The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 1959

For as long as music has been around, jam sessions have been around, too. That thing that brings musicians together – their love for music – and an openness to whatever may come of it. There’s a thrill in that. The night will be fun regardless. But on some occasions, the night can go down in history. Like the night this song was born. “What I’d Say” was a song born out of a late night improv jam session.

Ray Charles and his band finished their set and just kept on playing. And when they kept playing, “What I’d Say” is what came out, right there out on the stage. Over the course of eight minutes, “What I’d Say” defined soul music, won the adoration of music fans and managed to piss off quite a few as well. It combined electric piano with real piano and it turned the high hat into a central percussion element.

“WHEN YOU SEE ME IN MISERY, COME ON BABY, SEE ABOUT ME.”