Jojo’s Music School: The Weird Song That Is Sampled In Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ [Video]

Have you ever heard a hit song and think to yourself, 'I've heard that before'. We all have.

So, when I was driving around this weekend and heard Drake's 'Hotline Bling' too many times, I realized the organ riff he sings over was from a weird 1973 hit that featured the first known use of a drum machine.

Drake's 'Hotline Bling' video became famous around the internet mainly for the weird way he dances in it, but listen carefully to that soulful organ riff.

That riff was sampled from a 1973 song called 'Why Can't We Live Together' by a one hit wonder named Timmy Thomas. Timmy used to perform the song live at his club in Miami, and several people talked him to into recording it for a single. Timmy recorded the song accompanied only by a Hammond organ, using the rhythm device built into the instrument, kind of an early drum machine. The song shot to the top of the R&B charts,a nd crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number three in early 1973.

The song was so unlike anything else on the radio at the time, it was easy to remember. The intro organ solo was recorded to sound great on AM Radio, but loses something in its transition to full stereo.

Thomas said he never knew Drake was using the sample until it was released as a single and his friends told him. The song is used for less than eight bars, so is not a copyright violation according to the law.

Here's the Timmy Thomas original.