The Love We Had (Stays on My Mind)

Although not a classic on the level of "Oh, What a Night" or "Stay in My Corner," the Dells' 1970 hit "The Love We Had (Stays on My Mind)"is a sublime piece of close-harmony soul in the manner of the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks-led ballads. (This song predates the extremely similar "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)," but the silky-smooth feel of the two tunes is undeniably close.) As with the six-minute "Stay in My Corner," this song pushes well past the traditional three-minute barrier, but the slowly unfolding intro and the unexpected shift in melody and rhythm for the bridge add enough sonic variety to keep the song from dragging, even during the extended fadeout. (The bridge, unfortunately, also features the clunky, unintentionally comic lines "Girl if you were nearer/If you had a mirror/Maybe you could count my tears," which detract a bit from the power of the changeup.) All five of the Dells take a shot at the lead vocals, adding to the invention, but the soul of the song is in the dreamy close-harmony chorus, one of the finest of their career.