One of the drawbacks of dating a Chinese girl is that she doesn’t really know or appreciate older music. This is a pity, because many of my “balls-deep anthems” are old-school R&B songs from the nineties. Sometimes I sing old songs and she tells me to stop; the furthest I can go back is “Let Me Love You” by Mario. I will have to be satisfied with that, great cooking, and the best companionship I can ask for.
Still, I would like to share my eight favorite throwback jams from the nineties. Feel free to argue about how my taste sucks or how I left out your favorite in the comments section.
Mint Condition – “Breakin’ My Heart” (Pretty Brown Eyes)
Mint Condition’s “Breakin’ My Heart” has a great rhythm that is great for digging into them wallz. The bassline builds in the background as the song progresses, which makes it excellent for building a steady rhythm while you’re pumping your girl. If you want a song to give your girl good long thrusts in the missionary position, then this is the song for you.
Johnny Gill – “My, My, My”
Rumor has it that Johnny Gill is gay, but much like Luthor Vandross, his songs are tools of the straight man’s arsenal. His best song, in my opinion, is “My, My, My.” The sultry saxophone at the beginning of this 1990 release sets the mood for messing up the covers and tangling one’s body with that of their lover. The extended version that includes the reprise is my favorite. Try not to bust too early, fellows.
Brian McKnight – “Back at One”
Before Brian McKnight started singing about porn sites, he sang songs that made real people get it on. This is a song that I would listen to a lot back in grade school since the video got a lot of play on BET and MTV in the afternoons. In 1999, I just saw it as a good song with a scary music video. Now, it is one of my goto songs in and out of the bedroom for pleasing women. I will still switch the track if this song comes on while I’m on a plane though.
TLC – “Red Light Special”
Generally speaking, I prefer the work of male singers, but TLC’s “Red Light Special” is an exception. This hit single from their 1995 album, CrazySexyCool features seductive vocals that are perfect for foreplay, or if you want to give the lady some control in the bedroom. As a side note, I remember getting in trouble for singing this song as a little kid in elementary school. The “take off my clothes” part earned me time on the wall at lunch in those days.
K-Ci & JoJo – “All My Life”
One of K-Ci and JoJo’s most popular songs is 1997’s “All My Life.” I have yet to employ this song in the bedroom, and I likely never will; it just doesn’t fit the mood for me. It still makes my list as one of the greatest R&B song of the nineties, however, and I have used it at karaoke or when just singing to girls. Japanese girls knew it, Chinese girls thought that I made it up myself and were very impressed. That impression was lost when they asked me to “make up” a song for them, and I could not deliver.
Tyrese – “Sweet Lady”
Before Tyrese waged war against the Decepticons, he encouraged us to make love with his smooth R&B jams. “Sweet Lady” was released in 1998, a time that I was listening to Busta Rhymes and Master P. It took a decade later and an introduction to an active sex life for me to appreciate this song. The bassline makes it easy to build a good rhythm for penetrating my girl, and while I typically do not pay close attention to the lyrics of bedroom songs, the words to this one add more meaning to sex with a woman that I am committed to.
Silk – “Freak Me”
The stereotype is that Black men don’t eat pussy. Like many Black stereotypes and cultural norms, that is one that I defy. Silk’s 1993 release, “Freak Me,” dominated the R&B charts throughout that calendar year. Surprisingly, it was still in the top 40 at the end of the decade. Not surprisingly, it is still a bedroom classic and one of my favorites for foreplay. I never ask my girl to “let me lick her up and down” though; spontaneity is more effective.
Joe – “I Wanna Know”
I heard this song a lot on the radio in 1999 when it came out, but I never knew who sang it. In fact, I didn’t know the artist, Joe, by name until I saw him on a live stream in Japan a few years back. This is another song where the lyrics have meaning in the bedroom, and it is more than just the rhythm that gets the job done. It is a bit fast for my liking, so I wouldn’t put it at the start of a boning playlist.
Music in the bedroom can help to spice things up, and in my opinion, nineties R&B fits the mood like no other genre. Go ahead and share some of your favorite songs and moments in the comments section!