Charlene (singer)

When Charlene's self-titled debut album (P6 10015S1) was released in November 1976 on Motown's Prodigal label, her artist name was shortened to "Charlene" and appeared as such on the cover, but confusingly the album still had "Charlene Duncan" printed on the spine.[5] In March 1977, the first single, "It Ain't Easy Comin' Down" (P 0632F), went to #97 on the Hot 100 and #23 on AC.

In May 1977, an album entitled Songs of Love (Prodigal, P610018S1) (with cover artwork by Patrick Nagel) was issued. It was a repackaged version of Charlene with "Freddie" (an apparent tribute to Freddie Prinze, who had died that year) replacing "Shake a Hand" and the songs re-sequenced. Also, there is no spoken bridge in "I've Never Been To Me".[6] "Freddie" was released as a single (P 0633F) and reached #96 in the Hot 100 (and #40 on the AC).[7]

A third single from the Charlene-Songs of Love collections would turn out to have not only an unusual lyrical evolution but also an unexpected chart odyssey. The lyrics to "I've Never Been to Me" were originally written by Ron Miller from a male perspective, but he rewrote them from a woman's viewpoint for Charlene, and on her debut album the ballad was recorded with a controversial narration to underscore the song's sentiment. On Songs of Love, the track omitted the spoken bridge; when this take was released as a single (P 0636F), it spent only three weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #97 in October 1977.[8] When the song was revived in 1982, the rendition with the monologue (from the Charlene LP) was being played on radio, so it was the version that Motown reissued.[7]

In 1978, a Charlene recording entitled "Are You Free", again produced by Ron Miller, appeared as a promotional single for the music label Ariola Records America. In addition to the Charlene/Songs of Love project, Charlene recorded a full album's length of material for Motown that was never even issued. In June 1980, Motown released one more single, "Hungry / I Won't Remember Ever Loving You" (M 1492F). The track "Hungry" was taken from the stage musical Daddy Goodness[9] and both cuts on the single were from the same collaborators of her biggest hit; however, this attempt failed and Motown decided to release the singer from its label.[10]

"It Ain't Easy Comin' Down" was recycled on the I've Never Been to Me LP and re-released as its second, follow-up single (1621 MF). The 1982 bid bubbled under at #109 and affixed an ending harmony, "It ain't easy without you," which is not on the album version. This rendition (with the extra harmony) was also used in the 1982 film The Last American Virgin. Although the original Virgin compilation did not contain the cut, it has since been added to extended editions of the soundtrack, including 2004 and 2012 re-issues.

When Charlene re-signed with Motown in 1982, Motown agreed not only to the mainstream production of a brand new album of material but also to the U.S. release of a religious set she had already started with Chapel Lane Records in England.[11] The 1982 outing, The Sky Is the Limit (Motown 6024 ML), offers reflective gospel music with several songs penned by Charlene herself plus a cover of Lionel Richie's "Jesus Is Love".

Toward the end of the year, Charlene also released a new single, "Used to Be" (1650 MF), a duet with Stevie Wonder which the authors-composers of "I've Never Been to Me" also wrote and composed. But it stalled in the Hot 100 at #46 (and reached #31 on the AC and #35 on the R&B). However, "Used to Be" did go to #13 on the Swiss Hitparade charts in December 1982.[12] The controversial lyrics of "Used to Be", which lamented an uncaring, self-centered society, caused some radio stations in the U.S. to refuse to play the single and facilitated its actual ban in the U.K. The lines deemed most unacceptable were delivered by Wonder in the song's first verse: "Have another Chivas Regal/You're 12-years old and sex is legal."[11] [13] Peaking at #162 on Billboard's Top 200, Charlene's corresponding Used to Be album (Motown 6027 ML) was not as successful as the I've Never Been to Me LP. Highlights of Used to Be included a rendition of "You're Home", which had previously appeared in the stage musical Daddy Goodness,[9] and a cover of "Heaven Help Us All," originally popularized by Stevie Wonder. Whereas Wonder's version of "Heaven" used the terms "black man" and "white man", Charlene's take altered the words to "poor man" and "rich man".

In 1984, Charlene co-produced a new LP, Hit & Run Lover (6090ML), which showcased primarily up-tempo dance music and separated her from perennial producer Ron Miller and the Miller-Hirsch writing team responsible for much of her catalog. Although Charlene was offered the power ballad "We Belong", which soon after became a big hit for Pat Benatar, the song's inclusion on the album was opposed by executive producer Ray Singleton.[4]

Motown furthered its attempt to revamp Charlene's image to appeal to new audiences by highlighting her in a segment of the film The Last Dragon, which was under development by Motown 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 catchy pop 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' standing, by this time, Motown was turning to artists who were offering up the New Jack Swing sound that would dominate the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving behind Charlene and other Motown artists. Charlene's appearance in the film did not improve her popularity and she was dropped from the Motown roster once again in 1985.