Corinne Bailey Rae\u2019s signature tune is undoubtedly \u201cPut Your Records On,\u201d which mixes folksy lullabies and ear-worm pop hooks with soulful, jazzy sensibilities. But the craving ballad \u201cDo You Ever Think of Me\u201d from 2016\u2019s The Heart Speaks in Whispers<\/em> is simply as exceptional. Connecting soul music\u2019s previous with its current, this track interpolates the melody of Curtis Mayfield\u2019s \u201cThe Makings of You.\u201d But whereas Mayfield\u2019s beautiful melody shapes the early elements of \u201cDo You Ever Think of Me,\u201d Bailey Rae in the end diverts from it. Her dulcet, supple voice guides the listener to an prolonged outro with hypnotic repetitions of the title lyric.<\/p>\n Bailey Rae co-wrote the track with Valerie Simpson<\/a><\/strong> of famed recording and songwriting duo Ashford and Simpson<\/a><\/strong>. With her late husband Nickolas Ashford, Simpson wrote stone-cold classics for the likes of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (\u201cAin\u2019t No Mountain High Enough<\/a><\/strong>\u201d) Diana Ross<\/a><\/strong> (\u201cThe Boss\u201d), and Chaka Khan<\/a><\/strong> (\u201cI\u2019m Every Woman\u201d). Having already met some years prior at Ashford and Simpson\u2019s Sugar Bar membership in New York City, Bailey Rae and Simpson mentioned collaborating after crossing paths at a MusiCares live performance in 2015. They bonded over their shared experiences of loss and tragedy: Bailey Rae\u2019s first husband Jason Rae died in 2008 after an unintended overdose, whereas Simpson misplaced her husband in 2011 to throat most cancers.<\/p>\n Speaking to MOJO<\/em> in 2016, Bailey Rae recalled receiving an e-mail from Simpson after first taking part in her \u201cDo You Ever Think of Me\u201d. \u201c[Valerie had] attached a file of her singing my song, but her version of the song, adding her own lyrics, and these amazing piano chords under where she sang \u2018Why did it have to end?\u2019 She\u2019d smashed it,\u201d Bailey Rae says. They completed writing the track at Simpson\u2019s house.<\/p>\n \u201cIt touched my heart because it was the first time I had attempted to partner with somebody [other than] my late husband,\u201d Simpson informed me in an interview. She famous how Bailey Rae\u2019s voice has the same \u201csweetness\u201d to Mayfield\u2019s. \u201cIt can be soft and sensual and strong and soulful,\u201d she defined, reflecting fondly on when she carried out the track with Bailey Rae in New York City.<\/p>\n \u201cDo You Ever Think of Me\u201d is the product of an intergenerational dialogue: A key protagonist of Twenty first-century soul music becoming a member of forces with one of many style\u2019s veteran songwriters, whereas honoring the work of one other soul legend. The outcomes are magical.<\/p>\n