What's The Connection? Groovy 1

This Groovy connection runs from sunshine pop to punk to dub to Texas boogie, and the word shows up in every single title whether it earned it or not. Some of these tracks ARE in the groove and many might be groovy, too. Some of them are just using the word the way everyone did for about a decade, like a verbal tic nobody could shake. I always wished I was groovy. I drove a VW bus for a while, which should have qualified me, but I'm not sure I ever really pulled it off. The racing Bug definitely didn't count. What does count is how totally groovy the cover is!

What's The Connection? Groovy 1

01 The Love Generation - Groovy Summertime

02 P.P. Arnold - (If You Think You're) Groovy

03 Classic Example - That's Groovy

04 Harpers Bizarre - The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)

05 Young Fresh Fellows - Where is Groovy Town

06 Winston Groovy - Please Don't Make Me Cry

07 Pillbugs - Neo Mega Quasi Ultra Super Groovy

08 Militant - Hot & Groovy

09 Nancy Sinatra - Your Groovy Self

10 The Farm - Groovy Train

11 Jakie Mitoo - Groovy Spirit

12 Fabulous Caprices - Groovy World

13 Paraffin Jack Flash Ltd. - Blue 'n' Groovy

14 Harmony Grass - What a Groovy Day

15 New Colony Six - Treat Her Groovy

16 Capt. Groovy and his Bubblegum Army - Capt. Groovy and his Bubblegum Army

17 Larry Harlow - That Groovy Shingaling

18 Lollipop Fantasy - It's A Groovy World

19 Ray Johnson - Kinda Groovy

20 Mad Professor With The Robotiks & Lee Scratch Perry - Groovy Dub

21 Phil Collins - A Groovy Kind Of Love

22 The Clash - Groovy Times

23 The Mike Flowers Pops - A Groovy Place

24 ZZ Top - Groovy Little Hippie Pad

What's The Connection? Groove 2

Sixteen more, and the word still isn't tired. This batch runs the full map — rock, funk, reggae, zydeco, soul, and a little something from the bayou — and every single one of them has groove right there in the title where you can see it. Some of these are obvious. Some of them you might not have heard in years, or maybe ever. That's kind of the point. The Salsoul Orchestra will tell you it doesn't have to be funky to be a groove, and honestly, this whole volume proves it. There will be a third connection, eventually. The word has more left in it than I think.

What's The Connection? Groove 2

17 Ace Frehley - New York Groove

18 Talking Heads - Double Groove (Unfinished Outtake)

19 Rodney Franklin - The Groove

20 Skyy - Groove Me

21 Tower Of Power - So I Got to Groove

22 Teena Marie - Behind The Groove

23 Heatwave - The Groove Line

24 Lil Brian And The Zydeco Travelers - It's A Zydeco Groove

25 Paul Carrack - I Live By The Groove

26 Prince - Get Yo Groove On

27 Tiki Tokkers - Global Groove (Hana Hou)

28 Salsoul Orchestra - It Don't Have To Be Funky (To Be A Groove)

29 Bunny Wailer - Rock N Groove

30 Chocolate Milk - Groove City

31 Lee Scratch Perry - (I Got The) Groove

32 System - Don't Disturb This Groove

What's The Connection? Groove 1

Not "groovy." Not "groovin'." Not even "grooves." Just groove — singular, present tense, like it's happening right now, because it is. They aren't all funky. Not all of them are even dancefloor. But every single one of them has that thing — that locked-in, can't-explain-it feeling that makes you close your eyes and nod your head whether you're in a club or your kitchen. That's the groove (at least the word) and it doesn't care what genre you filed it under. I had to start somewhere, and groove felt like the right word to open with. There's a reason it became its own language — musicians talk about being in it, losing it, finding it again. There will be more of these connections, the word is big enough to go a few rounds. But this is where it starts. 

What's The Connection? Groove 1

01 Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart

02 King Floyd - Groove Me

03 Heatwave - Gangsters Of The Groove

04 Madonna - Into The Groove

05 The Tardy Disco-nesians - Grandpa Got The Groove

06 One Way - Mr. Groove

07 MC Hammer - Addams Groove

08 T-Connection - Groove to Get Down

09 Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove

10 Peaches & Herb - Shake Your Groove Thing

11 Heaven 17 - (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang

12 Maceo Parker - Maceo's Groove

13 Archie Bell & the Drells - Let's Groove

14 Led Zeppelin - We're Gonna Groove

15 Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove

16 Isley Brothers - Groove With You