Chris Swanson’s Song of the Month: Caroline Crawford “Riding on Your Love”

Little substantial information exists about Caroline Crawford, but in this case I’ll use my ignorance as an advantage.  The lack of a factual framework only gives me more space to mythologize as to the origin of that voice, and to co-author a context worthy of the dreamy journey on which “Riding On Your Love” takes me. This is a song that I strap myself in for when cueing up—not due to its velocity or power, but because anchoring my body down in some fashion allows my senses to soar. What fun is a kite, after all, if not tied to a child’s wrist?

Produced and written in 1978 by Bohannon (most known for a namecheck in Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love”), “Riding,” like Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You,” occupies that cosmic nexus of soul, funk and slow disco.  Atmosphere is king, the lighting is impeccable, the snifter overflows, and the joints are pre-rolled.  The dance floor is surrounded by cushy couches on which to spread out and lie down: this is not an incongruity, but a balance. When we boogie to this song, we do so with sensual abandon —eyes closed, head back, shoulders rolling, arms swaying and fingers wiggling like bait in a fresh-stocked stream.

The guitar comes not from the speakers as much as from the walls, the drums & bass from the floor and the vocals from the chandelier. Crawford’s not here to tell a story, at least not the type that we’re accustomed to hearing. Her minimal lyrics interweave with wordless vocalizing to form an impressionistic, trance-inducing aria. That the song occupies space in the way that it does is a testament to Bohannon’s genius. That it fills the room with presence — the kind that never requires a second introduction — is a testament to Crawford’s.

Do stop by. I’ll be here all night.

Ed. Note: Chris Swanson comes to us from within the marble-lined confines of Dead Oceans/Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian HQ in lovely Bloomington, Indiana to present his song of the month. Here’s last month’s entry.

Filed under: Bohannon  Caroline Crawford  Chris Swanson