"Open Your Eyes" to "The Light"

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I am a lover of a well used sample.

And I would argue that Common's use of Bobby Caldwell's "Open Your Eyes" chours is one of the all time best. 
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Bobby Caldwell, or better known as the "blue eye of soul", is beloved in the soul and r&b genre. You can hear his songs playing at the neighborhood cookouts and car shows. I grew up listening to Bobby Caldwell, and it wasn't until my teens that I discovered that he was a white man. I remember my jaw dropping just like when I found out the "The Bee Gees" were a group of white boys as well. Something about their silky voices and cool demeanor had me believing I was listening to black musicians. Furthermore R&b, especially in the 70s and 80s, when Bobby Caldwell emerged,  was a genre dominated by black musicians. But, Bobby Caldwell broke into the genre and was not denied his rightful place as a voice in the scene. His lyrical poetry and jazzy melodies are well loved in the R&B genre, so much so that so many artists have sampled his work to pay him homage.
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One of my favorite songs from Bobby Caldwell (as there are many) is "Open Your Eyes". It starts out with just a soft melody and Bobby's unique voice singing slowly yet passionately. You can hear the yearning in his voice as he says, "I can see you, in a lonely place/ How can you be so blind./ You're still regretting the love you left behind/". He tries to convince his lover to "open your eyes” and asks her, "Are you expecting to find a love that is mine?".

​He wants to show her "the light". He is screaming for her surrender and love...trying to remind her that he is the place where her heart should land. It's an ache we all know. And the message is conveyed beautifully through a soft melody and Bobby's poetic wording. He then eases into a light-hearted rhythm that picks up in pace so as to mimic the racing of his heart as he anticipates her answer. It’s a love song, but it is also a song of desperation and uncertainty as we never know his lover’s choice. We just know that he has asked.

This is one of Bobby's lesser known songs, but it has been forever immortalized by Common's now famous sample in his song "The Light". Common's rhymes lying on top of Bobby's smooth melody is  musical love-making and is one of the best fusions of rap and r&b.

Both songs hold a special place in my heart and a definite place in my song rotation, but Bobby Caldwell's original will always be king. I'm a sucker for a sample, but I am a sucker for that blue-eyed boy of soul.

RIP Bobby Caldwell, you are well loved.

P.S. Other songs I love from Bobby Caldwell include:
1. "My Flame" - This is a song I deeply love. Means a lot to me. And, I can only play it when I'm prepared to cry.
2. "What You Wont Do For Love" - His most famous song
3. "Heart of Mine" - A heartbreak song with some 80s synthesizer and saxophone