I was listening to a song on You Tube today which brought back some wonderful memories.
Back in the late 80s and early 90s, before we began broadcasting "Delilah," we aired a successful evening program called "Pillow Talk," which was five hours of love songs, dedications and even some soft jazz.
Sometimes we would play a song that even though it was either not a hit single or only an album cut, we played it because it fit the atmosphere of the show: to relax listeners or perhaps share an emotion with them.
One song we used to play was called "Almaz," sung by Randy Crawford (who incidentally was from Macon). The first time I heard it I thought it was one of the most beautiful melodies I'd ever heard. I found myself singing it to myself all the time.
Supposedly, "Almaz" was written about a couple of refugees who were neighbors of Crawford's. The man asked Crawford to write a song about his wife, who was named Almaz (which means "diamond" in Arabic and a number of other languages). In the song, the singer reflects on their rare form of love. In Crawford's own words, "I witnessed this perfect love affair between them, although she was considerably younger than him. This beautiful couple with their baby. As refugees they were looking for 'a world where love survives.
The song was released as a single around 1989 but it got virtually no radio airplay (well, maybe except for us!) though it was a huge hit going to #2 in Ireland and to #4 in England.
As I played the song today I remembered all the calls we used to get about this song from listeners who loved it too. Because the song was not a hit in America most people never heard it, but here it is if you want to hear it for yourself. Light a candle, turn down the lights, and enjoy!