Sareena Dubey

With Cherry Blossom Season just around the corner, I’m excited to unveil this year’s carefully curated selection of cherry blossom viewing music. This collection features a delightful mix of groovy tunes with compelling backstories. Join me as I explore some of my favorite tracks for this magical time of year and uncover the fascinating tales behind them.

“Oh Honey” stands as an iconic 70s soul anthem by the British group Delegation. This timeless track kicks off with a drowsy drum roll and gradually unfolds into a silky mid-tempo ballad that captures the essence of the era. Formed in the UK during the mid-1970s by Ricky Balley, Len Coley, and Roddy Harris, Delegation collaborated with producer and songwriter Ken Gold, producing a string of moderately successful UK singles like “The Promise of Love.” However, their breakthrough came in 1979 with the release of “Oh Honey.” This hit single catapulted them to greater acclaim and solidified their status in the soul music scene. Led by founding member Ricky Bailey, the trio continues to perform. With their enduring legacy and timeless sound, Delegation has influenced many of artists today. One notable example is Kali Uchis’s “Never Be Yours,” which samples “Oh Honey” and has garnered significant attention in recent years.

While walking through the Afrofuturism exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture a snippet of “Prototype” by duo OutKast played on loop. The song is another mid-tempo ballad, however, it fuses a “celestial neosoul” and futurist funk against guitar-driven instrumentation to create an otherworldly sound. The song was written, produced and performed by André 3000 and was included on OutKast’s fifth studio album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003. OutKast was formed in Atlanta Georgia in 1992 by André 3000 and his counterpart Big Boi. Their music pioneered the musical landscape of Southern Hip-Hop by capturing the essence of Black Southern culture in rural America. OutKast pushed artistic boundaries and redefined the genre with their innovative style and sound. “Prototype” demonstrates this innovation notably through the song’s accompanying music video directed by André 3000 himself. The music video is truly an ode to Afrofuturism exploring themes of unity, isolation, and love through a cosmic lens. André 3000 describes the music video as: 

“If M. Night Shyamalan had a wife who wrote romance novels, this would be it. I’d like to make a love video that is as hauntingly beautiful as the track itself. So rather than try to tell some disingenuous love story about an ordinary man and woman, I’d like, instead, to set our narrative in a tableau of magic realism.”

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is an incredible album featuring solo work from André 3000 and Big Boi. I highly recommend listening to it if you have a chance. Some of my favorite tracks include “Roses,” “She Lives in My Lap,” and of course “Prototype”. 

“Liquid Sunshine,” composed by John Cameron and Keith Mansfield, epitomizes the essence of a sunny day with its bright melodies and soothing harmonies. Released in 1973 as part of the Voices in Harmony album produced by KPM, a renowned library music company, the song stands out from typical  “elevator music” fare. Unlike other libraries that churned out mundane tunes, Cameron and Mansfield aimed to create music for commercial use on their own terms, infusing it with exuberance and charm. In a notable departure from the norm, Cameron and Mansfield’s library albums, including Voices in Harmony, exuded warmth, dreaminess, and idyllic qualities, effectively bridging pop and soul genres. With its lilting cadence and uplifting vibe, “Liquid Sunshine” captures the essence of a carefree, sun-soaked day, making it a timeless favorite for listeners seeking to bask in the radiance of musical bliss.

The last song on my list is “Gentle Shower” by a group called Piper. The song captures the essence of leisure with a distinctly 80’s artificial flavor notable through the use of vocoders, and synthesizers. Piper was formed in the early 1980s by guitarist and vocalist Keisuke Yamamoto during the era of City Pop in Japan. Initially, Piper leaned into soft rock with their debut album I’m Not In Love which was inspired by the likes of British bands Camel and Wishbone Ash. However, their second studio album, Summer Breeze, took them in a different direction. Piper was inspired by the sounds of Masayoshi Takanaka, who I mentioned here, as well as the genre of “background music” which resulted in Summer Breeze. The sound of this album is reflected in its namesake: the shimmering sounds of tambourines, Yamamoto’s playful vocals, and the soft trailing synths evoke a warmth. The type of warmth that compels you to soak up the sun on a beautiful day. Some other worthwhile mentions of Summer Breeze include “Hot Sand” and “Summer Breeze.” 

Before cherry blossom season draws to a close, I hope you take a moment to listen to one or two of these springtime tunes! You can find the playlist featuring all the songs mentioned in this article as well as songs mentioned in last year’s article  linked below:

​​https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHXA68nX1O0ZNJOl3nfUzxfnNh8O_Y64W 

Cover Image:  Cherry Blossoms by Tidal Basin, 2023

Sareena Dubey is an M.A. student in the Global, International, and Comparative History program. Her focus is on long-term immigrant settlements in the West originating from South and Southeast Asia.  Her research specifically explores the resulting cultural practices, intra-ethnic hierarchies, social movements, and outside interventions on and within these communities. In her free time she enjoys collecting records, and cuddling with her dachshund called Disco.