The single of Lil Louis & The World – I Called U (1990) showcases the much more ambient side of Lil Louis. Electronic music meets the sounds of deep house music on this song. The songs on this Lil Louis single are perfect to dance to. Lil Louis uses electronic instrumental soundscapes on many of these songs on this single.
Here is an outline for the song I Called U.
I Called U (But You Weren't There) is a hilarious electronic song that uses a house soundscape. A piano accompanies the house soundscape along with a saxophone. An Afro-centric percussion ensemble is used. Djembe, shakers, conga, and bongos are used. The vocals are what make the song unique along with the Afro-centric percussion which is used.
The song is about an ex-lover trying to get back into Lil Louis’ life by stalking him. She continuously calls him over the phone. She gets into his business by stalking him every chance. Some call this song the “ballad of the psycho ex-girlfriend”. The vocals are what make the song unique. The song is definitely something that the guys can definitely relate to.
The song begins with a telephone ringing. Lil Louis picks up the telephone to answer whoever is calling. A man in the back asks Louis if that is another prank call. Read the lyrics below.:
Lil Louis: Hello....hello?
Man in the background: Louis, is that another crank call?)
Lil Louis: No, I know who it is.
*Lil Louis hang up the telephone*
Apparently an ex-lover is stalking Lil Louis wondering about his whereabouts. It is a female who calls him again. She questions where did he go. Her response was “I called you but you weren’t there.” . Lil Louis tells her “I was out taking care of business.” . She proceeds to tell him she was following him in her blue car. She asks “Why can’t we start again?”
Lil Louis clearly does not want anything to do with her. If you listen closely to her vocals over the phone, she sounds as if she were drunk. Some call this song the “ballad of the psycho ex-girlfriend”.
I Called U (But You Weren't There) charted at #16 on the BillBoard in the UK in January 1990 and at #23 in Ireland in January 1990. I Called U (But You Weren't There) also charted at #48 on the BillBoard in Belgium in March 1990. The song was a hit in several European countries in 1990.
Now the US version of the 12” vinyl single for Lil Louis & The World – I Called U has the following songs: I Called U (The Conversation), I Called U (But U Went To The Party), I Called U (The Story Continues), I Called U (A Series Of Events), and I Called U (Why'd U Fall). The Spanish version and Portuguese version include the same songs as well.
I Called U (The Conversation) is a remixed instrumental of I Called U and is the upbeat rhythmic dance floor song you would hear at a party or club! Three words to describe this are upbeat, funky, and rhythmic. This song defines the sound of Chicago house. As soon as the bass drop and horns sound, you know it’s time to dance! This is one of those timeless club bangers that is still considered fresh today!
This song is also very jazzy and smooth. What particularly makes this song jazzy is the saxophone being used throughout this song at various times simultaneously.
I Called U (But U Went To The Party) is where things start to get dark. His ex-girlfriend realizes he want to the party. She begins to stalk Lil Louis again.
His ex-girlfriend is trying to figure out if he hung up one her. She then says, “Let me call this black African-American negro back.” She calls him back again. However instead of Lil Louis picking up to answer her call, she hears a busy signal. She knows he didn’t leave. She sighs in tiredness wonder where he went.
Could Lil Louis be at the tunnel? The Fridge? High On Hope? She questions and wonder if Lil Louis is at various clubs scattered in Chicago. Soon she figures out what club is Lil Louis is at. She says, “No. He’s at The Wildlife. Let me visit him.” She goes to The Wildlife in her blue car to visit him.
Now the song transitions into The Wildlife. A man who calls Lil Louis’ name tells him his ex-girlfriend is right behind him. Lil Louis responds back by saying, “Damn.” She tells him, “I called you, but you were at the party.” A man tells her to leave Lil Louis alone. She tells the man “Never.”
Lil Louis concludes, “Damn sista got screwed up because she got screwed. Wish she hadn’t done it but she did and got caught with her drawers down. Crawling from the attic. Tea and cream drinking.” It is revealed she did not get any sleep at all last night.
The song ends with her vandalizing his car. She goes to the parking lot. She says, “I can’t have him now. So I’ll vandalize his car.” She vandalizes his car by breaking all the glass windows.
I Called U (The Story Continues) a bass remix of I Called U. This remix has much heavier bass incorporated into the song. I Called U (The Story Continues) is another remixed instrumental of I Called U. The song is classy house music with a jazzy vibe and touch due to the saxophone used. The saxophone follows the beats on a 4|4 time signature. I Called U (The Story Continues) incorporates the same bass lines and beats from I Called U (Why'd U Fall).
I Called U (A Series Of Events) is followed by a series of events related to Lil Louis and his ex-girlfriend who is a stalker. She puts him through a series of unpredictable events much to his own chargin. He is in disbelief that she is still going after him.
I Called U (Why'd U Fall) follows up to I Called U (A Series Of Events). Lil Louis experiments with the auto-wah sound effect by using blips and synths in the process. I Called U (Why'd U Fall) is classic acid house music. I Called U (Why'd U Fall) was heavily influenced and inspired by the sounds of EDM. The song gets repetitive fairly quick. This is one of those songs that will get stuck in your head. The song I Called U (Why'd U Fall) is an absolute house classic.
The beginning of the song is where Lil Louis tells his ex-girlfriend, “Wait a minute. If you were going to yield to temptation, then why’d you fall for me? Do you hear me?”
Notice how the dial tones from the telephone are panned from left channel to right channel to center. The dial tone is off beat but has a reoccurring melody. Listen to this song with headphones to have a better understanding.
I Called U (Why'd U Fall) actually got more play on the dance floor in Chicago than I Called U (The Story Continues). This song was the song that got everybody dancing on the dance floor.
I rate this single, 5/5*****!!
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