Ever wondered why this song still sounds so good?

It was just the theme to a second-rate, instantly forgettable movie sung by a band with a silly, gimmicky name. Ah, but it was written and produced by Norman Whitfield. This man had been Motown’s most innovative producer in the 60s and 70s but he was notoriously difficult. By 1975, was out of work and out of friends but he wasn’t out of talent. He took this low-budget job but set about it like a craftsman, assembling some very fine session singers whom he hastily christened “Rose Royce”. He backed them with some equally fine musicians, then arranged and produced a worldwide smash. Rose Royce became huge with even bigger Whitfield-produced hits like Wishing on a Star and Love Don’t Live Here Anymore. Whether you’re talking about shirts, sofas or soul music – things last if they’re well-made. And the records Norman Whitfield made, especially this one, seem set to last forever.