“I didn't even feel like climbing up the hill anymore, because every time I climbed up somebody was gonna push me back down it.” »read more
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Prince wrote this song and released it on his second album in 1980. Chaka Khan's version is much more highly produced and contains a very distinctive rap that made the song stand out. The song is sung in the first person, so the lyrics about being in lust with someone are gender neutral and translated well to a female singer.
The rap is by Melle Mel, who was a rapper with Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. The previous year, he rapped on the hit "White Lines."
Stevie Wonder played the harmonica on this track. He recorded it the same day he attended Marvin Gaye's funeral. Wonder wrote the first hit for Chaka's band Rufus: "Tell Me Something Good."
Chaka had no idea this was going to contain a rap. The day after she recorded the vocals, her producer surprised her by playing it for her with Melle Mel's rap. Chaka hated it and couldn't stand hearing her name repeated over and over in the song, but her producer convinced her it would help make it a hit.
Melle Mel was instructed to rap Chaka's name like a drumbeat. It worked because "Chaka Khan" makes a great drum sound.
This was Chaka's third album as a solo artist. She was previously with the band Rufus, who started recording as Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan soon after she joined.
Chaka's label, Warner Brothers Records, was pressuring her for a hit, since her previous solo albums did not sell well. She and her producer, Arif Mardin, recorded this for that purpose and were scared that if they did not deliver a hit, the label would make Chaka record with another producer.
Prince was asked to play on this, but he couldn't fit it into his schedule.
When Chaka performed this in concert, she had either her brother or her keyboard player do the rap.
Chaka is a prolific songwriter, but like this song, many of her hits were written by others. She explained in I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters and Their Craft, "I have to feel like I wrote the song before I sing it. It has to already feel like it's mine way before I record it. Also, I've been careful to sing songs written by artists whom I have a deep respect and deep admiration for, so that when I come to their songs it falls together in the most natural way."
More songs written by Prince
More songs with famous guest musicians
More songs with a harmonica part
Comments:
I think her best performance was when she sang "I'm every woman"--didn't Whitney Houston sing this also-can some one tell me who wrote it?
- bob, hallanedale, FL
The breakdancers on the video were not dancing to this song. They pulled it off really good.
- Shonda, Los Angeles, CA