Charlene (singer)
Charlene | |
---|---|
Birth name | Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo |
Born | June 1, 1950 |
Origin | Hollywood, California |
Genres | Country, pop, traditional pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1974-present |
Labels | Motown |
Associated acts | Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye |
Website | http://CharleneSongs.com |
Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo Oliver (born June 1, 1950, Hollywood, California) is an American R&B singer best known as Charlene. She is known mainly for her 1982 popular song "I've Never Been to Me."
Contents
Early recording career
She was born as Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo, which was later shortened to Charlene for her record label. In 1973, Charlene signed with Motown 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, although an album issued the same month had "Charlene Duncan" printed on the spine (and was, confusingly, 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 released the single in 1977, but it had little success, reaching #97 on the pop chart.[citation needed]
Success of "I've Never Been to Me"
Charlene 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.[2] The song has been her only Top 40 hit.
In 1982, Tampa, Florida disc jockey Scott Shannon, then at WRBQ-FM, 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 near 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 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 ten 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.[citation needed]
Cover version
In 1983, Taiwanese singer Yoyo Jin covered the song in Mandarin.[3] In 1992, Hong Kong singer Vivian Chow covered the song in Cantonese[4]
Subsequent recordings and releases
The following year, Charlene released another song, "Used to Be," a duet with Stevie Wonder which the authors-composers of "I've Never Been to Me" also wrote and composed. But this did not reach the pop top 40 chart, and it only reached #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. The Used to Be album, which accompanied its titular single, was not as successful as her previous album.[citation needed]
In 1984, Charlene released another album, Hit and Run Lover. 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 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.
Because of her one big hit, Charlene became known as a one-hit-wonder in music. She 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.[citation needed] Charlene has re-released the song in the form of a dance remix via download music.[5][6]
Pandora Radio features a "Charlene" channel that includes songs such as: "Johnny Doesn't Love Here Anymore," "If I Could See Myself," "Can't We Try," "Hey Mama," and others.
Attempted career revivals and most recent updates
In 1985, the release of The Last Dragon through Motown brought together Motown signed talents. Along with artists such as Vanity, they mashed her in with a catchy pop song called "Fire." While the single was a fan favorite for die-hards, the song failed to make an impact in the musical charts. Charlene would have one last album released through Motown titled The Sky's The Limit. By this time, Motown was turning to artists that were offering up the New Jack Swing that would dominate the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving Charlene and many Motown artists behind.
As of 2012, Charlene was residing in her native California with her family, and she was still recording. Under the name Charlene Oliver, she launched a website, where her new dance/club/house music could be downloaded,[7] and which included such new releases as "Broken Women," "California Dreamin' (Dance)," "Emotional Scars," "I Wanna Be A Woman," "I Was You," "I've Never Been To Me (Dance)," "Oh Cecilia," "Sea of Tranquility," "Spirit of Woman," "Symphony For A Broken Piano," "There I'll Be," "(Why Can't) Time Stand Still," and "Used to Be," the last of which featured Stevie Wonder.[citation needed] In 2012, Charlene revamped a new video, attached to her club mix of "I've Never Been To Me," which could be found such on media outlets such as YouTube. Charlene also wrote two books, which she also sold via her website.
In 2013, Charlene was scheduled to release a new album. The first single called "Heard You On The Radio," through Gotham Records became available on ITunes October 22, 2012.fd[8]
Discography
Singles
Year | Single | Album |
---|---|---|
1977 | "It Ain't Easy Comin' Down" | Charlene |
1977 | "I've Never Been to Me" | Charlene |
1977 | "Freddie" | Songs of Love |
1982 | "I've Never Been to Me" | I've Never Been to Me |
1982 | "It Ain't Easy Coming Down" (re-release) | I've Never Been to Me |
1983 | "Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore" | "I've Never Been To Me |
1983 | "Used to Be (Featuring Stevie Wonder)" | Used to Be |
2002 | "I've Never Been to Me Dance Version With Rap" | Single |
2012 | "I've Never Been to Me Club/House Mix" | Single |
2012 | "California Dreamin' Dance Remix" | Single |
2013 | "Heard You On The Radio" | ITunes |
Albums
Album Name | Year Released | Record Company |
---|---|---|
Charlene | 1977 | Prodigal, Ariola, Eurodisc S.A. |
Songs of Love | 1977 | Prodigal |
I've Never Been to Me | 1982 | Motown |
Used to Be (Promo, LP, Album) | 1982 | Motown |
Hit & Run Lover | 1984 | Motown |
The Sky's the Limit | 1986 | Motown |
Full list of discography available at http://www.discogs.com/artist/Charlene
References
- ↑ Charlene Biography at Allmusic
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Yoyo Jin - The Roses in March
- ↑ Vivian Chow - Lonely Heartbreak
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heard-you-on-the-radio-single/id571292849
External links
- Official website
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- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- Articles with hCards
- Articles with unsourced statements from April 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014
- Articles with unsourced statements from September 2008
- Articles with unsourced statements from July 2012
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Articles with dead external links from June 2015
- 1950 births
- American female singers
- Living people
- Motown artists
- People from Hollywood, Los Angeles
- Rhythm and blues singers