DeBarge

🎶 1980s R&B Soul Radio – Mix 1 🎶

Step back in time to the smoothest sounds of 1980s R&B and Soul!
Growing up, these songs ruled the airwaves from 1980 to 1989.

I’m bringing you my personal mix of hits, deep cuts, and forgotten gems that defined an era.
From funky rhythmic grooves to classic slow jams, this is the sound of real radio.

Back when DJs set the vibe, and the music told a story.
Hit play, turn up the volume, and let’s relive the magic of ‘80s R&B!

In other words, welcome back to the 80s.

00:00:00 1 Zyon.Seven.Radio
00:00:18 2 Luther Vandross – Never Too Much ’89 Remix
00:05:35 3 The Jacksons – Can You Feel It
00:11:28 4 Five Star – Let Me Be the One
00:15:59 5 Zyon.Seven.Radio
00:16:08 6 DeBarge – All This Love
00:21:54 7 DeBarge – Time Will Reveal
00:25:49 8 Zyon.Seven.Radio
00:25:53 9 DeBarge – Love Me In A Special Way
00:30:08 10 Cherrelle, Alexander O’Neal – Saturday Love – 12″ Extended Version
00:38:41 11 Bobby Brown – Every Little Step – Extended Version
00:46:25 12 Whitney Houston – You Give Good Love
00:50:57 13 Prince – When Doves Cry
00:56:47 14 Karyn White – The Way You Love Me – 12″ Hype Remix
01:04:04 15 The Isley Brothers – Between the Sheets
01:09:38 16 Loose Ends – Hangin’ On A String (Contemplating)
01:15:19 17 Patrice Rushen – Forget Me Nots
01:20:00 18 Shirley Murdock – As We Lay
01:25:51 19 Stevie Wonder – That Girl
01:30:57 20 Cameo – Word Up! – Extended Version
01:36:39 21 Sade – Smooth Operator
01:41:31 22 Mtume – Juicy Fruit
01:47:11 23 Rick James – Cold Blooded
01:52:56 24 Surface – Happy

There’s something about this song that just feels… honest. No gimmicks. No overproduction. Just pure emotion riding on top of that groove. And then that voice comes in…

Bobby DeBarge.

Man… the first time I heard his falsetto, I had to stop whatever I was doing. I’m serious. I wasn’t ready for it. That tone was so clean, so effortless, it almost didn’t feel real. And if you know, you know… it hits you the same way El DeBarge’s voice does. That family DNA was something different. Special. Rare.

What’s wild is… I actually learned about DeBarge before I really dug into Switch. So when I circled back and heard this, it felt like discovering the origin story. Like… ohhh… this is where that magic started.

And Bobby… he wasn’t just singing. He was feeling. You can hear it all over this record. There’s a vulnerability in his voice that you don’t get from everybody. It’s almost like he’s telling you something personal without saying it directly.

Now let’s be real for a second. Bobby’s story didn’t end the way it should have. Talented. Gifted. Beautiful voice. But life… life wasn’t kind to him.

There were struggles. Addiction. Pain behind the scenes that most people didn’t see until it was too late.

And yeah… there were rumors about him. About who he was, who he loved. And honestly? That never mattered to me. Not then, not now. If anything, it adds another layer to that voice. Because sometimes the people carrying the most inside of them… sing the deepest.

Now here’s the part that makes this song mine.
I got a cousin… Shorty. Old soul. Loves the oldies. And years ago, I put him on to this track. Just casually like, “Hey… listen to this.”

Big mistake. 😄

Because now… every single time he hears it, my phone goes off.

“Yo… this your song!”

And the funny part? He literally just texted me about it a few days ago.

I’m not even joking. Same song. Same energy. Same connection.
And that’s when it hit me

I’ve been doing this my whole life. Sharing music. Passing songs around like memories. Like little pieces of myself. Because for me, music has always been personal.

There are songs for certain people.
Songs for certain moments.
Songs that mark chapters in your life whether you realize it or not.

And this right here… this is one of those songs.
Not just because of how it sounds.
But because of who it connects me to.

That’s the real soundtrack.

1980s R&B Soul Radio – Mix 1

Switch – I Call Your Name – 1979