Soundtrack — A Black Music Month tribute to the songs that shaped my memories — “You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)”
“You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)” is a 1986 song by Jeffrey Osborne from the album Emotional. It was his biggest pop hit when released as a single, reaching #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. On other US charts, “You Should Be Mine” peaked at #2 on both the Hot Black Singles and Adult Contemporary charts. Fun fact: “The Woo Woo Song” is the title in parentheses because his little daughter did not know the exact title, she identified the song saying “Daddy, sing ‘The Woo Woo Song’!” Jeffrey thus affectionately nicknamed the track.
In 1998, I was a 15-year-old soul music loving teen who had just found out that THE Jeffrey Osborne or J.O. was going to have a concert air on HBO, a channel we did not have. I was nearly in tears thinking of ways I might be able to watch when my mom started calling her girlfriends asking if someone could record it for me.
“Sharon,” Mommie said over the corded phone that hung on our yellow kitchen wall. “Do you have HBO? Oh, good. Can you record the Jeffrey Osborne concert for Angel?”
Just then Sharon’s loud voice busted through the receiver. “For Angel,” she yelled in disbelief. “That girl is such an old soul.”
“Yeah, my mom responded. She just thinks he’s so sexy,” she joked.
“No, I don’t,” I yelled embarrassed.
“Lucy,” I could hear Sharon yell my mom’s name through laughter.
“Sharon will bring the tape to you tomorrow,” my mom confirmed.
How I got into J.O., I couldn’t tell you. It was likely on a Saturday morning when WDAS-FM, Philly would play up-tempo oldies. I know the first song I heard Jeffrey’s voice on was LTD’s “Back in Love Again.” But my first favorite song of his was “The Woo Woo Song,” and yes, I could woo, woo, woo. He’s got such a recognizable voice that it didn’t take long for me to piece together his catalog, recording everything on a cassette tape. Poor people can’t just run out and buy albums whenever they want to, so I made do. And soon I’d also have a VHS to watch him perform.
I watched that concert like it was a religious experience for which I needed to learn the ritual. By the end of the following week I knew every word, ad-lib, background vocals, and exactly when to clap, clap… clap, clap. Unfortunately, he wasn’t really touring at the time so my hopes of seeing him live felt so slim.
In late October 2003, I was two years into New Orleans living when the city had finally gotten a basketball team again. My cousin scored box seats and knew no one else who liked basketball more. What she didn’t tell me was who was singing the national anthem. The box was fully stocked with all the food you could eat, and my college student belly was eager to dive in headfirst. As I pushed shrimp after shrimp onto my black, plastic plate, I thought I was hallucinating when the announcer called Jeffrey Osborne’s name. Seconds later, this perfect-diction baritone had me ready to salute a flag for which I never stood. At half time, I dropped an entire tray of nachos in excitement when he returned to sing “You Should Be Mine.” And for years that was the most I ever got of him live, unless you count that time my aunt and I fought over the last copy of his live album at the record store. She settled for a dubbed copy.
My time finally came just ten years ago when my husband, Donney accompanied me to my first Jeffrey Osborne concert, at a casino in Biloxi. As broke 20-somethings we had pretty bad seats at the back of the auditorium, but I was just so happy to be there that it didn’t matter. We sat next to people our parents’ ages who appeared to be amazed by me as I sang along to every single word. I was still a young tender, so I was dressed in a metallic silver halter dress with some bad stilettos on a mission to be seen.
There is a point in the night where J.O. goes out into the audience to choose people to “woo woo woo” with him. I watched two people have their chance next to this amazing man before deciding that I needed my opportunity. No, I can’t sing at all… at all, but I NEEDED to meet Jeffrey. So, I ran from the far left back of the auditorium to the aisle on the far right. When I got to the aisle, I locked eyes with J.O. and began jumping up and down screaming “pick me! pick me, Jeffrey!”
J.O. came towards me, grabbed me into a quick, but tight embrace and handed me the microphone. I belted out like somebody’s drunk auntie and sang the whole chorus before returning the mic. Jeffrey hugged me two more times. When I got back to my seat, embarrassed husband in-tow, the older couple next to us said “That was a once in a lifetime moment!” Through a tearful smile, I agreed, and they had no idea how long I waited for that moment.
Jeffrey was signing CDs after the show, so we got in line. When it was our turn, he jumped up and said, “There she is!” and hugged me once more. We snapped a photo so blurry you can’t even tell there are people in it (I need a twice in a lifetime to do this part over), and he hugged me again. My husband and I then went on our way to eat at a casino restaurant when minutes later in walks Jeffrey Osborne. Still star struck, I giggled all the way through my hamburger.
