Charlene Marilynn Dangelo, a female singer who rose in the early 198s but disappeared in a flash in the pan, is her only masterpiece "I've Never Been to Me". Although her album has long been out of print, people are still asking about her classic. Charlene Marilynn Dangelo, from Hollywood, was born in June 195. Like most singers, she began to love singing as a girl. In 1973, when she was twenty-three, she got a contract for Motown records, because the company, which has always been a professional in black music, tried to expand its career territory and intervene in the white rock and country market. In 1973, Motown released her first single "All That Love Went to Waste" under the stage name of "Charlene Marilynn Dangelo Duncan", but the company happened to be busy promoting Edwin Starr's "Ain't It Hell Up in Harlem" and Jackson Five's "Dancing Machine".
Maybe it's to make up for her. After three years, Motown arranged for her to cooperate with two creative partners, Ken Kirsch and Ronald Miller, to release another single "It ain't easy to come in' down" under the company's sub-brand Prodigal. This time, it was released in the name of "Charlene Marilynn Dangelo", and finally managed to squeeze into the ranking, but only got the 97th place, "Charlene" with the same name. In May 1977, the company repackaged the album, released it under the title of "Songs of Love", and re-recorded one of the songs "I've Never Been to Me", but when editing it, it accidentally missed a part of it, and released it as a single. As a result, it turned out to be a crane tail and won the 97th place. In 198, after another single failed, the company decided to cancel her contract, and she also went to England in loneliness and worked as a salesgirl in a small town. It's just that fate is wonderful. In 1982, a DJ played her "I've Never Been to Me" on a whim. Unexpectedly, it caused a warm response, forcing Motown to quickly re-launch the single of this song. This time, it was specially re-edited, and the original "lost" oral part was put back. As a result, it became an instant hit, winning the third place in the United States and winning the championship in Britain. Motown invited Charlene back and recorded the album "I've Never Been to Me", which was highly praised.
It's a pity that Charlene Marilynn Dangelo's star luck is obviously not prosperous. Although the company arranged for Stevie Wonder to sing a song "Used to Be" with her, the ranking was not ideal, and she only got 46th place, which became her last work in the charts. After the fiasco of two consecutive albums, she quit Motown records in 1985, and since then, she has disappeared, and almost no one knows about her anymore. However, her "I've Never Been to Me" has become a classic, and it is still deeply loved. It has become a movie episode for many times. Apart from "Priscilla, Queen of Desert", there is even a movie that simply uses this song as the title.
Under the moving melody, this song actually has quite thought-provoking content. It describes a woman who has gone through many vicissitudes, and when she sees another married woman lamenting her fate, she can't help but give some advice. She once had a wild past, traveled all over the world, and enjoyed a happy time almost like heaven with her youth and beauty. Princes, nobles and even clergy were once her "guests in the curtain", but in the end, she ended up with nothing, not only cornered, but even no one willing to treat each other kindly. What is heaven? That's just a fantasy that people use to deceive themselves. She advised the hesitant woman to cherish the baby she has and the man who really loves her although she sometimes quarrels. That's what is really precious. That's love. Maybe she has been to heaven, but she has never found herself. Please don't make the same mistake.