Soundtrack — A Black Music Month tribute to the songs that shaped my memories — “Finally”

“Finally” (C. Peniston, F. Delgado, E.L. Linnear, and R. Jackson) is the 1991 debut single by American musician CeCe Peniston from her debut album, Finally. “Finally” became Peniston’s first (and biggest) hit song, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1992 and becoming her only US top-ten hit to date. Prior to that, the track was a major success on the US Dance charts, where it spent two weeks at number one in late 1991. Fun Fact: Peniston claims to have written the lyrics during a chemistry class at Phoenix College.

The year was 1980-whatever — I rummaged through my mother’s cassette collection to find the perfect song to break in my new Walkman. The needle on my triple hand me down record player had broken for the last time, scratched clean across my California Raisin’s album, signed, sealed, delivered to the trash can. My mom’s cassettes were cooler than all of my albums combined. I ran my tiny fingers across the colorful adult-palm-sized cases that I could hardly read and picked the brightest one.

I Finally received my very own cassette in the fall of 1991 — CeCe Peniston’s debut album. I was so into the music that I would blare volume directly into my ears. In my mom’s eyes, this was the perfect distraction for me. She was able to bring me along to all of the places she had to go without worry that I’d be in her adult business. I played that cassette until my fingers erased the white lettering on it.

CeCe Peniston claims she checked out during chemistry class to write the title track. I checked out of everything to listen to it, rewind, listen again, repeat. My ears remained cupped by the foam and plastic headset during a full day of doctor visits for my mom in which the same prescription was given at least three times. I kept the music going as we visited multiple pharmacies.