Brides of Funkenstein, "When You're Gone"

To say that this song reminds me of CBS’ classic sitcom, WKRP In Cincinnati, would be a vast understatement. Something about the strings (alternately wan and viscous), and the staggering desperation in Dawn Silva’s and Lynn Mabry’s voices when they sing, “In this world/all of my dreams/one by one/they all fell through”, really captures the sort of febrile weariness I felt while watching re-runs of the show as a kid. I would be lying if I said that, in listening to this song so intently over the past few days, I haven’t imagined intricate scenarios where Loni Anderson’s character, Jennifer Marlowe (covered in the perfume of loneliness), sings this song to a penitent and less sleazy Herb (WKRP’s advertising sales manager) amid a shower of Harvest Gold paint chip confetti (“When You’re Gone”: inspiration for delirious musings).

This is taken from the Brides’ (who were, pre-Funkenstein, backup singers for Sly Stone) 1978 debut LP, Funk Or Walk, produced by George Clinton. “When You’re Gone” is a piñata of a ballad, filled with thick, glossy fragments of guitar, bass (which throbs intermittently in such a big, yearning way), and wistful harmonies.