“Have You Seen Her” is a sweet slice of Chicago Soul with heavy overtones of the nearby Philly Soul sound. Released by the Chi-Lites in October of 1971, “Have You Seen Her” went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
This is the one with the spoken word introduction:
One month ago today
I was happy as a lark
But now I go for walks
To the movies, maybe to the park
I have a seat on the same old bench
To watch the children play
You know tomorrow is their future
But for me just another day
They all gather ’round me
They seem to know my name
We laugh, tell a few jokes
But it still doesn’t ease my pain
I know I can’t hide from a memory
Though day after day I’ve tried
I keep sayin’ she’ll be back
But today again I’ve lied
It also has a very distinctive fuzz guitar part throughout. Very ’70s-sounding.
“Have You Seen Her” was written by the Chi-Lite’s lead singer, Eugene Record, and fellow Chicago Soul stylist Barbara Acklin. It was produced by Mr. Record and released on Chicago-based Brunswick Records.
As you could probably tell from their name, the Chi-Lites hail from the windy city of Chicago. Originally calling themselves the Hi-Lites, they added a capital “C” to their name when they found out there was another vocal group with the same name. The singers, who all hailed from the world of doo-wop, were Eugene Record, Marshall Thompson, Robert “Squirrel” Lester, and Creadel “Red” Jones. Mr. Record did most of the songwriting for the group, including their big hits “Have You Seen Her” and “Oh Girl.” Various members have left and joined over the years; there’s currently a version still on tour today, albeit with only one original member (Marshall Thompson). They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005 and the R&B Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
So here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, Eugene Record and the Chi-Lites lip-synching “Have You Seen Her” on some television program back in the ’70s. Why, oh why, did she have to leave and go away?
