"I'd sing with Roberta Flack in a taxi if you called up and said she'd be in it"
About this Quote
It lands like a flirtation with the music industry’s old magic: the idea that greatness can show up anywhere, even wedged into the back seat of a taxi, if the right voice is in the car. Peabo Bryson isn’t just praising Roberta Flack; he’s broadcasting a musician’s hierarchy of desire. The setup is almost comically specific, which is the point. A taxi is cramped, unglamorous, uncurated. By picking the least “stage-like” place imaginable, he makes the offer sound pure: no lighting, no billing, no ego-protecting conditions. Just proximity to an artist he reveres.
The subtext is also about credibility. Bryson came up in an era when adult contemporary and soul crossovers were built on duets, on voices that carried romance and restraint rather than spectacle. Roberta Flack represents a certain kind of musical authority: quiet control, emotional precision, the ability to make intimacy feel like a public event. Saying he’d sing with her anywhere is a way of aligning himself with that lineage, reminding you that vocal craft is the real currency.
There’s a small, knowing wink in the conditional: “if you called up.” It imagines the world where opportunities arrive by phone, not via brand deals or algorithms. Underneath the charm is a professional truth: artists stay ready, because the best collaborations aren’t always grandly produced - sometimes they’re the ones you’d take even in a taxi, because the other voice is the destination.
The subtext is also about credibility. Bryson came up in an era when adult contemporary and soul crossovers were built on duets, on voices that carried romance and restraint rather than spectacle. Roberta Flack represents a certain kind of musical authority: quiet control, emotional precision, the ability to make intimacy feel like a public event. Saying he’d sing with her anywhere is a way of aligning himself with that lineage, reminding you that vocal craft is the real currency.
There’s a small, knowing wink in the conditional: “if you called up.” It imagines the world where opportunities arrive by phone, not via brand deals or algorithms. Underneath the charm is a professional truth: artists stay ready, because the best collaborations aren’t always grandly produced - sometimes they’re the ones you’d take even in a taxi, because the other voice is the destination.
Quote Details
| Topic | Romantic |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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