The soul music scene took off in the early 70s on the strength of heartfelt ballads with lush orchestration. It wasn’t that easy to stand out in that environment, considering so many artists and bands were trying to jump on the bandwagon.
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The Chi-Lites found a nifty little niche on their 1971 smash hit “Have You Seen Her.” Instead of just wailing about his pain, lead singer Eugene Record talked about it as well.
Lite and Smooth
Many vocal groups formed in the late 50s during the boom time of the doo-wop genre. But the majority of those acts fell by the wayside as they tried to navigate the turbulent musical times of the 60s. Not so the Chi-Lites, who formed in 1959 and secured their first major record deal a decade later.
They changed their name from the Hi-Lites along the way, with the new moniker reflecting their Chicago hometown. Throughout the 60s, they were able to record a few singles here and there without a ton of success. As time progressed, the group started to develop their own material, as Eugene Record took on the lion’s share of the songwriting and producing while also serving as lead singer.
It was also in that era that Record started dating Barbara Acklin. Acklin, a transplant from Oakland, started working at Brunswick Records, the label that signed The Chi-Lites. She became a successful artist in her own right, scoring a Top 20 hit in 1968 with “Love Makes A Woman”. In addition to becoming a couple, Record and Acklin started writing songs together.
“Seen” and Heard
The Chi-Lites released their third album, (For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People, in 1971. Their label saw promise in several songs on the album, releasing three singles that earned them some solid R&B success but only modest pop airplay. That’s when they finally decided to give “Have You Seen Her” a chance.
When writing the song, Record and Acklin were influenced by the way that Isaac Hayes had included spoken-word passages on his 1969 album Hot Buttered Soul. But where Hayes focused on sultry come-ons, The Chi-Lites used the spoken section to evoke heartbreak.
That little twist helped “Have You Seen Her?” stand out from other songs like it at the time. More than a decade into their career, the group delivered their biggest hit to date, as the song made it to No. 3 in 1971.
Behind the Lyrics of “Have You Seen Her”
With its structure, “Have You Seen Her” allows Record plenty of time to lay his heart on the line. “You know, tomorrow is their future,” he says, after seeing children playing. “But for me just another day.” That’s typical of his woe-is-me declarations. “You know, it’s funny,” he laments. “But I thought I had her in the palm of my hand.”
The spoken-word parts are interrupted by The Chi-Lites belting out the titular question. Record also gets to unleash some falsetto throughout the track. “Oh, I’ve been used to havin’ someone to lean on,” he admits. “And I’m lost.”
“Have You Seen Her” got a second life from a hit cover by MC Hammer that made it to No. 4 in 1990. Meanwhile, once The Chi-Lites had the public’s attention after the song’s release, they were able to go even higher with “Oh Girl”. That more traditional ballad that went all the way to the top of the pop charts in 1972.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
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