at the San Diego Humane Society about a different type of love , a love for pets.
S3: Yes , I did. Nina and I spoke together and as also a fellow pet lover , I have three dogs at home. And uh , feeling that this story resonated really well and connected with me , I thought it was good to talk about a different kind of love , the love of your furry best friends. Uh , and Nina told me the sweet story about how she met her , um , her dog Chica. And chica was. This was she described it as this terrified , thin little dog who just had looked at her with these big , huge brown eyes. And Nina really connected with her and felt like it was her , not her obligation or her duty or anything , but she just felt compelled to help this animal , this dog out. And what started off with her , you know , coaxing her out of her , out of her kennel , giving her cheese and getting her to just take that step out of that shell that she's been contained herself in was the kind of story that , you know , with patience and dedication and with understanding and compassion , that love resonates not just towards human beings , but to any living creature like a dogwood. So she took Chico home and changed her and her husband's life for the better. And over time , they just became inseparable. And as she says , she calls the three of them just one huge family. And she hasn't looked back since. And I just thought that was such a beautiful way to describe how she's grown into this loving relationship with her story. So.
S1: Well , here's a clip from Nina sharing some of that story.
S5: She is our family member. She does not want to be left behind when we leave. We brought her here , so it's our responsibility to make sure that she is happy and she is cared for , and she feels like she's part of our family , which she really is.
S1: Are pets really hold a special place in the hearts of so many ? So what were some of your biggest takeaways from this series ? Marielena.
S2: Yeah , I , I think one of my biggest takeaways from the series was just how unexpected love can be in the time in the place when it happens. I think about that saying when you least expect it. I feel like I found that in a lot of the stories , and it really amazed me because , you know , again , they were all true stories , and I felt like I saw it in all of the different stories , you know , from we had a story about self-love. And I feel like in that story there was this unexpected discovery of this love for yourself. And in the romantic stories , you know , a lot of them happened when people were somewhere working or they were out and about and they weren't expecting to find love. And they did. And I really loved that.
S1: Oh , and Leslie.
S3: Oh , man. For me , it has to be the. I love the positivity and the hope that comes from each story. That's my takeaway is that I haven't heard a story or read a story that we've received that had helplessness to it. There was something beautiful about people reaching out and giving this bit of them. That was their hope for them and sharing that hope with others. And I have to agree also with the the circumstances in which everybody has met either their significant other or this place or , you know , the animals that they meet in their life. It just feels like everything had happened for a reason and had given them or instilled them some sort of hope. And that's my big takeaway.
S1: Oh , it's giving so much. Warm and fuzzy. I love it. I've been speaking with KPBS South Bay engagement producer Maria Elena Castellanos and KPBS web producer Lesley Gonzalez. You can check out the full Valentine's Day series at KPBS. Leslie Malina , thank you so much.
S3: Thank you.
S1: Coming up. Romance in the pages of books.
S6: It just kind of fit that I could mix something that I love and I'm passionate about with my career , celebrating romance , but also creating a space where people can come together.
S1: Here from San Diego's romance Librarian. KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. You just heard us talk about some of our favorite San Diego love stories , but some of the most touching romances can be found in books , too. Romance novels are cherished among book lovers , especially here in San Diego. We wanted to talk about the community behind the genre and the place it holds in today's political and social Landscape. My next guest , Jessica Buck , works with the San Diego Public Library. As a longtime fan of the genre , romance readers know her as the romance librarian. Jessica , welcome to the show. Hi.
S6: Hi. Thank you so much for inviting me. I'm excited.
S1: Oh , we're excited to have you. So I understand the Romance librarian is both a personal and professional endeavor.
S6: And my original plan in life was to actually be an English teacher. Then I got a job in a library , and I realized , actually , I like this a little bit more. And I've always loved romance. It's always been something that I've connected with and enjoyed and learned from. And as soon as I became a librarian , it just kind of fit that I could mix something that I love and I'm passionate about with my career. Celebrating romance , but also creating a space where people can come together in a safe space and talk about it.
S1: So can you talk about some of the programming you've done as the romance librarian ? Yes.
S6: So my very first program was a romance book club. When I worked at the Escondido Public Library. And it actually started just before Covid shutdowns. So we moved very quickly to a virtual format , and I was able to connect with readers from all over the world. And that was really special. And from there , I did a lot of virtual author chats. And then once we got back to in-person , I was able to plan some programs , not just online. And now at the San Diego Public Library. I do a lot of podcast episodes for listeners advisory on the romance genre. We have a wonderful program called matchbook that I participate in , where if you want personalized book recommendations , all you have to do is fill out a quick form and then we'll email those to you.
S1: Very nice. I mean , so was there a specific book that started this journey for you ? Yes.
S6: So for romance itself , because I was a ferocious reader before that in A daydreamer. So I've always loved stories and getting lost in them. I picked up Cat Martin's A Heart of Honor , and that just got me into Regency romance. And I mean , I became an English major. I read Jane Austen , Jane Eyre. So historical has always had a special place for me. And then once I really got into the romance genre and discovered all the different subgenres , contemporary romanticism , I've really found that love is something that transcends Barriers and borders , and is a space for really everyone to find themselves and find each other.
S1:
S6:
S1: Well , you know , like when I think when a lot of people hear romance novels , you know , they think of Fabio on a.
S6: Oh , absolutely.
S1: You know , but there's so much more to the genre than that.
S6: So no , there is. It ebbs and flows. I get into like grooves where I just become obsessed with one subgenre , and I kind of stay there for a while. Kind of like when someone binges a show on Netflix , they're like , I gotta finish this before I can go on to the next thing. And for the last couple years , I've just been completely into romanticism or romance and fantasy. And , I mean , I read Sarah Moss's guitar , I loved it , I have a tattoo , and that's kind of where I've been staying for the last couple of years. I've branched out. And then , of course , I recommend books , so I do read other subgenres , but really it's the romantic city is where I'm at right now. Okay.
S1: Okay. It reminds me of what , 1980s movie legend.
S6: I have watched the oldies and the goodies like , I love The Bodyguard. I was just talking about The bodyguard with someone because we were talking about bodyguard romances. And I don't know if you ever watched the movie The Man from snowy River. It was a western. Okay , there's a character named Jessica , and that's who I'm named after.
S7: Oh , wow.
S6: So I was named after a character in a romance movie.
S1: So naturally , this would be your , you know , your cup of tea here ? Yeah.
S6: Who would have.
S1: Known ? All right , well , you know , historically , romance books have been seen as a guilty pleasure , but it seems to have really grown such a massive community , especially here in San Diego. I mean , we have bookstores like Meet Cute , which focus exclusively on the genre , and next year , San Diego will host its own romance book convention.
S6: I grew up very Christian. So there were things that we just accepted or didn't talk about. And once I started reading romance , it opened my eyes to just being accepting of other people , of acknowledging who people wanted to be , who they wanted to love. And I think the more that we talk about the romance genre , the more that we share books that we've enjoyed and share stories , the more we can kind of impact a change in other people's perceptions of themselves and others. So I just think especially in San Diego , I mean , we have meet cute and we have our , of course , our libraries. I have to plug that in because I am a librarian , but we have all these spaces that are creating communities for people to either already read romance , to find their people or others that are interested , but never felt like they could explore that. Now they have somewhere to turn to.
S1: And you're part of a movement to make romance more inclusive.
S6: So really , there's been diversity in romance since the beginning. It's just the the publishing industry has been very focused on basically white writers , like. So a lot of our , our wonderful , diverse authors have been publishing their books independently on , on their own , without the support of money for marketing and getting their books out there. So really what we're seeing is the indie readership and authors are getting more and more popular because we're finding out , oh , these books are out there. We just now we can find them. And I think that hopefully traditional publishing starts to catch on and be more supportive and give opportunities for those authors because they are out there and readers are finding them. And I know that especially for libraries and bookstores like Meet Cute , we're trying to fill our shelves with those books so that the readers can find them.
S1: Well , you know , it's a very messy political landscape right now , and some people might be looking to escape into a book , but you actually see romance books as inherently political.
S6: They get their happily ever after. They get their H.R. And that's something that they deserve and they get by the end of the book. And in our sadly , in reality , in our world , not everyone is seen as deserving of a happily ever after. Whatever that H.R. For them could be. Whether it's getting married to the person they love , getting an education , getting a job. So romance novels like creating that world where that is possible. And then I think people that don't agree with that , that can seem a little bit dangerous because we learn from what we read. Right ? And that influences are the way that we see the world , and then the way that we want to see the world. And if we want to see a world where everyone is deserving , that means that the people that are currently dictating who is deserving have a little less power.
S1: I've been speaking with Jessica Buck , the romance librarian. Jessica , thank you so much.
S6: Thank you. And keep reading. Romance.
S1: From the pages of books to the best locations here in San Diego , we want to turn our conversation now to date spots that you might want to check out. An elegant candlelit dinner , a trendy bar overlooking the water. Maybe a quiet speakeasy in your neighborhood. San Diego has plenty of great spots to take your special someone this Valentine's Day , or to take yourself this Valentine's Day , whether or not you can get a reservation , you know that's another story. But here to give us some great date spots in San Diego is Jackie Bryant. She is the business development strategist at San Diego Magazine and co-host of the Happy Half Hour podcast. Jackie , welcome.
S8: Thank you. I'm excited to be back.
S1: So glad that you are back. There are plenty of great date spots in San Diego. Serena in Point Loma was just ranked the number one restaurant in America on Yelp's top 100 Date Night Restaurants list.
S8: Um , first of all , so so the original location , they have a few different restaurants now , but the original one is on Voltaire up in that Loma Portal area. And it's just it's it's a really nice spot. It's got a huge patio that you can do alfresco. Year round for Christmas , they trick it out. And in true like Italian transplant this is , you know , white and red checkered cloth Italian American. This is they're off the boat from Italy. Um , arenas is named after the after the owner's mother , a grandmother , actually. And they're particularly known for their Roman specialities on their menu. But they have a whole bunch of different type of pastas , everything made in-house and , um , different kinds of mains from different parts of Italy. They have an extensive vegan menu and honestly , it's just really good quality. They do it up. They like to put on a little bit of a show. They have the really cool tiramisu cart and they do like a tableside tiramisu where they , you know , whip everything with the mascarpone and they , you know , filter out the , the espresso powder right in front of your face. So everything there is a little bit of a to do. And if you see how they decorate it for the holidays , it's , it's the same , same thing. Big red bows everywhere , big ornaments. It's just very maximalist Italian style. And I think that's why it's perfect for an occasion.
S1: That sounds delightful. Okay , so besides Serena , what are your favorite date night restaurants in San Diego ? I mean , give me 2 or 3. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. So Marissa is is number one for me right now , And that's a restaurant that's been open for 2 to 3 years now. It's owned by the Presto Group , so it's not news. But in the last year or so , they've really shaken up their staff. They've brought on a new sommelier , they've brought on a new head of their whole drinks division , Bo Dubois. They've brought on a new executive chef , um , Cameron Ingle , who came from Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York. And he's amazing. Everyone on the team is world class , came from , you know , three Michelin starred restaurants either in Northern California or elsewhere in the country. And they're just doing a lot of really creative good work in there that I think if you had been to Morrissey before the last year or so , you would be very surprised if you go back in right now. So that's that's kind of my number one these days. Um , I also really like Volare , which we wrote about in San Diego magazine in a feature a couple months ago about restaurants that are local favorites , but you may not have heard of them. They're kind of like cult favorites. So if you're driving over by Liberty Station , I'm going to try to describe it. So you're driving over by like Buxton Road and that part and you're right next to Pacific Highway. And it's kind of a no man's land of like warehouses. Like , where are you ? Are you in Point Loma ? Are you in Little Italy or are you on the train tracks like no one really knows ? Well , there's one building left there.
S1: Is this where Culture Shock Dance studio was. So.
S8: So.
S1: Nice area. Yes , exactly. Okay , so.
S8: There's like one , like three story brick building that looks like it could be in Boston or New York or something like that. Like not not this random part of San Diego , and it's Bel-Air and it's been open for many , many decades. And that is an old school , you know , red and white checkered cloth , a tablecloth , Italian American restaurant. And like , people have just always been confused by it. Like , you never hear anyone talking about it. But if you do go and there's a brisk business and it's never full , but it's humming and it's like that every night , and it's been that way for multiple decades. So that's one that I like to throw out there because it's it's a taste of old nostalgia and that we don't have too much of in San Diego anymore. So I would say that's like another one. It's not expensive , but you'll get a real dose of the old days at that spot.
S1: Oh , that sounds nice.
S3: It looks a little sketchy.
S8: Don't don't be. Deterred.
S1: Deterred. But just go on and just go in. You'll be surprised. Okay , I'll do it.
S8: When you get there , you'll know what I mean. You'll do it too , Jackie.
S2: But it's.
S9: It's a really beautiful surprise.
S8: Lipstick on a pig.
S1:
S8: But I do think in this age of food , media and food , social media and everyone being so tuned in to what's new and what's hot , I do think the food at least has to be good. You know , San Diego was a town that forever rested on its tourism laurels and and we could get away with the views and this. But the food didn't necessarily have to be that good and people kind of don't really care. But I don't think that that's the case at all in town anymore. So the food has to be a good. It has to be good. There's there's too much good food in San Diego not to get away with that. But I also think that you could choose one of two different routes. I think there's like a huge experiential restaurant boom in San Diego , these big , beautiful build outs. You have Lila in North Park , for example , things that are intended to provide an experience that's good for a date , right ? Especially if you haven't been dating that long. Or maybe maybe you just need to breathe some life into your relationship. Whatever the case may be , that kind of gives you another focal point to take you out of yourself. So I think like the experiential thing is good , but then I think there's another segment of diners in town who are so over that I kind of count myself as one of them. So maybe I'm projecting a little bit here , but I just I just want it to be nice , cozy , familiar. I'm starting to get a little tired of the new , new , new. And I want to feel like a regular somewhere. And so like for me , like my date night , I think there is a segment of people who are just kind of looking for something good , quality , homey and like world class like they would find in another , you know , like celebrated dining city , like New York or San Francisco or L.A.. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , restaurants , you know , are just one option for a date. Of course.
S8: It's not going to be a put on. You can kind of be who you want there. And I think that that's the perfect setting for a date actually , like where you can go and have an experience and not worry so much about what you look like , because you don't care what anyone else looks like in there. And , you know , maybe the light's a little dark. Maybe there's a lot to talk about. Some interesting characters in there. I've always I think the dive bar date is a really nice , unassuming way to get to know someone. How are they going to react in this environment ? Can they hang. It's it's it's so maybe that's like a first date. But I also think if you've been in it for a while and you want to get away from the crowds and celebrate , you know , just having a good time but not necessarily be in the smarmy ness of Valentine's Day. I also like the dive bar for that.
S7: All right.
S1: I think I agree with that. I like that idea. All right , let's let's not name any names here.
S8: Is there such thing as a bad date spot ? I think maybe something automated. Like where there isn't a server interaction somewhere ? No , because then you could , like , you could take out and then you could bring it somewhere and have a really nice picnic. I don't know if there is a bad option for a date. I think there are only bad daters , honestly.
S7: Funeral home.
S8: A funeral home. But you could kind of make that funny and ironic , right ? Okay. I don't know , I think I kind of think that there's a spot for everybody. But I'm inclined to say that , like , you know , your fast casual grab and go spots that are not intended clearly for you to hang or hang out. Probably not a good date spot.
S7: All right. Well.
S1: Well. Fair enough. We're only a couple of days away from Valentine's Day , and many people are still scrambling to make a reservation.
S8: So your date is dying to go there , but maybe , maybe a bad spot would be like a crowded one. And maybe that's something to avoid. The other thing is , please don't give up with OpenTable or just booking online , or just knowing that it's a crowded place. Pick up the phone , which not a lot of people like to do anymore , and call and see if you can get a reservation. A lot of reservation restaurants , rather , will only hold a certain amount of table for tables for OpenTable or whatever online reservation system they have , they have like talk or what have you. They will reserve tables for walk ins. So just call Be Human and it'll probably work out for you also. Oh my god. Go sit at the bar. That's like the number one tip pretty much if you're dining alone , if you're dining with someone , if you're just walking in and everyone knows you get the best service at the bar , you get to talk to the staff. They tend to treat you a little bit better. That , to me is the pinnacle.
S1: The great advice. All right. I've been speaking with Jackie Bryant. She is the business development strategist at San Diego Magazine and co-host of the Happy Half Hour podcast. Jackie , thank you and happy Valentine's Day.
S8: Thank you. Happy Valentine's day.
S1:
S10: It could make you sad. It could make you happy. It could bring you closer to somebody. Or it could want to really get you in the mood here.
S1: From Sunday night's Slow Jamz host our dub when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back to midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Valentine's week is upon us , which means a whole lot of ballads and love songs are in the air. Whether you're in love or not , there's nothing quite like a good love song. Or maybe an inspiring breakup anthem is more your speed this Valentine's Day. Well , Midday Edition's Andrew Brackin sat down with our resident love song guru , Randy Williams , better known as R dub. He broadcast his radio show Sunday Night Slow Jamz from his home here in San Diego. Here's their conversation.
S11:
S10: My first radio job , I was only 16 years old and I was hosting the slow jam show , The Love Song Show , and he sat me down and he said , look , uh , you're programming the show. You're picking the music. Make sure every song does one of two things. Uh , it either needs to make the listener cry or make love. He did not use the word make love. You can fill in the blank. So those are the two biggest elements. It really should invoke emotion. Uh , good. Bad. It could make you sad. It could make you happy. It could bring you closer to somebody , or it could want to really get you in the mood.
S11: So along with love songs , come love stories. And , you know , sort of the stories behind the songs. Right. And I'm curious if you can share any memorable love stories from listeners you've heard from over the years.
S10: You know , there are so many and there are the common ones the breakups , the , uh , we've been together since we met at the roller skating rink , etc.. The ones that really stick out to me are the loves that , uh , almost happened but didn't quite happen. Maybe the near misses , maybe that , you know , that was the person that got away. Or man , was that my soul mate ? Did I let him or her get away ? It was a really good song that , uh , really matches that scenario from Erykah Badu , and it's called Next Lifetime.
S12:
S13:
S10: You can tell that Erica and the singer , obviously the singer and the person she's talking about , maybe they were meant to be together , but maybe not this particular lifetime. And every time I hear that song , it makes hair stand up in places I didn't even know I had hair. So it's a it's an amazing song. Those are some of the stories that that I really love. I also love stories about people getting reunited , uh , people finding their second grade love 20 , 30 , 40 years later. Just by chance. I do think things happen for a reason , and those are some of the best stories when people call in.
S11: Well , and you know , there's the love song. And on the flip side of that , as you mentioned , is the breakup song , which is kind of a key component to love songs , unfortunately , I guess. Can you talk about what makes for a great breakup song ? Absolutely.
S10: You know , as I mentioned , you know , these these great slow jams are going to make you cry or want to make love. And of course , you're more liable to cry when you're talking about breakups. You know , I think it's got to be relatable. And it really comes down to the core of the emotion and really , really how hard it it hurts and how your heart literally aches. A couple of the biggest breakup songs that come to mind. I think the classic of all classics , Lisa , Lisa and Cult Jam all cried out.
S12: All alone on a Sunday morning. Outside , I see the rain is falling.
S10: When she hits that first verse all alone on a Sunday morning. You're just like , wow , you can really feel that. The Manhattan say , we should just kiss and say goodbye.
S14: I had to meet you here today. There's just so many things.
S10: Of course there's Janet Jackson. Come back to me. Those are , you know , there's some songs where you're kind of begging the person to look. We've broken up , but , you know , please come back.
S12: Come back to me. I'm begging you. Please come back to me. I want you to come back to me.
S10: There's also the slow jams that apologize. I am sorry we broke up because I was the dummy. Uh , Timmy , t one more try.
S12: One more. Try.
S15: Try. I didn't know how much I loved you. One more try. Let me put my arms around you.
S10: A pop mass appeal. Slow jam. That's kind of everybody's apology anthem. I can't tell you how many thousands of calls I've received over the last 30 years of of people saying , hey , I'm sorry. And by the way , can you dedicate Timmy t one more try ? Because that's that's really all I need. Just one more chance.
S11: So I want to talk about , you know , you mentioned this a little bit to the ability of love songs to , you know , bring you to tears. What are you know.
S10: Well , the biggest , I think , without a doubt would have to be a remake. And it's Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You. I mean , wow. And from the beginning to the very end of that song and the way it it starts , the middle of it , the story , and then to the very last , how it just kind of trails off at the very end. I remember as a teenager , 16 years old , sitting in my car in the rain outside my girlfriend's house. We just broken up and that song came on the radio and I was , I was crying. So definitely that if if I had a guilty pleasure , a special pick , it would be a song by new Jack legend Group guy called Goodbye Love , which is , you know , wasn't one of the biggest hits like like Whitney , but just a real sleeper. A really great song called called Good Bye Love. I mean , there are just so many. Moments.
S12: Moments.
S15: Where I turned.
S14: My hand to see if you're hurt. Cause I am so feeling deep in my heart. Baby.
S11: So we've been talking love songs , breakup songs. And then I want to kind of seems like there's other sort of subcategories to it , right ? I mean , I'm thinking apology songs or maybe sort of , you know , self-love or self-empowerment kind of love songs like coming coming out of a relationship , maybe.
S10: If I can give you a couple , the quintessential song is is about dating. Well , I don't approve of this , but dating the older married woman. Billy , Paul , me and Mrs. Jones. Me.
S14: Me. Mrs..
S16: Mrs.. Mrs.. Jones , Mrs.. Jones , Mrs.. Jones , Mrs.. Jones. We've got a thing.
S10: About meeting this older lady in a cafe. And again , there are there are people that can relate to this , both on the Mrs. Jones part and the me part. Uh , Shirley Murdock , as we lay. I mean , this is a is a song about how it feels to be the other woman and waking up in a man's arms that that is kept and you're kept too. And boy , we better come up with an excuse of of why we didn't come home last night.
S12: Oh , man. We forgot to face one simple fact. We both belong. To.
S15: To.
S12: Someone else. As we slept the night away.
S10: It's possibly one of my favorites from Shirley Brown called Woman to Woman. Starts with Shirley calling the other woman. And you hear the other woman pick up. And Shirley says , is this Barbara ? Hey , Barbara , this is Shirley , and we gotta talk. Um , I mean.
S14: Wow , what a classic. Then you know.
S12: How I. Feel.
S14: Feel. And woman to woman.
S10: And then if you move kind of back into the 90s , you've got usher confessions part two.
S14: Got me talking to myself , asking how I'm gonna tell you about that chick on part one. I told y'all I was creepin with creepin with , say she's three months pregnant and she's keeping it. The first thing that came to mind was you.
S11: Second thing was , I hear the 90s a lot here. And we were chatting about , you know , what kind of music hits for you. I'm curious. Like , do you think the love song , you know , has fundamentally changed , you know , since the time you've been doing Sunday night slow jams ? I mean , you know , now we're in this kind of like , TikTok generation.
S10: At least the big the big huge hits. There are many amazing artists out there still making slow jams , but you know , there were a few sweet spots in the slow jam format , but if I can speak personally for a for a second night. Literally , 1988 to 1994 was this absolute enormous treasure chest of so many artists , whether it be female , male or groups. From 112 to Aaliyah to Blackstreet to Boyz to Men. Think about new additions broke up in every single member. Um , kind of broke out on their own with these huge slow jam hits from Bill Devo to Bobby Brown , Ralph Trevante and Johnny Gill. Yeah , the girl groups like SWV and 702 and Xscape. So for me , if I would pinpoint it 88 to 94 and then I think the gangster rap kind of took over. By the way , I forgot Jodeci. How can you forget Jodeci ? But you know , something happened in the late 90s and the slow jam groups and even artists kind of the genre kind of dissipated. So I still love to lean back on the 90s slow jams a lot.
S11:
S10: And I started to get really excited , like , you know , maybe the slow jams are back. Bruno Mars dropped some really great songs , including Versace on the Floor and Let's Talk about Silk Sonic. When Silk Sonic Leave the Door Open came out a couple of years ago , I said , it's back , this sound is back. And , uh , and then it wasn't. So , you know , I'm really , really hopeful. A lot of kind of things in the 90s , including fashion we've seen come back. These kids are discovering it on TikTok. I'm waiting for this huge slow jamz , massive movement to come back the way it was in the 90s. So yes , I'm still hopeful.
S11: Crossing your fingers there. Um , and I'm curious. You know , I think there's so many genres of music , there's some different styles , you know. What music suggestions do you have for couples with maybe very different musical tastes on how to find a love song.
S10: That's a great question. A sure bet would be an instrumental which kind of , you know , goes across many , many genres. I think two of the coolest. You'd classify them as slow jam instrumentals , but music that crosses through different genres. I give a couple the art of noise moments in love. I mean , this is actually a theme song for many other slow jams and quiet storms across the country. They'll kick off a show with that. You know that ? Doom.
S17: Doom doom doom doom doom doom doom.
S10: You know what time it is. Uh , another one that kind of crosses over to the jazz format. Kool in the gang. Summer madness is one of the best songs to either listen to when you're in the car solo or , you know , holding somebody's hand.
S18: I mean , those.
S11: Suggestions are all all great. I want to flip it though. You know , for people that may not be feeling Valentine's Day this year. Any suggestions for them and what they should be listening to ? And maybe they're. I don't know. A little bitter about love this Valentine's Day.
S10: Well , you can always listen to some Olivia Rodrigo write. You listen to songs that.
S19: Are angry about.
S10: Past relationships. But , um , you know , um , besides slow jams , I always think a , um , you know , little self-care , you know , little bubble baths and , uh , and some good food. So , you know what ? If you're , you're trying to if you're mending and trying to get out of that funk. Go get your favorite food. Turn slow jams on or not. Um , but but take care of yourself. And and really , you're number one. At the end of the day , the person that's always going to take care of you is always going to be you. The one person you can always depend on is going to be you. So , um , I will always be there. You can always listen to my show at slow jams.com , Com. But if not , grab your favorite food. Jump in the Jacuzzi. Uh , put on something sexy and enjoy yourself. Sometimes the best company is simply you.
S1: That was radio host R dub , speaking with Midday Edition producer Andrew Bracken. You can listen to Slow Jams every Sunday night at Slow Jamz. That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
