"You, Me and He" by Mtume

Song#:  2048
Date:  09/15/1984
Debut:  89
Peak:  83
Weeks:  5
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  This band's fourth album, Juicy Fruit, became their biggest hit thanks in part to the LP's #1 R&B title track (#45 Pop). Both the album and the single were certified gold sellers. Now the band had to follow up that success and they did so with their next effort titled You, Me and Him. The title track was issued as the first single and it was another hit for them at R&B getting to #2. However, Pop crossover results weren't as good as their previous hit and the song stalled near the bottom of the chart. While the album would stop short of gold level sales, it was still a solid hit reaching #5 at R&B. This song would be Mtume's last one to reach the Pop chart. They would grab one more R&B Top 10 in 1986 with "Breathless" (#9), but the group would disband after that.

ReduxReview:  This ballad is just a bit too laid back for me. There is not much in the way of a melody either. To me it is just little snippets sewn together with empty pauses. It just all..<pause, pause>..seems so...<pause pause>...disjointed...<pause pause>...and halting. It doesn't flow well at all. There is not much of a hook here either. These are talented folks, so I'm glad it did well for them at R&B, but I was rather disappointed by it.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Mtume's lead singer, Tawatha Agee, went on to a solo career in 1987. Going by just the moniker Tawatha, she recorded her debut album Welcome to My Dream with James Mtume as producer. The album included her first and only Top 10 R&B hit, "Thigh Ride" (#7). Despite the hit, it seems that her solo career hit obstacles and she returned to working behind the scenes as a backup singer. She has been very successful over the years singing background vocals for many artists including David Bowie, Luther Vandross, Celine Dion, Sting, and Aretha Franklin.

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