Eddie Murphy - How Could It Be

My dad and my uncle pretty much spent the 80s making references to Eddie Murphy's stand-up powerhouse Delirious. Of course I didn't get any of it, I was 8 by the time the 80s were over.

Then one day late in high school I was at a friend's house watching Delirious and suddenly I realized I knew all the jokes that were coming up, even though I'd never seen the film. My entire childhood unlocked in front of me, and I finally understood exactly how much adults thrilled to make dirty jokes that their children wouldn't get. It was a revelation.

If you've seen Delirious, you know the part where Murphy goes into his Michael Jackson impression. Aside from some choice comedic moments, Murphy briefly shows off his pipes, and it's damn impressive:




I remember walking away from the flick going "Damn, Murphy totally could have had a career as a singer."

Forgive me, I didn't know about How Could It Be, which I'd be willing to guess arose specifically from this moment in Delirious, because I bet everyone who saw it said the same thing as me.

Ho boy, were we all wrong.



I won't spend too much time blasting this thing, because it's worthless to do so, and plenty of other people have already had their jollies with it. The record is harmless. It's like getting mad at a squirrel for getting into your bird feeder. It doesn't know any better, and no one told it not to do it, at least not in a way that it would understand.

Plus, let's give the man some credit for his ambition. Murphy was everywhere doing everything in the 80s. He was a bona fide phenomenon, and the record doesn't kill the ears to listen to as much as it's just really silly.

For me, the takeaway is that timing and taste are tough things. The man's comedy was damn near flawless when he was at the peak of his game, but music is a different thing, and his instincts just weren't as sharp.

The record is a fascinating time capsule if nothing else, and thanks to Charlie Murphy's now famous recollections on Chappelle's Show, I've got to think that Eddie probably had a great time working on this. He doesn't embarrass himself vocally, but the songwriting is simply flat. Murphy the comedian was full of fire and didn't care who he pissed off, but Murphy the singer sounds like he wants to please just about everybody.

Cheers to ambition though. If I were Murphy, I wouldn't regret this little foray one bit. It may not have worked out that well, but it's a fun footnote on an amazing career (which ended sometime in the 90s, when he was replaced by an unfunny robot). And besides, everyone should be allowed their indulgences.

Hell, if he made another record I might just have to scoop it up.