Phyllis Hyman re LIVING ALL ALONE ALBUM 7/15/87

[philplah]

This is a BEAUTIFUL woman. I was only one year old when she died, but I thank God that my family is so extremely cultural .. because I dont know many people that would have ever referred such a extraordinary singer to me. <3

[celestialpathway]

I wonder why she had a problem with men because she seems so great to me! However, I think that if she had had a child by her ex-husband, Larry, then that child would have brought a lot of joy into her life. In addition, she would never need alcohol or drugs for that kind of joy because she would have had so much to live for. Was it that she was taking birth control, and that is why she never gotten pregnant by Larry? On the other hand, could she have a child?

[marciekitchen]

I remember seeing Phyllis Hyman in concert in 1995 right before she died. What a treat and honor to be in the presence of this beautiful and talented woman. I miss her!

[MrRodneyallen]

Phyllis appears very confident and successful in this video, which only makes me believe that she could have overcome her problems and become very, very successful! I was so...so...so deeply saddened by Phyllis committing suicide. I often play her music for many of my friends...both younger and older individuals...and they are blown away and captivated by the beauty of her voice. It's going to be a long time before we experience another voice beautiful voice as that of Phylis Hyman!!!

[OneTrillNigga07]

damn she was flawless

[Messylin]

To let yourself feel vulnerable takes a lot of strength. I don't think Phyllis ever truly knew how many people admired her honesty, and continue to admire her legacy.

[TheChazzer77]

Hear Hear in ref to being well spoken and professional Pylis is well read and fascinating.. There is that realistic vibe from her. Today singers are not victims of their environment.. but there is that well shrouded sense that you only get to see such a small peice of me.. no wonder i can't remember their names.. or the music.genre their into

[Thefaze100963]

I was 24 when she died. I loved the album. Especially the song, "You just don't know" Love you Phyllis.

[lovingatlanta]

I cried like a baby when I heard she killed herself. I was only in my early twenties. I loved her!

[Messylin]

Classy and eloquent. I can only conclude that she took her own life because people around her were not up to her standard.

[PoptartHeero]

she is gorgeous...

[beye1holy]

She was so beautiful. She smiled and acted more alive here but you can also see the beginning of the end. What a waste. Not her fault, just sometimes life gets the best of you and some people don't know how to fight or just give up altogether. Jesus is our only hope people.

[trvwatson]

Her shade of lipstick is beautiful---makes her look so sexy.

[isaiahcarter91]

read up on the zodiac sign cancer and u will know some what how and why she killed her self its so sad but its true june 22-july 22 damn the moon

[aquarianlove69]

Wow she really is in the astrological sense a true Cancerian..extremely emotional.

[akaziaj]

@aquarianlove69 More sensitive I think. Hard on the outside, and mushy on the inside. Just like the crab.

[KingLild2010]

i wonder what was going threw her head when she was thinking about killing her'self i couldnt even dare do such a thing to my self

[Blacksky17]

@KingLild2010 She was bi polar and battled depression and back in then they really didn't aknowledge it so it was left untreated so it just became worse so sad,

[miqued4sound]

@Blacksky17 : Your statement re her bipolarism was only half correct. Bipolarism is a reclassification of manic depression, Think of the words that define the two. It was treated back then, but Phyllis was also using cocaine at times. Highs and lows. Let's all let her rest in peace. she deserves it. We all have vices and we all, damn sure, are bipolar. No one can portray her that we know, so everyone should leave that alone too. In time...

[samsevan]

WHAT A LOVELY LADY

[lpvcrcd]

I have most every LP she recorded Great artist who sang great music. These interviews are special You don't see much of Miss Hyman at all in interviews etc. To me she was like a mystery so I knew her thru her music. The talented ones never seem to manage the fame with their own personal demons! Great video. Thanks much for posting these videos of the great Miss Hyman. We miss her and those special.days of classic music!

[SingingWindbird]

She was flawlessly Beautiful!!!

[evangelinem767]

@SingingWindbird Yes she was but it is so sad that she was not happy at all. On the outside she look like she had everything. But she was not happy, she could never find the one true thing she craved and that was love from a relationship.

[Jluv411]

I, to this day, remember watching the LIVING ALL ALONE video that my Mom recorded back in the 80's. I being and 80's child loved Phyllis Hyman. It still hurts 2 hear the pain in her voice. She was a remarkable woman and a true gifted talent. She was loved by so many and just didn't realize how precious her Life truly was to us all! When she committed suicide it broke my heart... But her music will continue 2 live on! R.I.P ~ P.H.!

[Kherudjhuti]

cried my eyes out when she killed herself.

[Grammy2Be]

I heard her for the first time in my earlier 20s (raised/restricted by strict religious upbringing). It was new years day, and heard 'This Too Shall Pass'. I asked the person who played it if we could go to her next concert together, and nearly fell over to learn she is no longer with us. I SURE WISH I could have had a chance to artistically connect with her before she passed away!

[Kherudjhuti]

Grammy2Be, many of the songs listed on here as "great" were from her later career. Have you ever heard the song "As you are?" It, and 2 others on which Ms. Hyman sings, are on the album, "Love Will Find a Way," by saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders. You can get a copy on Amazon. That was the Phyllis Hyman I fell in love with as a child. I used my allowance to buy everything she ever made after that. You can also find her on Norman Connors' version of Betchbygollywow! pretty sure that was a big hit too.

[CeeGeeZ]

@Kherudjhuti Thanks for info!

[Giharl21]

This was taken 3 days before my birthday to the date exactly.

[SoulFan]

Me too .. well, I turned 7 on 7/18/1987.

[Giharl21]

Cool, I always get excited when I see someone else with the same Bday as myself. Even if you are 7 years older than me,lol.

[BackToTheShit]

i wasent even born or plannend ^^

[CinXprada]

same here. lol

[LASCHELL]

SHES SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN

[khumie08]

I run in to this around a month or so, and I fell in love with this woman, the way she talk and what she talked about are things that you can relate with and it is soo sad the way she died, I son`t think she`ll ever know the gift she took away from us

[tllnc]

I used to hear Living All Alone on the radio, and didn't know who sung it. I soon found out it was Ms. Hyman, but when I heard it I knew I was listening to something special. So much emotion you can't help but be amazed.

[jd7779311]

I had the opportunity to meet Phyllis in 94 in Fort Worth,Tx at in concert at the Caravan of Dreams club. I sat alone holding this 1 red rose waiting to get the nerve to take it to her. I got the nerve while she was singing Living All Alone. As I went up to hand her the rose, I looked into those big beautiful brown eyes and could feel my knees going weak. She was so fine. I barely made it back to my table. She still makes my heart skip a beat when I hear her voice. I love you Phyllis.

[1voodoostick]

@jd7779311 I would have loved to experience that

[compu1988]

I wished so deperately that she could have had the husband and children that she really did wanted. I feel for her because it is as almost as if she felt incomplete. Like her sister said in the documentary Unsung, she would have been able to have handled the music business much better.

[Grammy2Be]

On behalf of Phyllis, myself, and SO MANY OTHER African/American Females (Maya, Aretha, Oprah, Tyra) who find themselves left alone via abandonment from the men we love the most---oughtn't we to confront these insecure Cads who draw off of our strength just to turn around and resenf the same element whcih attracted them to us?! ORRR....should we just let the bitter black men seeing us establish a loving union with a non-black man talk his s--t?

[chrichefra]

The problem is, so many of us don't know what love is and what it really takes to cultivate it. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." If you enter into a relationship with a selfish agenda, it'll surely fail.

[Grammy2Be]

What I've learned is that Insecurity is a fatal CANCER which kills all personal or professional prospects. So many people latch on to the first thing they kiss goodnight after a date..with Unresolved Issues from past relationships. With personal insecurities about their self-worth. Lacking personal confidence, they are drawn to 'their opposite'...then not too much unlike a vampire--suck the beauty and purity of Love dry and expect 'their opposite to compensate' for their pre-existing hang-ups!!

[shannonD68]

Wow, Grammy2Be. That was truly well-said. Either you are a trained professional, or you are a student of the school of 'hard knocks', in this arena. I truly mean that as a compliment. 'Good read.

[Grammy2Be]

I appreciate the kudos. I am definately a Cum Laude graduate of Hard Knock University. I hope to convey my insight via my musical art. I appreciate your supportive words, and hope that we can all draw from Dear Phyllis, who was truly a lady ahead of her time in an industry that failed to properly represent someone of her caliber.

[ddaqueen]

so true

[ddaqueen]

U couldnt have said it n e better inna nutshell

[ohsosoblessed]

what a lady and im so sad that she left us the way she did, we dont know how it felt to be in her shoes. i rember she said that men are scared of her because she is a strong woman. but she could never find real love. plus her weight was a problem to her

[Agape2all]

Phyllis did adore children, but she was being very honest when she said that she didn't relate to them unless they were somebody elses. She did also love the company of a man but didn't center her life around it, why do you think she worked so hard at taking care of HERSELF, she didn't want to be dependant on NOONE especailly a man. I admire her STRENGTH, she hung in there alot longer than most EVER could, she was a fighter. She's taught me to never forget who I am, damn what the rest do.

[soymilk1527]

She desperately wanted a husband & kids. She was married once but it didn't work out.

From every interview that I have been able to download since that TV One special, she wanted a family.

I wonder why it just didn't work out with any of the relationships that she had.

Her last two albums before she died were full of pain and heartache.

[bailey1950]

do u know what youtube channel has the full video for that tv one special?

[peterpiessens]

Yes, Phyllis Hyman was/is a soul angel, and it's a lovely thought that we can remember her like this.

[fayedunawayfan]

Lovely lady with the Lord above now.. Thank you Phyllis for the joy you gave.

[Kumtekmeon]

This lady epitomize divadom. She is the ultimate. I am yet to see another singer (apart from Jean Carne) who knows how to really break it down like Phyllis. Her music is soft, sensual, mellow, passionate, melancholic, reflective, emotive etc. This album is a must have for any Soul's fan. From start to finish you are enthralled, you become contemplative about love; past and present. This woman is dynamic. We should've known she wouldn't stay for long, because she's an angel; just like Minnie.

[stankballz71]

everyone is not bipolar. however we do all have 2 hemispheres to out brains. but bi polar disorder is a chemical state of certain brains. not universally applicable,or anologous as you seem to think. now you know,and knowing is half the battle.

[meetmac1]

This lady has had issues since childhood. She seems to have been depressed LONG before a mic was ever put into her hands. It is SO SAD that Satan convenced her to take her life. As beautiful as she looked and sound too bad the inside didn't match.

[AtlantaSistah]

She was bi-polar. It has to do with a chemical imbalance.

[bailey1950]

what tings did she go through in her childhood?

[glenrich84]

she was a very beautiful woman and a sultry singer. R.I.P. Ms.Blues Alley

[Vincentdeep]

It's just a staggering thought of this beautiful woman taking her own life in her prime. I think most people have went through a rough patch that made them think about it including me. But to actually do it is something else. I wonder if she saw what I see when she looked in the mirror at herself? I'm genarally a hard-ass but this saddens me greatly.

[myElegantEnterprises]

Phyllis, one of my fellow Philly natives, is one of the Greatest Singers ever! Of course, she was very classy and elegant. She is very sorely missed. I am so glad I found this and other videos of her! Thank you Ebony/Jet!

[BLAKPEARL69]

such a classy lady.

[Dontgupt208]

I love the way she expresses herself. What a shame that she committed suicide. Is it me, or do the older singers (Whitney, Phyllis, Janet etc,) sound more intelligent, they are soft spoken and you just want to listen to what they have to say. Some (only some) of the new singers can't put a complete sentence together.

[Jbunnyrabbit]

You ain't never lied..Back in the day, you had to be honest, people didn't want you to "make up" things about yourself. NOW these performers are so damn spoiled, they have a dream team, a stylist, a cook, SOMEONE to tell you how you should SPEAK at interviews, and someone else to tell the reporter WHAT NOT TO ASK. Back then, it was just about having soul, and being true to yourself if that makes sense.

[akaziaj]

@Dontgupt208 lol.

[CeeGeeZ]

@Dontgupt208 LOL;-)))It's NOT 'You'!

[VeeBee81]

@Dontgupt208 You did make me laugh when I read your post, because ITS TRUE!! Young Artistes these days don't speak well. They present themselves in the way of the time I suppose. In the 80's there were so many artistes to choose to see, plus the tear between Disco and Soul was happening and we were just seeing more Black artistes in the UK. I loved the fact that everyone spoke well and polished and took more time to talk about there lives. I loved Phyllis Hyman. So beautiful! Such a shame!

[xbushwacker]

i hate that she killed herself.

[unavailheart]

Watching Phyllis makes me wonder what was going on so terribly in her life that she would choose to end it.

One can hardly imagine.

[AkuaRising]

She was bi-polar

[unavailheart]

That's news to me. I think I'll read up a bit more on her like Indigirl86 suggested. At the time (of her death) I was a young teen and too into other things, but now older having experienced somethings, I would like to know more. Very interesting.

[AkuaRising]

You can hear her speaking about it in the interview. How she had manic episodes and bouts with major depression, that is bipolar.

[CatHarlem]

I agree when she discribes the exteme highs and extreme lows and controlling issues she's discribing bipolar. She mentions other systems in other interviews.

[AkuaRising]

I think many people get upset about this being "revealed" but its no secret she was diagnosed as bi-polar.

[CatHarlem]

I didn't realize she was ever diagnosed. It's easy to pin point the symptoms now but back then I don't think many knew what bipolar was.

[AkuaRising]

Well back then it was called Manic Depressive Disorder.

[Tjmama5]

She was diagnosed in her 30's. If you get a chance read the book Strength of a Woman by Jason Michael, who does a wonderful biography of her, showing the good, bad and ugly, but in a most respectful way where you can almost put yourself on the scene. Great Book

[dazzler1365]

Thank you....I knew there had to be something written about her someplace, thank you. Words cannot be thought of to ever understand why she felt the need to leave us. She could've gone to greater heights.

[jahlove426]

Just got the book and it's haunting!! I loved it though. I hate when people say that she liked both men and women. I understood what she was going through. She only kept a female friend around in her time of need. There was nothing sexually. She wanted that from a man physically ,mentally, and morally she wanted a husband and kids. I hate that she took her own life. She was so beautiful inside and out. I just don't think she knew it.

[englandpt2]

hello I would like to know where did yoou get the book and what is the title.

Thanks,

englandpt2

[monica52862]

What is the nameof that book? She killed herself??

[SlashPlosion]

everyone is bi polar, dislike it how someone can name it because some people deal with it differently people have to name it

[AkuaRising]

I'm not sure what you're talking about.

[rmbb10]

Ms. Hyman was talented indeed.

[AkuaRising]

Love those earrings. Her make up was cute too and that's pretty unheard of for R&B singers of the era.

[MissBabyJoker]

lol yeah

[sistalinda]

I sometimes think that all those sad songs she chose to sing, were somehow affecting her spirit, her own sadness.

[llehcin]

YES, there is more to this interview. I'm lovin' it.

[ContrastY]

I am not sure why Ebony/Jet choose to segment their videos in this way.

Videos are usually segmented when the time allotment is exceeded ( 10 minutes). These partitioned videos from Ebony/Jet are only 3 minutes in length!

At any rate, "living all alone" was a big hit for Phyllis Hyman. At least Phyllis Hyman had an opportunity to experience success even if she could not totally appreciate her success because she of her personal troubles.

[indigirl86]

Oh Nissi girl...Phyllis is making me compare notes from this interview and from what was in the book. Got a girl thinking. I think its time to revisit a few of those chapters.

[llehcin]

which part has you wondering?