Poverty rates were high in 1981. Ronald Reagan had just been sworn in as president, and his War On Drugs was positioned to harm our community for generations. And Ernest R. Lacy had been killed by police. We needed an escape. Peace of mind.
Before we even hear that first line “You make me happy…,” we’re grooving to Maze featuring Frankie Beverly’s song “Before I Let Go.” Whether we’re doing the electric slide at a cookout or a two-step at the club, the iconic song is still lifting us up decades after its release.
For Beverly the song was a creative outlet to process the grief of “love lost.” He’d had to say goodbye to a woman he’d had cared about. Then she died in a car crash.
The original song sounded more like a mournful ballad when Beverly brought it to a band rehearsal. The band workshopped the song repeatedly, jamming until the ballad became the groovy track we know now.
Beverly, you made us happy. Thank you for the uplift, the groove, and most importantly, showing us joy exists even in times of loss.