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    4/13/2006

    I've Never Been To Me

    Charlene
     
     
    出生于50年代的好莱坞。从小体弱多病。16岁辍学, 17岁结婚却因吸毒被送进了戒毒所而后离婚。76年发行了这首曲,但很快销声匿迹。82年无意中被定购一发不可收拾,竟跃居全美排行第三位,也成为 Charlene唯一的一首成名曲。

        崛起于80年代初期、但是昙花一现就消失的女歌手夏琳(Charlene),她唯一的代表作《I've Never Been to Me]。尽管她的专辑早已绝版,但是仍然不断有人问起她的这首经典。来自好莱坞的夏琳,出生于1950年六月,跟大部分的歌手一样,少女时代就开始热爱歌唱。1973年,在她二十三岁的时候,她获得了Motown唱片的合约,因为向来以黑人音乐为专业的该公司企图拓展事业版图,介入白人的摇滚与乡村市场。1973年,Motown为她推出首支单曲「All That Love Went to Waste」,以「夏琳邓肯」(Charlene Duncan)的艺名发表,但由于公司正好忙着促销艾德温史塔(Edwin Starr)的「Ain't It Hell Up in Harlem」跟杰克森五人组(Jackson Five)的「Dancing Machine」,根本无暇照顾她,因此没有受到多少注意。

        可能是为了补偿她吧,Motown在三年之后安排她跟肯克许与朗纳米勒(Ken Kirsch and Ronald Miller)这两位创作搭档合作,在公司副牌Prodigal旗下推出另外一首单曲「It Ain't Easy Comin' Down」,这回以「夏琳」的名义发表,总算勉强挤进排行,但只拿到第九十七名,同名的「Charlene」专辑则全军覆没。1977年五月,公司把那张专辑重新包装,以「Songs of Love」的标题推出,并且将其中一首歌曲「I've Never Been to Me」重新录制,但是在剪辑的时候却不小心遗漏了其中一段口白的部分,同时当作单曲发行,结果又成了吊车尾的情形,拿到第九十七名。1980年,在另外一首单曲未能成功之后,公司决定与她解约,而她也在落寞之中远赴英国,在一个小镇充当女店员。只是,命运的安排是很奇妙的。1982年,一位DJ偶然心血来潮,播放了她五年前的「I've Never Been to Me」,没想到引起了热烈的反应,迫使Motown不得不赶紧顺势重新推出这首歌的单曲,这回特别重新剪辑,把原先「失落」的口白部分放回去,结果一炮而红,拿到全美第三名,在英国更勇夺冠军。Motown把夏琳请回来,录制了「I've Never Been to Me」专辑,获得了很高的评价。

        只可惜,夏琳的星运显然有欠亨通,尽管公司接着安排史提夫汪达(Stevie Wonder)与她合唱了一首「Used to Be」,但是名次并不理想,只拿到第四十六名,同时成了她最后一次出现在排行榜的作品。连续两张专辑惨败之后,她在1985年退出Motown唱片,从此销声匿迹,几乎再也没有人知道她的消息了。不过,她的「I've Never Been to Me」倒是成了经典,仍然深受喜爱,多次成为电影插曲,除了「沙漠妖姬」(Priscilla, Queen of Desert)之外,甚至还有一部电影干脆就用这首歌来当作标题。

        在动人的旋律下,这首歌其实有着相当发人深省的内容。它描述一个历尽沧桑的女人,看见另外一个已婚妇女在悲叹自己的命运,忍不住提出了一些忠告。她曾经有过放浪形骸的过往,走遍整个世界,凭着自己的青春美貌,享受着几乎有如天堂一般的快乐时光,王公贵族、甚至神职人员,都曾经是她的「入幕之宾」,但是到头来,她却只落得一场空,不但走投无路,连个肯友善相待的人都没有。天堂是什么?那只是人们用来欺骗自己的幻想,她劝那个彷徨的妇女,好好珍惜自己拥有的,怀抱中的宝宝,还有那个虽然有时会吵架、但真心爱她的男人,才是真正珍贵的,那才是爱。或许她到过天堂,但是她从未找到过自我,请不要重蹈她的覆辙。

        你是否也曾经为了所谓的「自由」、和眼前的享乐,而做出错误的决定呢?有时候,不妨仔细的想一想,如果那些抉择所带来的后果并不是你所希望得到的,或许下一回你必须做出另外一种选择的时候,你得审慎的仔细思考了。
     
     
    Hey lady,you lady

    Cursin´ at your life

    You´re a discontened mother

    And a regimented wife

    I´ve no doubt you dream about

    The things you´ll never do

    But I wish someone had of talked to me

    Like I wanna talk to you



    I´ve been to Georgis and California

    And anywhere I could run

    Took the hand of a preacher man

    And we made love in the sun

    But I ran out of places and friendly faces

    Because I had to be free

    I´ve been to paradise

    But I´ve never been to me



    Please lady,please lady

    Don´t just walk away

    ´Cause I have this need to tell you

    Why I´m alone today

    I can see so much of me

    Still living in your eyes

    Won´t you share a part of a weary heart

    That has lived million lies



    Oh I´ve been to Nice and the Isle of Greece

    While I sipped champagne on a yacht

    I moved like harlow in Monte Carlo

    And showed´em what I´ve got

    I´ve been undressed by kings

    And I´ve seen some things

    That a woman ain´t supposed to see

    I´ve been to  paradise

    But I ´ve never been to me



    Hey,you know what paradise is?

    It´s a lie,a fantasy we create about people

    And places as we´d like them to be

    But you know what truth is?

    It´s that litle baby you´re holding

    And it´s that man you fought with this morning

    The same one you´re going to make love with tonight

    That´s truth

    That´s love



    Sometimes I´ve been to cryin´

    For unborn children

    That might have made me complete

    But I, I took the sweet life

    And never knew I´d bitter from the sweet



    I spent my life exploring the subtle whoring

    That cost too much to be free

    Hey lady,I´ve been to paradise

    but I´ve never been to me

    I´ve been to paradise,never been to me



    I´ve been to Georgia and California

    And anywhere I could run

    I´ve been to paradise,never been to me

    Been to Nice and the Isle of Greece

    While I sipped champagne on a yacht

    I´ve been to paradise
     
     
    I've Never Been to Me(未曾有自我)是一首充满女性自觉的抒情歌曲。歌曲的叙述方式十分特别:描述一个历经沧桑的女人,见到一个因不满自己目下的生活、准备去追寻“自由”的怨妇,忍不住真挚地提出忠告“我自己也曾经有过放荡形骸的生活,甚至为追寻所谓的自由走遍了世界;而且凭借年轻和美貌,曾得到过别的女人做梦都不敢想的快乐时光;但是到头来却是一场空,等到年纪大了,发现自己追求的不过是镜花水月,甚至从未有过真正的自我”。虽然歌中唱的是劝告别人,但听起来却像是在规劝另一个自己,一个几十年前的自己。她规劝那位彷徨的妇女,“要好好珍惜自己的拥有,珍惜自己怀抱中的孩子,以及那经常拌嘴却是真心爱自己的丈夫”。她说自己虽然到过所谓的快乐“天堂”,却从来没未找到过自我,希望别人不要再重蹈她的覆辙。

    这首歌早在1977即由美国女歌手 Charlene 灌唱,其后也曾经数次重录,或许是发行公司财力不够。宣传无门,问世没有多久就销声匿迹。终于本歌在1982年被一位电台DJ发掘,在自己的节目中密集的播放,从而老曲新红,一年后拿下全美排行榜第三和英国第一的好成绩。但是 Charlene 本人的星途却远非一帆风顺,另外唱了一些歌都反响平平,1980年代中期就彻底消失歌坛了。不过这首I've Never Been to Me(未曾有自我)却一直传唱至今,成了夏琳唯一的一首畅销曲。

    台湾艺人黄莺莺早在歌曲在美国走红前慧眼识珠,发现并翻唱了这首曲子;SHE也翻唱了本曲。但只有Charlene才把这首歌中年沧桑的感觉演绎得这样深刻。

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    晶晶wrote:
    Hey! =) Happy to see your comment in my blog. =) I'm too busy these days..... I will come back and enjoy your music.  =)
     
    校友录里的那张照片儿,哈哈~ 这回你可惨了。 =)
     
    Keep up the good work if you want when you have time, nice place for your interest. =)
    Sept. 20

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