Smokey Robinson "One Heartbeat"

William "Smokey" Robinson's "One Heartbeat" found its way onto the Top 10 of the Hot 100 (#9), R&B (#3) and Adult Contemporary Charts (#2) in 1987.

DeBarge "All This Love"

Quite a few rappers sampled parts of DeBarge's 1982 hit "All This Love":

• Da Brat (1996)
• Tha Mexakinz (1996)
• Master P (2001)
• AZ (2001) 

Babyface "Whip Appeal"

Babyface met his future wife during auditions for the music video to his soulful "Whip Appeal". Tracey Edmonds wound up getting the chicken pox and couldn't take part in the video, but fate took over from there. Babyface later ran into her and the two eventually married in 1992. The couple later divorced in 2005 and, from there, Tracey entered into a "symbolic union" with Eddie Murphy in 2008, but split weeks later.

Diana Ross "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"

I find it strange that the question mark doesn't appear in song titles. Case-in-point: "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" from Diana Ross. Where is the question mark?

Billy Ocean "Love Is Forever"

Think Billy Ocean has a kick ass name? Well, you're right. His real name is even more kick ass. He was born Leslie Sebastian Charles.

Rick Astley "The Ones You Love"

For far too long, Rick Astley has been a punchline to a joke -- and, yes, for some tunes it's warranted. Now, please indulge me for just a moment. Further dissection of his successful musical career turns up some decent Pop/Soul tunes such as "The Ones You Love". This hand-clapping 1993 tune cracked the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.

Earth, Wind & Fire - "After the Love Has Gone"

Hall & Oates didn't want to sing a song they didn't write themselves, so they gave a hard pass to "After the Love Has Gone".  Enter Earth, Wind & Fire who took the song, but struggled to perform it.  The group tried several different takes over multiple days before achieving one they all agreed was best.  The song topped out at #2 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Adult Contemporary Charts in 1979.

Michael Bolton - "Love Is A Wonderful Thing"

"Love Is A Wonderful Thing" got Michael Bolton in some trouble.  The Isley Brothers claim Bolton lifted the tune from their 1964 song of the same title.  Bolton argued the song was his and not plagiarized.  The case went to a jury who determined Bolton plagiarized the song and compensated the Isley Brothers $4.2 million.  You can listen to the two songs and decide for yourself.

Sister Sledge - "We Are Family"

Every time Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" plays, a wedding reception breaks out.

Teddy Pendergrass - "Love T.K.O."

While Teddy Pendergrass is best known for the 1980 soulful ballad "Love T.K.O.", David Oliver actually recorded and released it the same year.  Numerous Adult Contemporary artists have also covered the tune including Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, and Bette Midler.

Babyface - "Everytime I Close My Eyes"

Babyface got some help from fellow '90s pop stars Mariah Carey and Kenny G for his soulful tune "Everytime I Close My Eyes".

Stevie Wonder - "Part Time Lover"

It's a shame that I used to judge Stevie Wonder's career simply by the two songs I was exposed to as a kid: "I Just Called to Say I Love You" and "Part Time Lover".  Those songs represented his 1980s pop/adult contemporary phase whereas his earlier work represented combined funk, soul, and Motown influences that artists have been sampling ever since.