Rick James Songs Ranked
James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in his teen years. He was in various bands before entering the U.S. Navy to avoid being drafted into the army. In 1964, James deserted to Toronto, Canada, where he formed the rock band the Mynah Birds, who eventually signed a recording deal with Motown Records in 1966. James’ career with the group halted after military authorities discovered his whereabouts and eventually convicted and sentenced James to a one-year prison term related to the desertion charges. After being released, James moved to California, where he started a variety of rock and funk groups in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 2004, James’s career returned to mainstream pop culture after he appeared in an episode of Chappelle’s Show. The segment involved a Charlie Murphy True Hollywood Stories–style skit that satirized James’ wild lifestyle in the 1980s. This resulted in a renewed interest in his music and that year he returned to perform on the road. James died later that year from heart failure at age 56. Here are all of Rick James’s songs ranked.
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20. Call Me Up (Street Songs, 1981)
“The music like a kinkier version of Chic: part Funk, part Disco, part Soul, and all about the lovin’. Look at that damn boots! I dig the bass playing by James, especially during “Call Me Up”. I’m going to add that to my list of things to learn how to play on the bass.”
19. She Blew My Mind (69 Times) (Throwin’ Down, 1982)
“As outrageous as the man on the cover himself. I think of it as the quintessential Rick James record, and perhaps of the whole 80s synth-flavoured funk on the whole… except for the soul ballads — Rick always made them unbearably cheesy — but thankfully, they are not aplenty here.”
18. Fool On the Street (Bustin’ Out of L Seven, 1979)
“Fool on the Street” is one of the best songs in his catalog, starting off as a soulful dance song and turning into a latin jazz jam that leaves you wanting more. “
17. High On Your Love Suite (Bustin’ Out of L Seven, 1979)
“‘High On Your Love Suite’ morphs mid track to a latin-esque jam for ‘One Mo Hit’ – a technique repeated on the closing ‘Fool On The Street’.”
See more: Rick James Albums Ranked
16. Throwdown (Throwin’ Down, 1982)
“Throwin’ Down is littered with songs that will make you to want to dance and there are songs on here that will make you want to make love to your significant other.”
15. Mr. Policeman! (Street Songs, 1981)
“This song is a memory of my past I thank the seller for making it possible for me to rebuild my lost music library”
14. Big Time (Garden of Love, 1980)
“Probably his most underrated release.Although there are none of the funk classics he was known for,or any classic Teena Marie duets , This album has a great laid-back , summertime groove to it.Truly mellow.”
13. Hard to Get (Throwin’ Down, 1982)
“By 1982, James was smoking crack on the regular. He’d released five excellent albums in four years. So he’d be forgiven if album #6 was a mess… But it isn’t. James was a mad man, but he was also madly creative: this is the man at his funkin’ best, with hard grooves, raunchy vocals and sexy synths.”
12. Love Gun (Fire It Up, 1979)
“Oh, the days of disco and dance music couldn’t survive without Rick James! A must for your music collection of the sound of those times.”
11. Bustin Out (Bustin’ Out of L Seven, 1979)
“This is one of Rick’s funkiest #1hits. I could jam it over and over. Everyone should check it out. You won’t be disappointed and the groove will definitely keep you movin.”
10. You and I (Come Get It!, 1978)
“There are some great parts here. The opening guitar line is nifty. The “doo doo doo” backing vocals are pleasant disco. The song proper is really good deep funk. Rick’s tossed-off asides – “I don’t care” – are awesome. And everybody gets to shake their booty down during the fade. But somehow all these parts don’t seem to add up correctly. With all that going for it, this song should be killer, but instead it’s just very good.”
9. Ghetto Life (Street Songs, 1981)
“This is why this guy was so much better than Prince and Bruce Springsteen. He lived the life and sang about it. A perfectly serviceable funk/disco outing from the late Rick James here.”
8. Fire and Desire (Street Songs, 1981)
“Rick James and Teena Marie this was great song. It game me chills the range and greatness of their voices. the best romantic song I’ve ever heard with him and Tina Marie awesome singers is still saying like they’re still alive today I just love both of them and I always will love this song!”
7. Hollywood (Come Get It!, 1978)
“I can take or leave Rick James ballads, but it’s fair to say that the two included here are better than many that followed, with the long ‘Hollywood’ transforming into a lite reggae jam for the last couple of minutes.”
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6. Glow (Glow, 1985)
“I am a stone cold die hard Rick James fan and this has always been number one in my collection. Rick’s the man, king of punk funk. There was never a day I listen to his song”
5. Cold Blooded (Cold Blooded, 1983)
“The song is a fine example of synth funk. While we’re on it, this is probably the last great single released on a Motown label. But if we’re honest, we remember this song because of Dave Chappelle.”
4. Spend the Night With Me (Glow, 1985)
“One of his best song cool lyrics and just a ground sound. Sound like an actual true story. Great song! Danny plays a wicked sax on this one. One of Rick Jame’ best.
3. Mary Jane (Come Get It!, 1978)
“They’re not funky nonsense per se, but essentially funky fluff. The show-stealer is the juicy three-part instrumentation, composition- and sound-wise: the dramatic string opening/segue, the sunny flute melody backing verses and chorus, and finally James’ ultra-funky guitar outro.”
2. Give It to Me Baby (Street Songs, 1981)
“When you listen to some Prince, Michael Jackson, and Red Hot Chilli Pepper Tunes you say wow they were really influenced by Rick, and in the case of Prince copied his act. The most memorable Rick Jame’s song we all were looking for, hands down baby! Probably the best baseline in music history.”
1. Super Freak (Street Songs, 1981)
“The disco era has become so enmeshed with the 1970s in popular mythology that people often forget that the disco era didn’t really end until around 1982 at the earliest. Some of the most famous of all disco songs were released in the 1980s.”