#RSFlashback – 40 Years Ago, Patrice Rushen Gave Us the Unforgettable ‘Forget Me Nots’

In what may be one of the most recognizable bass lines of all time, in 1982, Patrice Rushen had us all moving and clapping along to her dance-funk classic, “Forget Me Nots.” Appearing on her seventh album Straight From The Heart, the song showcased a significant change in style for the jazz/R&B singer.

Rushen wrote the track along with Terri McFaddin and Freddie Washington, who also served as the session’s bass player, creating its iconic bassline. The lyrics focused on a woman looking to rekindle her romance with an ex-flame. The music video actually references forget-me-nots aka the mysotis flowers, giving the title of the song its literal interpretation.

Alongside Washington’s amazing work, the track also features saxophone legend Gerard Albright, who adds even more soul to the infectious track. Thanks to the haunting synthesizers and pulsing percussion (full of handclaps and finger snaps), the single exploded on the dance chart, reaching #2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play.

Record label executives actually deemed the song a flop in the US as it stalled on the Billboard Hot 100, not reaching past #23 on the chart. But the single became a Top 5 hit on R&B and the aforementioned dance charts. It also became a Top 10 smash in the UK with more than 200,000 copies sold.

The success of the single gave Rushen her first and only nomination in the Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female that year. She, however, lost in what was a whopper of a year – the winner was Jennifer Holliday for “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls, while the other nominees included Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer and Deniece Williams!

Rushen’s single seemed to grow more popular with time as the production (keep in mind, she produced the single herself) didn’t have a dated quality or feel to it. The song found a whole new life thanks to its inclusion in 1988’s hit film Big, and the iconic sequence where Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Perkins have fun jumping on a trampoline.

Of course, the mid-Nineties saw the single have its own renaissance. In 1995, Eurodance supergroup La Bouche, hot off their success with “Be My Lover” and “Sweet Dreams,” released a cover of the Rushen classic. And then in 1996, George Michael released “Fastlove,” his second single from Older, where the track was sampled and interpolated prominently towards the latter half of the song.

The single soared to number one in the UK and across mainland Europe, and became what would then be known as Michael’s last Top 10 hit in the US. Thanks to its funk groove and Michael’s ability to still get airplay on R&B, the song did make a decent dent on the R&B/hip-hop charts as well as the rhythmic charts, something that was then seldom achievable for white artists.

Just one year later, “Forget Me Nots” again made an appearance on the charts, this time for Will Smith’s film anthem “Men In Black.” The single was Smith’s first foray as a solo rapper and featured SWV singer Coko, who re-sung the original chorus with new lyrics to fit the “Men In Black” song.

The song became an ever bigger hit than “Fastlove,” reaching number one in the US, the UK, Australia and the world all over. For most today, their reference point for “Forget Me Nots” usually starts with Smith’s big hit.

While no one since Smith has used the single as effectively, there have been countless covers and samples over the last two decades. Thankfully, last year the single saw a revival of its own as it found its way onto TikTok and the “Forget Me Nots” dance challenge was born.

As for Rushen, she continues to reap the benefits of her biggest hit and it continues to keep folks moving no matter where.

Rushen has been a pioneer on many fronts – she was the first woman to serve as music director for the Grammy Awards (the 46^th, 47^th and 48^th Grammys), and she was the only female music director/conductor/arranger for a late night show (The Midnight Hour on CBS).

She hasn’t just made music history, she also teaches it. Rushen is the chair of the popular music program at the USC Thornton School of Music and serves as an ambassador for artistry in education at the Berklee College of Music.

It’s unfair to box Rushen in the one-hit-wonder category because she actually had several hits, and her biggest hit actually didn’t chart as high as her other contributions did. Still, looking back, there are very few songs from 40 years ago that sound as fresh today as they did back then and kudos to Rushen and the entire “Forget Me Nots” team for giving us an unforgettable jam.