It's the only life I know

Many happy returns to the sweet-voiced Miss Randy Crawford - 60 years old today!

Always a greater success here in the UK than she ever was in her native United States, her soulful jazz-funk ballads such as One Day I'll Fly Away, You Might Need Somebody and Almaz secured Miss Crawford a place in that typically 80s "late-night music" genre well before the likes of Sade and M-People. She had a slight renaissance in 2001 when One Day I'll Fly Away was heavily featured in the movie Moulin Rouge, and is apparently still performing and recording today.

However, it was for this brilliant song that we here at Dolores Delargo Towers love her the most - her 1979 hit with the Crusaders, Street Life:

Crusaders ft Randy Crawford - Street Life

I play the street life
Because there's no place I can go
Street life
It's the only life I know
Street life
And there's a thousand cards to play
Street life
Until you play your life away

You never people see
Just who you wanna be
And every night you shine
Just like a superstar
The type of life that's played
A temptin' masquerade
You dress you walk you talk
You're who you think you are

Street life
You can run away from time
Street life
For a nickel, for a dime
Street life
But you better not get old
Street life
Or you're gonna feel the cold

There's always love for sale
A grown up fairy tale
Prince charming always smiles
Behind a silver spoon
And if you keep it young
Your song is always sung
Your love will pay your way beneath the silver moon

Street life, street life, street life, oh street life
Hmm, Yeah

Sublime.

Read an interview with Randy Crawford in The Telegraph from 2008