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
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Great sound! ❤️✨💯
Mink DeVille – now, here’s a name I hadn’t heard in ages. I absolutely loved their hit “Each Word’s a Beat of My Heart” and still do! It never occurred to me to compare them to Springsteen or Southside Johnny but, man, you’re 100% right!
I don’t recall having heard “Love & Emotion” before – also a great and, yes, Springsteen-esque song! It even has “Big Man” saxophone action. Very neat pick up, Max!
I will have to write down Mink DeVille’s name – and Willy De Ville, for that matter! 🙂
Hey dude! Great to have you back!
Really great track and fun to listen to. Look up a song called Spanish Stroll…it’s really good as well.
Thanks! I covered “Spanish Stroll” as part of my Sunday series in August 2023 and just listened it again to refresh my memory – love it! 🙂
He was an interesting guy no doubt. Other artists like Dylan, Peter Wolf love him.
Yep, definitely worthwhile exploring. To date, I’ve only listened to a handful of his songs. I recall my German music buddy Gerd thinks highly of him.
Dylan came out and said…he should be in the Hall of Fame….for Bob just to up and say something like that…is something. His stuff is consistent.
Like Christian this is a real blast from the past for me. Can’t recall the last time I heard one of their songs. Great to get reacquainted!!
I started to listen to them this past week again…I keep using the word feel…but Willy DeVille has his own style for sure.
The tenor sax tone on the intro sure sounds like Clarence Clemons.
I should have credited the guy….it was Louis Cortelezzi….but I agree…it does sound like Clemons.
My favorite track by Willie De Ville is him singing Storybook Love from The Princess Bride. What a talent, what a voice.
Thanks Arthur….that is great!
Spanish Stroll is just great
Yes it is…that is the first song I knew by them.
Same with me Max
Yeah, it is such a sassy strutty song.
I quite like that. Hard to classify but you’re right, it has a bit of a club feel to it
It has that New Jersey sound to me…of Southside Johnny and early Springsteen…but a touch different.
Very nice. I have been aware of him for years and the critical acclaim he got, but haven’t really taken the time to listen to a lot. Definitely has a Springsteen vibe as you said. I must check out more.
They/he are worth it…the songs are so comfortable to hear…I like the late night bar/club feel they have.
Kitsch and coke, love and LSD: Willy DeVille has gone through everything that a real rock star has to go through.
Yes he did…all except the fame part. The more I read about him…the more intriguing he is.
I saw Willy DeVille several times on stage. “Heaven Stood Still” is a good documentary about him.
Thank you…I will check that out.
One Love 🎧
Yet another in the pantheon of ‘the stars just never quite aligned for him.’ He had it all but somehow stayed stuck on that ‘oh yeah, I remember him’… level. The music biz is a f f f fickle one.
Yes it is…the guy was magnetic and could write songs…he had the talent but just no fame.
Remember the name but not the music. The first video wins me over. His style, his voice, his passion.
He did have a lot of passion. Other artists love him and I can see why.
I just read your comment about Bob Dylan wanting him in the R&RHoF. That’s enough for me.
Yea…Bob doesn’t mention stuff like that…so yea…sold!
Ate this up back in the day and have stuck with Willy along the way. The music is timeless to me. And yes Max this song and album creates a certain emotion. What a great band it was.
Yes it was CB. The emotion he gives out alone is incredible. I want to catch that doc that Fox mentioned…”Heaven Stood Still”
Its good. he hooked up with Dr John and hung around New Orleans i think near the end of his life.
Something about him…he might not have been huge fame wise…but he has a lot of devoted fans out there that love him. To see what people that saw him say…a magnetic person to see on stage.
Im one of those devoted fans. There’s that one live concert where it captures them at their peak. Music like this speaks to me. It stays with you and continues to deliver. Bands like this just have more to offer for me compared to a lot of more famous comercial bands. Not being contrary it come down to liking the music more. Great stuff Max, Lou, Bruce, Steven, Southside have characters like Willie in their songs. They all drank from the same punch.
I get totally what you are saying about liking them better than some commercial bands. Just because it’s better to you…not because it’s the “hip” thing to do…which I’ve been accused of in real life.
I’m not sure what concert you are talking about but I’m watching one right now in 1982 from Montreux….CB…it’s super…the organ sounds fantastic as they do.
That’s a good one but this is the one I was mentioning. NY. The lighting and atmosphere work for me. Oh ya the music and performance . Mink is king of cool here.
Thanks dude…I’m checking it out now.
Ive only heard the name, definitely lots of early Springsteen in there.
This post captures the tactile pull of Mink DeVille’s sound without over-dressing it. The focus on that opening hook – big, atmospheric, with the sax cutting through like late-night bar light – feels earned rather than obligatory praise. Willy DeVille’s ability to keep a street-corner edge even as the production (courtesy of Jack Nitzsche) smoothed some of the earlier CBGB grit is quietly impressive; the song sits between soul, Latin sway, and rock without collapsing into pastiche.
What registers is the recognition that the music still carries a lived-in quality, the kind that evokes actual places and hours rather than studio polish alone. The contrast between the title’s softness and the delivery’s bite is noted plainly, which suits a track that refuses easy sentiment. It is a solid, unforced appreciation of craft that values atmosphere and grounded performance over spectacle.
The piece slots neatly into the blog’s ongoing conversation with power pop and its cousins, offering another prompt to return to the record rather than treating it as archival curiosity.
Thank you so much I appreciate that! I didn’t know much about this guy a few years ago…I’ve learned quick…what a talent…that should have been known worldwide.
It is exactly how you described it…lived in…and not forced. When that huge sounding intro comes in…it hooks me.
Thank you Christian!