Mink DeVille – Love and Emotion

I love this sound they had. It reminds me of old Springsteen and a Southside Johnny New Jersey sound.  They changed through the years, but Willy DeVille kept his own personal sound. The intro is what hooked me on this. It sounds huge starting off, and that sax is just wonderful. I feel like I’m in a smoky bar listening to a great band around midnight. Been there, done that, and it’s awesome. 

Mink DeVille was formed in 1974 in San Francisco, but they are known for their association with punk bands at the New York club CBGB. They would go on to record six albums, and Willy DeVille made 10 albums solo. The band lasted until 1986.

His songs seem to sound like the songs that came from street corners instead of studios. I mean that as a huge compliment. They feel grounded and tangible. This song is from the 1981 album Coup de Grâce, which keeps that feeling going. By this point, Willy DeVille had a mixture of soul, Latin rhythm, and rock and roll that set the band apart. 

By the time Mink DeVille got to Coup de Grâce in 1981, things had shifted. The early CBGB-era lineup was mostly gone, and Willy DeVille was steering the band on his own terms. The sound moved a little further away from the rawer New York street feel of the first records. It was something more controlled, but it was still rooted in soul and R&B.

The album was produced by Jack Nitzsche (Jack Nitzsche said that DeVille was the best singer he had ever worked with), which matters here. Nitzsche had worked with everyone from Phil Spector to the Rolling Stones, and he understood how to build atmosphere. On this song, that approach shows. It’s a smoother album, but it never loses that club feel that Willy DeVille was good at. 

The title suggests something soft, but the delivery has an edge. That contrast was always part of Mink DeVille’s sound. The music sounds older but without sounding like a revival act. The album peaked at #161 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1981. 

Love And Emotion

We walk the street, and I hold your hand
And as we stroll along, I can’t understand
How a love can live
In this desolate land

Broken windows and broken hearts
And you are cheated before you start
Was there ever a chance?
No, there was never a chance

But then your love, love and emotion
Oh, your love, love and emotion
Oh, how your love, love and emotion
Oh, your love sets me free

So everyday at five o’clock
I run down your street to your block
And up five flights of
Up five flights of stairs

And in your laughter, there’s mission bells
Colored lanterns and carousels
And in this hallway is home
No, I’m not so alone

Because your love, love and emotion
Oh, your love, love and emotion
Oh, how your love, love and emotion
Oh, your love sets me free

Oh, how your love, love and emotion
Oh, your love, love and emotion
Oh, how your love, love and emotion
Oh, your love sets me free