B-side "Losin' End" Format 7", 12" | Released August 1982 Length 3:39 | |
Recorded Warner Bros. Recording Studio, North Hollywood, California Genre Blue-eyed soul, funk, pop rock, soft rock | ||
"I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" (also known as "I Keep Forgettin'") is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael McDonald, from his debut album If That's What It Takes. It was written by McDonald and Ed Sanford. Its similarity to the earlier song "I Keep Forgettin'", by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, recorded by Chuck Jackson resulted in Leiber and Stoller also being given a songwriting credit.
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Background
Michael McDonald recorded it, with his sister Maureen providing background vocals. It was featured on If That's What It Takes, his first solo album away from The Doobie Brothers. Released as a single, it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Pop Singles charts, and #7 on the Billboard R&B chart. Greg Phillinganes, Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro of the band Toto played the clavinet, guitar and drums respectively. Noted bassist Louis Johnson laid down the song's pronounced bassline.
Influence, covers, and sampling
McDonald's song was heavily sampled by Warren G on his hit 1994 single "Regulate", featuring Nate Dogg, and by Jadakiss on "Kiss Is Spittin'", which also features Nate Dogg. Young MC sampled it on his song "Love You Slow" of the album What's the Flavor?. The song's bassline is also sampled in the track "Bistro" by critically acclaimed MF Doom/Madlib collaboration Madvillain. The song's chorus is interpolated by Moloko in an acoustic mix of their 2003 hit single "Familiar Feeling". The song's bassline was also sampled in the track "Next to you" by the 'Daytime Disco' Duo Poolside. Julia Fordham performed the song in duet with McDonald on her 2008 LP China Blue. In 2011, DJ and producer Solomun sampled the song on ''Love Recycled''. Laura Jane Grace, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the punk rock band Against Me!, performed a version of the song in April 2015 for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series.
In popular culture
The song was also used during the Condoleezza Rice dance segment on You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush.
The song is the primary plot device of, and gives its name to, an episode of Yacht Rock, which comedically fictionalized the events leading to Warren G sampling it.