(September 10, 2025) Phillip Bailey continued making moves as the 1980s ended. Bailey continued making music with Earth, Wind & Fire even as he released several highly regarded and Grammy nominated and winning gospel albums. Bailey also collaborated with many artists throughout the 1980s, including Stevie Wonder, Kenny Loggins, and Anita Pointer.
The song featured in this Lost Gem is a tune that is finally getting its shine 36 years after Bailey recorded it. “All About Us,” is a ballad that is the result of a collaboration between Bailey and noted producer Preston Glass. The song will be released on September 19 via Perpetual Gold/Soul Music-Digital.
Bailey and Glass had history of collaborating on memorable songs. Glass produced the song “System of Survival” from EW&F’s 1987 Touch the World album. Glass also produced “The Pledge,” a duet between Bailey and Anita Pointer that appeared on Pointer’s 1987 album Love For What It Is.
A shift in the musical landscape was well underway in 1989. By then, it was clear that hip-hop was here to stay and that the genre’s musical arrangements and attitude influenced other genres. The lyrics in ballads was starting to become more risqué and explicit. In that context, “All About Us” sounds sweetly innocent and idealistic.
“All About Us” tells a tale of a love-at-first-sight as two people glimpse each other from opposite ends of a room. The couple connects on a dance floor. Their eyes stay locked and arms entwined long after the song ends. Nothing or nobody else matters at that moment.
Bailey remained at the top of his vocal game in 1989, and he had the chops to make listener see and feel the entire scene. Unfortunately, we didn’t get an opportunity to hear “All About Us” in 1989, but we can enjoy it now.
By Howard Dukes
