Charlene (singer)
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| Charlene | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo |
| Born | June 1, 1950 |
| Origin | Hollywood, California |
| Genre(s) | Country, Pop, Traditional Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1974– Present |
| Label(s) | Motown Records |
| Associated acts | Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye |
- See Charlene for individuals with the same given name. See Carl (name) for information about the name.
Charlene Marilynn Oliver née 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.
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[edit] Early recording career
She was christened by her mother under the name Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo, which was later shortened to Charlene for her record label. In 1973, Charlene signed with the legendary record label Motown Records under the name "Charlene Duncan", and released her first (and unsuccessful) single "All That Love Went to Waste" in January 1974. Three years later, she released a second album, It Ain't Easy Comin' Down, on Motown's Prodigal label. The release was credited to Charlene, though an album issued the same month had "Charlene Duncan" printed on the spine (and was, confusingly enough, titled Charlene).[1] Another 1977 album, Songs of Love, was a repackaging of her song "I've Never Been to Me", which omitted a spoken bridge. She first released the single in 1977, but it initially had no success, reaching #97 on the pop charts.
[edit] The success of "I've Never Been to Me"
Charlene originally recorded "I've Never Been to Me" in 1976; the single 1977 reached #97 on the USA's Hot 100 singles chart in 1977. When rereleased in 1982, the single reached #3 in the US, and #1, by June 1982, in the UK. Charlene was signed to Motown Records, but the song has been her only real hit to date.
Charlene did three versions of the song, the initial version of which was actually the second version recorded. Her original (and ultimately most popular) version includes an expanded bridge, in which the singer makes an impassioned comparison between the noncommittal "fantasy about people and places as we'd like them to be," versus the committed real love of a family.
In 1982, Tampa, Florida disc jockey Scott Shannon, then at WRBQ, started playing the song, by which time Charlene had moved to England and was working in an Ilford, Essex sweet shop. Audience reaction was impressive, resulting in the song's reissuance (with the original spoken bridge) by Charlene's label. The rerelease was a huge hit in England as well.
There are several misconceptions about the song. For instance, the controversial line "I've been to crying for unborn children" did not refer to abortion, but to a woman who regrets not having children. Moreover, the version with the spoken bridge was released when the song became an unexpected hit in 1982. It has been widely reported that the 1982 single was a rerecording, though it was actually the original recording.
Originally written from a male perspective, the song was rewritten for Charlene by Ron Miller. Miller’s version is sung to a housewife who wishes to trade her ordinary life for the exciting life led by the singer. The singer describes some of her life's highlights in a bittersweet manner, as she wishes that someone had told her what she is telling the listener; she has learned what is truly important much too late, as she now finds her life hollow and purposeless, having long lost her true self-- the "me" to which she has never been is the life she would have if she were not led astray by false notions.
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 rereleased in 1982, her name was now Charlene Oliver by dint of her subsequent marriage to Englishman Jeff Oliver.
The single soared to the top of the pop and adult contemporary charts that year. (The concurrent release of her album I've Never Been to Me, was also quite successful). The single was one of the year's biggest hits, which became a standard in pop music.
The following year, Charlene released another song, "Used to Be" (penned by the writers of "I've Never Been to Me"), a duet song with Stevie Wonder, which did not reach the pop top 40, only reaching #46 on the pop charts. Both records were ranked the third and fourth worst records of all time by Jimmy Guterman and Owen O'Donnell in their 1991 book, The Worst Rock n Roll Records of All time. Not surprisingly, the Used to Be album, which accompanied its titular single, was not as successful as her previous album.
In 1984, Charlene released another album, Hit and Run Lover, and Motown attempted to revamp her image in order to appeal to new audiences by highlighting her in a segment of the film The Last Dragon, which was under development by Motown's founder Berry Gordy. She and other Motown artists, including DeBarge and Vanity, were strategically placed in the film to appeal to the MTV craze of the time. Charlene's song "Fire" was used along with a sexy music video depicting her as a goddess. Although the film managed to improve some of the other artists' notoriety, Charlene's appearance in the film did not catch on and she was dropped from the Motown label the following year.
"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 song is sent up par excellence, including a scene where a plastic "baby doll" (actually a rubber chicken) is hurled into the audience by one of the performing drag queens.
Because of her one big hit, Charlene became known as a one-hit-wonder in music. Charlene and her hit "I've Never Been to Me" was featured on VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders show, hosted by William Shatner in 2002. Her ranking on the list was #75.
In 2006, "I've Never Been to Me" was released as one of the songs on SingStar Anthems, one of the popular SingStars.
[edit] Later life
Charlene is presently married and runs a sweet shop in Ilford, Essex, England. She is still hoping to make it in the modern pop era, but it seems clear that she won't be getting any more number 1's considering her last one was 26 years ago. Charlene has a pet dog called Sam.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | US Hot 100 | US A.C. | US Country | Album | |
| 1977 | "It Ain't Easy Comin' Down" | 97 | - | - | Charlene | |
| 1977 | "I've Never Been to Me" | 97 | - | - | Charlene | |
| 1977 | "Freddie" | 96 | - | - | Songs of Love | |
| 1982 | "I've Never Been to Me" (re-release) | 3 | 7 | 60 | I've Never Been to Me | |
| 1982 | "It Ain't Easy Comin' Down" (re-release) | - | - | - | I've Never Been to Me | |
| 1982 | "Feet Don't Need to be Equal in Size" (with Stevie Wonder) | 46 | 31 | - | Used to Be |
- ^ [ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:bl548qztbtv4~T1 Charlene Biography at All Music Guide]
== References ==
