“If you’re going to fill your water bottle with vodka, always make sure you have a friend with a bottle that actually has water in it.”

Artist: Thundercat
Song: “Show You the Way” (feat. Flying Lotus, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins)
Album: Drunk
Year: 2017

Song Meaning

Embracing the light.

Cool-Cat Adult Music

It’s every parent’s dream to impress their music collection upon their offspring. Example: “Ronnie James Dio rocked the souls of millions, and my child must become one of them. He was born to rock because my record collection slays all.”

Twenty-plus years later: “Let me turn the tables on you, father and mother! Let me… ‘Show You the Way.'”

I want to be present for a parent who walks in on their kid listening to this album: “Wait, who is this? That’s not Kenny Loggins, is it? It sounds like Kenny Loggins. Did you go through my old records again?” I don’t know if youngsters listen to Thundercat by choice, but it brings me joy to know that for those that do, they can possibly influence their folks instead of the other way around.

This is such an odd collaboration for a song. But music has the power to bond any and all humans, so it shouldn’t be that surprising. Thundercat actually dreamed of working with Kenny Loggins, which many people thought was a joke. But despite the generational and genre gap, it happened. Michael McDonald was just another dream-come-true bonus; no big deal.

As rebellious as any other jazz/funk artist, Thundercat is among a group of musicians subtly bringing old-school music into new-school pallets. You may have heard him all over Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, which I heard the kids enjoyed. It’s like slipping extra vegetables into taco meat or spaghetti sauce: so wholesome while retaining its goodness!

In short, let us ditch tropical house in favor of more intelligent jazz and soul.

Here is power: All at once, I want to show my parents this song, I want to have babies to this song and I want to tell those babies about this song.

Random Notes

• Artists such as Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Hiatus Kaiyote and Karreim Riggins are doing a great service to modern music. Carry on, ladies and gentlemen.
• The YouTube comments for this song (embedded above) give me hope for the future.
• I appreciate the Dragon Ball Z references on “Tokyo.”