I Feel for You

"I Feel for You" is a song written by Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. The most successful and best-known version was recorded by R&B singer Chaka Khan and appeared on her 1984 album I Feel for You. It became the recipient of two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song (with Prince as its songwriter) and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for Khan.

For the Chaka Khan album, see I Feel for You (album).

"I Feel for You"
Song by Prince
from the album Prince
ReleasedOctober 19, 1979
Recorded1979
GenreR&B
Length3:24
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Prince
Producer(s)Prince

Background and other versions

Prince originally recorded the disco song for his eponymous second album, released in October 1979.[1] He uses a falsetto vocal with the melody range between C3 and C5.[2] Earlier however, the song and the later hit single "I Wanna Be Your Lover" of the same album, were given to Patrice Rushen, who eventually rejected both songs.[3][4]

The Pointer Sisters recorded the song in 1982 on their album So Excited!,[1] and Rebbie Jackson recorded it for her 1984 debut album Centipede.[5] In 1993, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake sang this song on The Mickey Mouse Club.[6] The song was featured on Jess Glynne's Take Me Home Tour in 2016.

In October 2019, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the album Prince, the Prince Estate and Warner Records released a previously unheard solo acoustic demo recording of the song, with Prince also performing acoustic guitar. The track became available on streaming services and as a limited-run 7” vinyl single which sold out.[7]

Chaka Khan version
"I Feel for You"
Artwork for 7-inch vinyl edition, also used for 12-inch edition with different titling layout
Single by Chaka Khan
from the album I Feel for You
B-side"Chinatown"
ReleasedAugust 1984[8]
Recorded1984
Genre
Length5:46 (album version)
4:03 (single version)
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Prince
Producer(s)Arif Mardin
Chaka Khan singles chronology
"Ain't Nobody"
(1983)		 "I Feel for You"
(1984)		 "This Is My Night"
(1985)
Music video
"I Feel for You" on YouTube

Khan's version featured a supporting cast including rapping from Melle Mel (of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five); guitar, drum programming, bass guitar, keyboards and arrangement by Reggie Griffin; bass synthesizer and programming by The System's David Frank using an Oberheim DSX sequencer, which was connected to his Minimoog via CV and gate; and chromatic harmonica playing by Stevie Wonder. The song also uses vocal samples from Wonder's song "Fingertips" (1963). The repetition of Khan's name by Melle Mel at the beginning of the song was a mistake made by producer Arif Mardin, who then decided to keep it.[9]

This version of the song sold more than one million copies in the US and UK, and it helped to relaunch Khan's career. The song hit No. 1 on the Cash Box singles chart and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from the weeks of November 24, 1984 to December 8, 1984, prevented by further chart movement by Prince's "Purple Rain" and Wham's! massive hit "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go".[10] The song remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for 26 weeks and became one of Billboard's five biggest pop songs of the year for 1985. The single reached No. 1 on both the US dance[11] and R&B charts in late 1984, remaining atop both for three weeks each.[12] In addition, the song also reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.[13] While touring with Prince in 1998 in support of her collaborative album, Come 2 My House, Khan and Prince performed "I Feel for You" as a duet.

Khan's version of the song is written in the key of G♭ major with a tempo of 125 beats per minute in common time. Khan's vocals span from D♭4 to A♭5 in the song.[14][15]

Personnel

Music video

The first version of the music video for Khan's song featured her working in a club with female dancers. As rap music and breakdancing were gaining popularity in mainstream pop culture at the time, the song was released and proved a success, so another version of the video, in an inner-city courtyard setting, was created. It featured Khan with a disc jockey and break dancers Shabba Doo, Boogaloo Shrimp, Bruno Falcon and Ana Sánchez, all of whom appeared in the movie Breakin'.[16] A remixed version of the video was created to match the 12" vinyl version of the single.

Charts
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See also
  • List of number-one dance hits (United States)

References
  1. Webb, Robert (July 15, 2013). "100 Greatest Cover Versions: The Ultimate Playlist". McNidder and Grace Limited – via Google Books.
  2. "'Just Another One of God's Gifts': Prince, African-American Masculinity, and the Sonic Legacy of the Eighties". ProQuest. January 1, 2008 – via Google Books.
  3. McInnis, C. Liegh (November 1, 2007). "Chapter 5: 'Laying a Foundation'". The Lyrics of Prince Rogers Nelson: A Literary Look at a Creative Musical Poet, Philosopher, and Storyteller (Third ed.). Psychedelic Literature. p. 177. ISBN 0965577503.
  4. Wall, Mick (July 28, 2016). Prince: Purple Reign. Orion Publishing Group. p. 32 – via Internet Archive.
  5. "Rebbie Jackson – Centipede". Discogs.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  6. Greene, Andy (January 22, 2015). "Flashback: Britney, Justin and Christina on 'The Mickey Mouse Club'". Rolling Stone.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  7. "I Feel For You (Acoustic Demo) 7" Exclusive Limited Edition". prince.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  8. http://www.45cat.com/record/729195
  9. "Arif Mardin: Tales from the Recording Studio". NPR.org. December 19, 2005. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  10. "Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  11. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 144.
  12. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 321.
  13. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 442. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  14. "BPM for 'i feel for you' by chaka khan | songbpm.com". songbpm.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  15. Prince. "Chaka Khan "I Feel for You" Sheet Music in G Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  16. "I feel for You Video". Myvideo.de. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  17. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives: Australian Chart Book. p. 165. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  18. "Austriancharts.at – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  20. Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide 1975–present. Mississauga: Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  21. Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly".
  22. "Lescharts.com – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  23. "Indice per Titolo: I" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  25. "Charts.nz – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  26. "Norwegiancharts.com – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You". VG-lista. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  27. "Swedishcharts.com – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  29. "Chaka Khan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  30. "Chaka Khan Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  31. "Chaka Khan Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  32. "Offiziellecharts.de – Chaka Khan – I Feel For You". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  33. "Top 100 Singles of 1984 in Canada". October 25, 2015.
  34. "Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Morgan-Grampian plc: 37. January 26, 1985.
  35. "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  36. "Top 100 Songs of 1985 - Billboard Year End Charts". Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  37. "American single certifications – Chaka Khan – I Feel for You". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  38. "British single certifications – Chaka Khan – I Feel for You". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type I Feel for You in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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