As one would expect, the beginning of the 1990s brought forth a lot of popular music that was sort of the same thing you'd expect from 1989: slick, lightweight tunes, some with a dance-pop mentality, others with New Jack influences, or something else just as non-threatening. This was what AC radio did best – happy fluff to get you through your day.
The Calloway boys were a good example of this slick sound, since both Reggie and Vincent had been around since the early 1980s as founders of Midnight Star, best remembered for the impressively popular Freak-A-Zoid and Operator singles. By 1986, the Calloways had departed for greener – and solo – pastures, resurfacing on the dance floor in the early 1990s with their biggest and most recognizable hit, I Wanna Be Rich. But what happened? Why did the song get too old too fast? Sure, it was a positive bit of wishful thinking and recorded with the best intentions but part of the problem may have been that after being told, "I wanna be rich" for so long, you often want to know something else. Those stations I listened to probably over-saturated the song to the point listeners didn't care to hear about their fiscal desires and admirations anymore. Other singles were released, I've read, and another album hit store shelves but the boys soon began to hone their productions skills on a full time basis. Perhaps wishing they had indeed gotten rich, maybe?
Actually, the one thing that always bothered me about the song was how I first heard it. For whatever reason, the staff of FM-93 liked to remind listeners they were, in fact, listening to FM-93. A lot of the listeners probably already knew what they were listening to but what could we do? Besides the onslaught of station liners you heard throughout the day, the station often would incorporate subtle hints into songs...subliminal almost, if you will. For this song, the station utilized some hefty production skills, recording a snippet of vocal track, and inserting that into the actual song. Everyone listening to FM-93, instead of being told, "my favorite number is one, two, three," heard Calloway essentially promote the station, with "my favorite number is ninety-three."
It wasn't until years later I finally heard the song on another station and did a double take – Calloway's favorite number had changed! How? Why? Well, the first thing I thought of was how what became staples of 1990's music had killed FM-93. That, and the long-defunct station must have spent some major money to pay someone to sound just like Calloway.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
I Wanna Be Rich
(Reggie Calloway/Vincent Calloway/Melvin Gentry/Belinda Lipscomb)
Calloway
From the album All the Way
1990
Cash cold that's what I need
These bill collectors they ring my phone
They bother me when I'm not at home
Ain't go no time to be fooling round
Feel touch the floors and I get on down, you see
Chorus:
I want money lots and lots of money
I want the pie in the sky
I want money lots and lots of money
So don't be asking me why
I wanna be rich oh
I wanna be rich
I wanna be rich oh
I wanna be rich
I want my cake wanna eat it too
I want the stars and the silver moon
I spend my money of lottery
My favorite number is one-two-three, you see
Chorus
Everyway rich
Love peace and happiness
I want all the things that lovers do
A pocketfull of dreams come true
Everything you can not find
Want you by my side?
That keep you satisfied and rich
Here is what you gonna do
Say oh I say uh uh
Got to be baby
I just wanna be rich
I just wanna be, just wanna be
Cause baby
Chorus
Be rich I wanna be rich
I know what I mean baby
Everyday and everyway
Play baby there is lots for everyone
