“Across 110th Street” (1973) – Bobby Womack * Written by Bobby Womack and J.J. Johnson * 45: “Across 110th Street” / “Hang On In There” * LP: Across 110th Street * Label: United Artists Records
Although the ultra-violent blaxploitation film that Womack’s theme song appeared in was better regarded than most others in that genre, the track is best approached independent of any film association (especially its pastiche usage in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown). It’s cinematic enough as it is, with the opening organ flickering like city lights and Womack’s first-person lyrics, which he sings with equal parts world-weariness and self-assurance.