Commodores Play âEasyâ
Listen to this track by funk soul purveyors turned pop crossover chart-toppers Commodores. Itâs âEasyâ, a smash hit single from their 1977 self-titled record that puts their wide range of musical capabilities on display. Released on Motown, the group followed in that labelâs well-established traditions by aiming for as broad spectrum when it came to audiences as possible. At the height of disco and the culture that supported it, they had their bases well covered and then some. With this cut, they strayed into new territory â rock balladry â while still retaining their own sound.
A big part of their success in doing so is down to writer and lead vocalist Lionel Ritchie. His distinctive singing style hooks into R&B conventions. But the arrangement and textures, while adhering to the same with the expected brass, strings, and gospel-inspired piano, add a truly incendiary rock guitar break into the mix, that solo being one of the most iconic of the era along with the now-famous âguitar glideâ effect in the bridge section. Alternative rock band Faith No More recorded this song fifteen years later with their tongues at least partially in cheek in covering a mainstream hit like this. Yet still, the band replicated its arrangement in attentive detail. Ironic or not, it gave Faith No More a hit with a new generation who had heard the Commodoresâ original on the radio as children.
Commodores would continue to pursue a wide range of styles on their records after this song was a hit, with dance floor-oriented songs paired with MOR ballads. But âEasyâ was an important proof of concept to that approach. Since its release, itâs become a pop standard, covered by many, and still belonging to no single genre. This stands to reason. âEasyâ takes its cues not just from rock music and R&B. It also borrows from an approach thatâs most associated with the confessional singer-songwriter fare of the era as well. As such, its emotional content goes well beyond that of the standard break-up song in any period up until then. Its palette is downright sophisticated on that score.
Commodores in 1970 in a Motown publicity shot, two years after their formation. The anger and sadness that characterizes so many pop tunes about break-ups, even at the time, are not found here at all. This is no âI Will Surviveâ or âPlease Donât Leave Me This Wayâ. Instead of heartbreak, tears, desperation, regret, or lyrical lashing out, Ritchie sets a completely different tone by rooting it in feelings of resignation and relief instead. Thereâs even a hint of Seventies Me-Generation-style self-actualization in there for good measure. The narrator isnât ending the relationship because of cheating or jealousy, at least not that we know of as revealed in the narrative. Heâs doing it because heâs not happy when he tries to fake it. He wants to be free to be âjust meâ.
I wanna be high, so high
I wanna be free to know the things I do are right
I wanna be free
Just me âŠ
Thereâs an argument to be made perhaps that âEasyâ is something of a Boomer anthem of supreme self-absorption, with a very fine line between that and the aforementioned self-actualization quotient. Thereâs another argument perhaps that the song might have hit differently at the time if it were written and sung by a woman. Check out Sky Ferreiraâs version as featured in 2017âs Baby Driver to test that theory. And what of the other side of this conversation? Are we getting the full story of why this relationship has come to an end? There is another angle to be found here, then, that perhaps might make for a good old-fashioned response song from the other side.
All of this is purely speculative, of course. So is the idea that this song hinted at Lionel Ritchieâs plans for a solo career which would kick off with his 1982 self-titled debut after he left the Commodores around the same time. In the meantime and besides all that, âEasyâ remains to be a complex exploration of decidedly adult themes, the biggest being that relationships donât necessarily end dramatically or even tragically all the time. Sometimes, they just end because it makes perfect sense that they should; when the pain gets too much, and when one finds themselves having to fake it instead of finding solace, safety, and contentment within it.
Yet even then, the music is decidedly wistful and contemplative instead of purely joyous and liberating. The best songs in pop history sometimes tell more than one story, with lyrics telling one while the music tells quite another, with each story being just as valid. Melodically and in terms of the moods evoked by its changes, there is still a sense of loss and sadness to be found weaved into this hit song that scored Commodores top ten and twenty positions all over the world. This blend of emotional undercurrents only adds to how sophisticated âEasyâ is as a piece of songwriting and as a performance. Among other things, it deftly reflects the well-known grey areas of any relationship dissolution, relatable to anyone whoâs ever experienced one.
Perhaps this is where âEasyâ wins the most in the relatability stakes; that even in the relief we experience when a trying relationship is over, there is still respect being paid to that which is lost.
After Lionel Ritchieâs departure, Commodores continued to enjoy radio hits well into the next decade, the biggest being 1985âs âNightshiftâ from the album of the same name. They are an active band today. You can learn about them at commodoreslive.com.
Lionel Ritchie continues as a solo artist with an impressive list of hit songs behind him. His site is lionelrichie.com.
Enjoy!
#70sMusic #LionelRitchie #popSoul #softRock #theCommodores
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