Charlene - I've Never Been To Me (1977/1982)

This seems to be a polarizing song, people either love it or hate it. I expect a lot of thumbs up and thumbs down on this one :) Lyrics Below.

From Wiki:

Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo (born June 1, 1950, Hollywood, California) is an American R&B singer best known as Charlene. She is known for her 1982 popular song "I've Never Been to Me", and is considered a one-hit-wonder. Charlene originally recorded "I've Never Been to Me" in 1976, and the single reached #97 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1977. When released again in 1982, the single reached #3 in the United States (US), and #1 by June 1982, in the UK Singles Chart. The song has been her only Top 40 hit.

In 1982, Tampa, Florida disc jockey Scott Shannon, then at WRBQ, started playing the song at the behest of a girlfriend, by which time Charlene had lost her recording contract, moved to England and was working in a sweetshop in Ilford, London. Audience reaction was impressive, resulting in the song's second release with the original spoken bridge. The second release was a hit in England as well.

When the song was first released in the US in 1976, Charlene's legal name was Charlene Duncan from her marriage to record producer Larry Duncan; by the time the song was released in 1982, her name was Charlene Oliver by her subsequent marriage to Englishman Jeff Oliver. The single reached the top of the US pop and adult contemporary charts that year, and the concurrent release of her album I've Never Been to Me, was also relatively successful. The single was one of the year's biggest hits, and the video for the song was filmed at Blickling Hall, Norfolk, England and Charlene wore the wedding dress that she got married in.

"I've Never Been to Me" was featured as the opening song to the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The song is mimed onstage by two Sydney drag queens at the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville, Sydney, Australia. The latter performance includes a scene where a plastic "baby doll" (actually a rubber chicken) is hurled into the audience by one of the performing drag queens.

Lyrics:

I've Never Been To Me (R. Miller / K. Hirsch - Motown Records, Inc)

Hey lady, you lady
Cursing at your life
You're a discontented mother
And a regimented wife
I 've no doubt
You dream about the things you never do
But I wish someone had talked to me like I wanna talk to you

Oh, I've been to Georgia and California and anywhere I could run
Took the hand of a preacher man
And we made love in the sun
But I ran out of places and friendly faces
Because I had to be free
I've been to paradise but I've never been to me...

Please lady please lady
Don't just walk away
Cause I have this need to tell you
Why I'm all alone today
I can see so much of me still living in your eyes
Won't you share a part of a weary heart that has lived a million lives

Oh, I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
When I sipped champagne on a yacht
I moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo
And showed them what I've got
I've been undressed by kings
And I've seen some things that a woman ain't s'pose to see
I've been to paradise but I've never been to me...

Hey, you know what paradise is?
It's a lie
A fantasy we created about people and places as we like them to be
But you know what truth is?
it's that little baby you're holding
And it's that man you fought with this morning
The same one you are gonna make love to tonight
That's truth, that's love

Sometimes I've been to crying for unborn children
That might have made me complete
But I, I took the sweet life
I never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet
I spent my life exploring
The subtle whoring
That costs too much to be free
Hey lady I've been to paradise
But I've never been to me...

I've been to paradise but I've never been to me...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Charlene
• I've
• Never
• Been
• To
• Me
• 1982

[HHH100]

@cocavecrawler No. This song has nothing to do with abortion. This song is about how women need to stop seeking things in life that do not exist and are unimportant. In other words, wanting material things and to travel the world because they believe the grass is greener and it gives fulfillment. This is the LIE that - gets you with no family, loss of precious time, useless possessions and in the end dying alone and by yourself... A strong traditional marriage and family is Soooo much better..

[cbabick]

At least it has a good message. I can relate to it in some ways.

[dsloanmedia]

If you would actually listen to the song. Charlene is talking about her never having had children. While others have had them she is unable. Get off the subject about abortion and listen to the true meaning. I grew up with this music and abortion was not the major topic back then as it is with religious nuts.

[nightembergrl]

So many stupid and irresponsible people are breeding. That is why this country is going to hell. If we can limit this multiplication / duplication of irresponsible beings, we might have a chance to reverse the degeneration of our society. Planned parent hood should be expanded to abort any future loser being that cannot be supported by their loser parents.

[HHH100]

@LidaJ3 Actually if something works then why change it? You see planned parenthood would not exist without deaths of innocent babies. They need unwanted pregnancies to survive as a business. Blood money if I ever heard of any.

So like I said before, this song has nothing to do with abortion, but people like yourself use it as a tool to gain more ignorant persons to your bent agenda. Oh, and by the way - planned parenthood's mission is to lower the black population-read the founding...

[VVayneHarrison]

The line "I've been to crying for unborn children that would have made me complete" hints strongly at abortion, according to some.

[muscleboi4use]

@cocavecrawler ABORTION... what reference to abortion? REALLY?! How? Where? In a million years I'd never have found an abortion sub-text here!

[LidaJ3]

@HHH100 When you crawled out of your cave, did you bring your Club with you as well? Or did you leave behind with all your other pre-historic relics?

[alex7700585]

This song means a lot to me because at the age of 21 I chose to become the mistress of an incredibly rich married man that took me jet setting all over the world, lavishing expensive gifts on me. My sister who is one year younger than me, chose to marry a blue collar, hard working man, has children and a man who loves her, while I am all alone, surrounded by expensive things. When my sister tells me she envies my life, I tell her I envy HER life.

[rooinstew]

cake anyone???



[ChezzaAU]

@kjcall  .... I was wondering the same thing. How the heck does anyone arrive at abortion listening to this song? good grief lol

[MrCHENFULAI]

崛起於80年代初期、但是曇花一現就消失的女歌手夏琳（Char­lene）， 1977年以此曲成為Hot 100單曲的第97名。1982年，電台在英國播出了這首歌，再­拿下全美排行榜第三和英國第一的好成績，夏琳也成為家喻戶曉的歌­星。這首歌旋律動人，發人深省 ，描述一個歷盡滄桑的女人看見另外一個已婚婦女在悲嘆自己的命運­。