To ask you to help me find a song

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

This is driving me bloody potty.

Has anyone watched that David Bowie documentary called Five Years? It's on Netflix. Charting 5 years of his career in the 70s. My favourite album of his is Young Americans. I LOVE that album and the whole musical genre. There is a clip in the documentary where he goes to San Francisco to meet some singers and musicians - one of them being Luther Vandross, who becomes his backing singer.

In the clip he sits and listens to a song that is being performed for him in a small studio. He is singing along to bits of it and at the end he claps. I can't make out much of the song but the bits I can hear are amazing, and I want to find the song he is listening to. I'm not even sure if the song they are performing was ever released but it's likely to have been.

How the hell am I going to find out what the song was called? It's driving me insane! I'll never find it will I?

Is there enough of the song playing without other interference to catch it on Shazam ?

Have you tried watching with subtitles on? They often say the name of songs.

Do film makers not have to give credit in the end to any music played during the feature, even background music? Worth checking the credits for anything that could fit?

it's "Right" from Young americans.

Isn't "Right" when he's performing with Luther Vandross and his other singers? This is before that. When David is just sat listening, smoking and sorting of jamming along to it.

Tried with subtitles. It just says "soul music".

It's a similar tempo to "Right" but the tiny snippet of lyrics is different. I don't think it's "Right" unless it's a very early approximation of it.

Nothing on the subtitles. Thanks for all your suggestions. I might have to resign myself to failure on this one.

Are you talking about the bit at around 13.20 ish?

Yes that's the bit!

(And thank you for taking the time to find it)

Played it over and over - I agree it's not "Right" (the song) at all - totally different song, but I can't place it - sorry. Annoyingly, it's also not clear if that is in Philly or New York, but fairly sure it's not SF.

You're right - I don't know why I thought it was San Fran. I think two of his would-be backing singers are performing. It could be an informal session / audition.

I can hear a few snippets of lyrics but not enough to place it. For all I know the song could have been impromptu and not even released as a record.

Thanks so much for trying. I was expecting any responses to this at all!

Shazam

so we are looking at Luther Vandross early stuff?

All I know is that this was a cool documentary !

There are some Young Americans out takes available - might be one of those??

www.davidbowieworld.nl/mijn-bootlegs-2-2/outtakes-promo/attachment/david-bowie-never-no-turning-back/

Loved those outtakes Pistachio but don't think any of them are the song.

But from the text underneath: "At the end of the first leg of the Diamond Dogs tour and armed with some new material, David Bowie booked into Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios in August 1974 to lay down some tracks for a new album."

I think the song was performed at one of these sessions. A demo of soul music performed for him rather than by him.

Norma I think Vandross was there but I don't think its specifically his early work, but certainly he was one of the backing singers.

I feel like I might be a step closer somehow. I might not give up just yet.

Will Google those Philly sessions and see if anything turns up.

Iwanna isn't it just? Awesome doc.

No result on Shazam.

Have you tried googling the sections of lyrics that you heard, in speech marks? Worth a go...maybe.

I can't make out any of the lyrics properly - a few references to love here and there but nothing concrete. I can't work out what the other lyrics are but there are few snippets of words.

I've tried to find that clip of him listening to the music but I can only find it on that documentary. I wonder where the clip is from. Will check the credits.

Nothing obvious in credits.

She seems to be singing "maybe it's....." something something and then "maybe it's..." something something again, and then the voiceover of David talking. I can't make it out.

This is turning in to a bit of a quest.

I tried soundhound but it couldnt pick anything up I'm afraid. I like the song too but wonder if it was just something played in the studio...

I believe it's called maybe its love / maybe it's the love, performed by Ava Cherry. Possible Luther Vandross song. But I cannot for the life of me find a link

Oh my God.

We're so close! I googled Maybe it's the Love by Ava Cherry and found a link to someone else asking about this song from the documentary. It says

Robin Clark, Diane Sumler, Ava Cherry, Anthony Hinton and Luther Vandross, backed by the Garson Band. - Maybe It's The Love

There is a link to a YouTube clip but the link doesn't work!!

I'm pretty much in tears. I didn't think I'd find the song and it's just amazing that you've all been so willing to help me. Investigative minds, that's all I can say.

Time to do more googling and see what springs up. Will try the Luther Vandross route.