Prince admired Chaka Khan well before he became a superstar. At one point, he impersonated Sly Stone’s voice just so he could get a chance to meet her. Khan wasn’t too pleased at that time, but Prince found a way of indirectly returning the favor.
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Needing a hit to boost her solo career, Khan covered a track from early in Prince’s career. “I Feel For You” achieved the desired effect, earning Khan her biggest single.
Chaka’s Change of Style
Chaka Khan made her mark on the music scene as the singer for Rufus, one of the most groundbreaking and influential R&B acts of the 70s. In fact, Rufus heavily influenced Prince, so much so that he allegedly played their records non-stop to prepare to record his first few albums. More on him in a bit.
When her relationship with the other members of Rufus became a bit stormy, Khan ventured out into a solo career. After some early hits, including the iconic “I’m Every Woman”, she struggled to gain traction at radio. That was partly by design. Khan preferred venturing into jazzy territory over going for pop music glory.
While that might have satisfied her artistic inclinations, it didn’t thrill her record company. They began pressuring her to record something commercial. Khan and her producer, Arif Mardin, started seeking just the right song to make that happen. That’s when they looked into “I Feel For You”.
“Feel” Flows
“I Feel For You” was already five years old and had been covered several times when Khan recorded it. Prince wrote the song and delivered a sparsely funky take on it on his 1979 self-titled sophomore album. Mardin made sure that Khan’s version would stand out.
To do that, he enlisted rapper Melle Mel, known for his work with Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five. Mel dropped a few bars singing Khan’s praises. An accident during the recording process caused the start of Mel’s rap to be repeated, an effect that Mardin liked and included at the beginning of the song.
Steve Wonder added a harmonica part to give even more heft to the recording. Beyond all that, Khan’s sultry vocals carried the song a long way, giving it a more momentous vibe than even Prince might have imagined. This version of “I Feel For You” went all the way to No. 3 on the pop charts and helped make the album of the same name a massive hit for Khan.
Behind the Lyrics of “I Feel For You”
Melle Mel sets the tone for Khan’s take on “I Feel For You”, promising that, to him, she’s “more than just a physical dream.” Which is ironic, because Prince’s lyrics suggest just the opposite. “I wouldn’t lie to you, baby,” Khan sings. “It’s mainly a physical thing.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” she sings about spending time with her lover. “This feeling that I got for you, baby,” Khan admits. “There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do.” There’s something about the phrase “I Feel For You”, which forms the backbone of the refrain, that deepens the expression of affection and desire.
Over the years, Prince had some opportunities to perform “I Feel For You” as a duet with Chaka Khan. He provided the raw material, she the vocal potency, to take this song to the R&B stratosphere.
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
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