right? i'm 55, and I remember when it first came out, a friend of mine said "this is the worst sappy song ever"...then he played it for me and I was all like "wow terrible yeah". but meantime I'm totally doing the sob/breathing thing subtle style lol. He stuck to J Geils band and Joan Jett and I was also sneaking in a little sap in my diet. I'm a sucker for a sweet tune. 80s ballads are the best.
In the interlude of the song, she clearly states the meaning of what's she's singing about. 'Paradise' is just a place your mind drifts off to in a fantasy world- to escape your dreaded reality, but the real paradise should be appreciating what most people deem underrated, simple things in their life. I hope that she finds her paradise- her true self after all these decades 💕
it's true you know. All your life you're dreaming the big dreams, searching for that excitement and adventure and glory.... it's all a lie. And when you lose everything, your dreams utterly crushed, only then you'll see the truth of things, only then you'll know what's truly important. And hopefully it's not too late by then.
I'm here in 2024 because my neighbor just pulled up to park his car, and this classic was playing....it immediately took me back to the 80's, the best musical time of my life.
I would like to see this song make it back on the charts. While this song is a sad song, it also has a great message that so many people really need to hear. The older a person gets the better they hear the message in this song. This will always be a #1 hit in my book.
This song resonates with me so much. I spent my life looking for love in all the wrong places, with the wrong people and survived domestic violence. Never been to me 🙏
Being single, content,happy. Thats me. Iv been to me.I was there in a lonely marriage for 38 years. Now single 6. Happiness is within the single mind,body and soul.My love tank is full from my children. Need nothing from anyone else.
Her testimony really relates to mine from abortion, domestic violence,to human trafficking 🛡️😭😭😭l cry soooo deeply every time hear this song it is God inspired and their is an annoiting on it ,it will free sooo many listening to it and bring healing God is going to you this lady's testimony powerfully 👑💎💎💎🛡️💖l felt Gods presence flow from this song rivers of living waters🔥🔥🔥🔑👑💎
A beautiful song and a beautiful lady. So much inner beauty. Thank you for sharing the story of this song, and how it was destined to be yours. So sorry to hear about the pain you suffered. I'm all choked up ... tears in my eyes. All the best to you.
The feelings, love and pain in this song is touching! It has the truth to touch everyones "Moment in times" of their lives! This song is a gift from God. The voice, lyrics and music! WOW! Charlene Marilynn Oliver, better known mononymously as Charlene, is an American easy-listening and R&B singer best known for the song "I've Never Been to Me", which, initially being a commercial flop upon its original release in 1977, became a worldwide hit upon a re-release in 1982 and has remained an enduring adult contemporary music staple. Charlene is also a songwriter, record producer and author.
These Story Behind the Song series are BRILLIANT! Thank you for doing these! Pop culture History .... also brings back memories of these songs. Lovely to get an update on Charlene.
I’ve loved this song forever it’s one of my faves ,it’s just so moving ,I didn’t realise how beautiful she is and her voice is absolutely incredible,I’m in love with her .
I don't know if Charlene knew about it but this song was a big hit in the Philippines when it first came out in 1977. It remains a karaoke favorite to this day.
Love this song so much!!! The melody is so catchy, that i find myself humming it many days walking thru the shops! The lyrics are also very poignant the older i get and look back at my life!
Wow what an sad and an uplifting story rolled up in one. I feel sad for the abuse she suffered at the hands of the cowardly former husband she had, but thank God she was able to survive and move forward in her life. Her song 4-sure has spoken into so many women hearts. What a magical ride that song brought her. Although I grew up in the 70’s and was into a lot music this my first time ever hearing of her and this great song.
Such a beautiful song that I’ve loved to listen to for many years. Such a lovely voice. I’m so sorry that she had to endure the evil that the weak fool she married bestowed upon her. Hopefully she does find herself. Thank you Charlene 👍.
I was listening to the QMorning Zoo in Tampa when Scott Shannon introduced Charlene's song! My mother heard it and asked me to find her a copy. I was in college in '82, and drove from Tampa to St. Petersburg to a used record store and bought the "Charlene" album that included the song. I love that it was used in "Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" as the film's first song.
I was sad to hear at the end that she's still never "been to me". I'm glad to hear she was honest about it, though. She's a real person, and I like that.
I found a second-hand LP of her named: ''Hit and Run Lover'', I didn't know ANY of the songs but bought it just because I liked ''Never been to me''. The album was an amazing 80's pop gem, she is a wonderful singer.
I remember, in my younger years, when I was working as a waiter in a restaurant. a Couple were having a romantic tete-a-tete and this song came up. The man was softly repeating the words to the lady and she just melted. I learned that day the power of words...
That song held me during my teen years and ended up being so truthful for me. I always had a stubborn streak and figured I would experience much heartache along the way, much as you did. It was the only song for years that spoke to a woman's ability to search for happiness and herself. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I'm so glad you got away from your abuser. Keep seeking. I have come to the notion that nothing in my life was wasted on God. He had a plan for me from the start. I hope you find the happiness you sang about wanting to find. Sincerely, Patti
i bought the song not long ago on digital. was flipping through some songs on Amazon heard it and said, "I remember that song!!" It was so different, sad, and beautiful.
She been in paradise the wealt the rich the power everywhere..but the true paradise is love that she cannot find..true love finds in her lovingly husband and her beautiful child.
Gosh. For years it was just a song that stuck in my head, but now that I know the story behind the singer.....it will be engraved in my brain. Charlene, sooo sorry you had to undergo all this pain, I never knew this. Look at your beautiful daughter: you still guess who you are? Look into her eyes, and you WILL know.
What a sad song it reminds me of a woman with a sad life trying to get out and have a life of her own that's why she dreams about things like this, Paradise,,
I first heard that song on the movie "Pricilla Queen of the Desert" and fell in love with it. I'd never seen an interview with Charlene before either. What a beautiful person.
I put this song in my humanities subject then after i discussed the meaning of this song other ladies in the class cried. Maybe they can relate . Thank you charlene for this song.
Very beautiful story of Charlene's troubled first marriage . Although the lyrics reflect someone regretting not settling down , it seems i can relate to putting my eggs in one basket whilst living lives that weren't working.
@@oskie66skye I think I get it - maybe she was dreaming of that kind of life: a loving husband, a baby and a stable life, where the one she had was so turbulent, nothing like a loving marriage “should” be, as the one she describes.
I remember this song hitting me hard. I was away from home in college. Rebound from a heart break.It hit most women who listened in some way. Charlenes voice was pure gold. So lovely to hear Charlene all these years later. I saw that rebound ghost last week. How age affects the human body but doesn't really affect the memory. I can still see a young man in my mind. However reality is.Iv been to me.Not going back.❤❤
Marilyn Anthony it was of a time. But of a fish out of water. That’s why it appealed to certain people. Wordy, rhyming scheme, vivid images.. tragic and regretful and a cautionary tale. Compared to Let’s get Physical...
Charlene i love this song 😍 . Growing up with this kind of music made my childhood awesome im crying right now 😭😭.. I want you to know i love you so much ❤️❤️❤️ hope you doing well .
You are with you all the time XOX you can't find yourself because you are you, when you stop rejecting what is already you, looking for a better version.. then you will be to you xox
One of my aunt really hated this song, because this song was practically about her whole life, and the first time she listened to this song, it really broke her, everything the song tried to tell people, it was too late for her for most of those things. She tried to be the fun aunt though, so even though she's still 'alone' in her mid 60s now, she's not really alone since all of us nieces and nephews loved her, and she loved us back-- as long as we don't mention this song, that is.
This was my song, it helped me through a bad relationship and troubled time in my life. It stayed with me even when I moved on and when I was in my late 20’s I was told the news that the one thing I longed for through my whole life was impossible and that was to have a child. That almost destroyed me so this song had even more significant meaning then and still does today and I’m 58🦋🙏🇦🇺
"Physical" went on to be the #1 song of the 80's. LOL! I absolutely love Charlene's song though. The second time around (1982), it spent 3 weeks at #3.
It always adds to something, song/movie/etc., if you learn the story behind it. Two songs that come to mind are Stevie Nicks song, "Has anyone ever written anything for you", and "Suzanne" by Leonard Cohen(I prefer the Neil Diamond version). There is also the story by Jerry Jeff Walker about how he came to write the song, "Mr. Bojangles". The man he wrote about was someone who claimed to be Bojangles, but the real Bojangles had died many years before the incident described in the song took place in the jail. Bobby Cole's version is my favorite version of that song. Thanks for posting this video.
This is one of my all time favourite songs so sad though that itx about everything that was wrong in her life and if your still searching for your me it can only be found within you
I never knew the first version was written from a male perspective. My 20’s 30’s and 40’s were pretty much the words of this song, jumping from one relationship to another, looking for the next party, luckily for me one of those relationships produced my son, who is now a man and my best friend.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
That song speaks not just to women, but to all isolated, discouraged, and saddened souls....
Absolutely. ❤😘
I'm 59 years old and to this day this song makes me extremely emotional every time I hear it which is often.
ruclips.net/video/WjA5X_2mzP4/видео.htmlsi=HYYVubZfcg4MEede
56 same
right? i'm 55, and I remember when it first came out, a friend of mine said "this is the worst sappy song ever"...then he played it for me and I was all like "wow terrible yeah". but meantime I'm totally doing the sob/breathing thing subtle style lol. He stuck to J Geils band and Joan Jett and I was also sneaking in a little sap in my diet. I'm a sucker for a sweet tune. 80s ballads are the best.
In the interlude of the song, she clearly states the meaning of what's she's singing about. 'Paradise' is just a place your mind drifts off to in a fantasy world- to escape your dreaded reality, but the real paradise should be appreciating what most people deem underrated, simple things in their life. I hope that she finds her paradise- her true self after all these decades 💕
it's true you know. All your life you're dreaming the big dreams, searching for that excitement and adventure and glory.... it's all a lie. And when you lose everything, your dreams utterly crushed, only then you'll see the truth of things, only then you'll know what's truly important.
And hopefully it's not too late by then.
This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written~!
My dad shared this song to me as a kid and i'm now 38 and still love it
I'm 39, and I heard it growing up. About a week ago, I searched for it, and it's been on repeat.
@ cool where ya from?
@BuckleZ The Caribbean, specifically Trinidad and Tobago. You?
@ ireland :)
I'm here in 2024 because my neighbor just pulled up to park his car, and this classic was playing....it immediately took me back to the 80's, the best musical time of my life.
Hey Lady, 76 years old now this song helped me in life and love old man now from Ireland
Also from Ireland. ☘
This song is one of the big memories of my teenage years
I would like to see this song make it back on the charts. While this song is a sad song, it also has a great message that so many people really need to hear. The older a person gets the better they hear the message in this song. This will always be a #1 hit in my book.
special voice darlinks !!!
This song resonates with me so much. I spent my life looking for love in all the wrong places, with the wrong people and survived domestic violence. Never been to me 🙏
Try reiki
Being single, content,happy. Thats me. Iv been to me.I was there in a lonely marriage for 38 years. Now single 6. Happiness is within the single mind,body and soul.My love tank is full from my children. Need nothing from anyone else.
Her testimony really relates to mine from abortion, domestic violence,to human trafficking 🛡️😭😭😭l cry soooo deeply every time hear this song it is God inspired and their is an annoiting on it ,it will free sooo many listening to it and bring healing God is going to you this lady's testimony powerfully 👑💎💎💎🛡️💖l felt Gods presence flow from this song rivers of living waters🔥🔥🔥🔑👑💎
A beautiful song and a beautiful lady. So much inner beauty. Thank you for sharing the story of this song, and how it was destined to be yours. So sorry to hear about the pain you suffered. I'm all choked up ... tears in my eyes. All the best to you.
The feelings, love and pain in this song is touching! It has the truth to touch everyones "Moment in times" of their lives! This song is a gift from God. The voice, lyrics and music! WOW! Charlene Marilynn Oliver, better known mononymously as Charlene, is an American easy-listening and R&B singer best known for the song "I've Never Been to Me", which, initially being a commercial flop upon its original release in 1977, became a worldwide hit upon a re-release in 1982 and has remained an enduring adult contemporary music staple. Charlene is also a songwriter, record producer and author.
2021 and this is still one of my favorite songs! Loved it as soon as it came on the radio back in the day
this is one of my mother’s favorites. miss her so much
These Story Behind the Song series are BRILLIANT! Thank you for doing these! Pop culture History .... also brings back memories of these songs. Lovely to get an update on Charlene.
I’ve loved this song forever it’s one of my faves ,it’s just so moving ,I didn’t realise how beautiful she is and her voice is absolutely incredible,I’m in love with her .
I’ve always loved this song. She is incredibly beautiful; then and now.
Omg! Even better to know the story behind one of my favorite songs of all time.
I don't know if Charlene knew about it but this song was a big hit in the Philippines when it first came out in 1977. It remains a karaoke favorite to this day.
Phillos LOVE good melodies more than any other nation on earth.
Beautiful song and stunning vocals. The clip at the end was great and she still has that stunning voice.
Hey lady, you lady.
Love this song so much!!!
The melody is so catchy, that i find myself humming it many days walking thru the shops! The lyrics are also very poignant the older i get and look back at my life!
This is a great song that came once in a life time.
Wow what an sad and an uplifting story rolled up in one. I feel sad for the abuse she suffered at the hands of the cowardly former husband she had, but thank God she was able to survive and move forward in her life. Her song 4-sure has spoken into so many women hearts. What a magical ride that song brought her. Although I grew up in the 70’s and was into a lot music this my first time ever hearing of her and this great song.
The sone was originally released in 1977 but didn't go anywhere. It was re-released in 1982 and became a hit. I remember when it became a hit in 1982.
Such a beautiful song that I’ve loved to listen to for many years. Such a lovely voice. I’m so sorry that she had to endure the evil that the weak fool she married bestowed upon her. Hopefully she does find herself. Thank you Charlene 👍.
Thank you very much charlene.This song was very beautiful and I often listen to it in 1990
I was listening to the QMorning Zoo in Tampa when Scott Shannon introduced Charlene's song! My mother heard it and asked me to find her a copy. I was in college in '82, and drove from Tampa to St. Petersburg to a used record store and bought the "Charlene" album that included the song. I love that it was used in "Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" as the film's first song.
this song brings me to tears every time i hear it.
So much pain and truth but this song also is heading. ❤️her voice is untouchable so beautiful ❣️
One of the er best voices ever heard -plenty of emotion in her voice.
A touching back story ❤
2024 here! Love love love this song and Charlene!
I was sad to hear at the end that she's still never "been to me". I'm glad to hear she was honest about it, though. She's a real person, and I like that.
She sang this with such deep emotions, no one else could have done this any better. I love the interview. GREAT SONG!!!
I found a second-hand LP of her named: ''Hit and Run Lover'', I didn't know ANY of the songs but bought it just because I liked ''Never been to me''. The album was an amazing 80's pop gem, she is a wonderful singer.
Wow! Does that bring back memories.
One of my favorite song..❤❤❤❤❤
I remember, in my younger years, when I was working as a waiter in a restaurant. a Couple were having a romantic tete-a-tete and this song came up. The man was softly repeating the words to the lady and she just melted. I learned that day the power of words...
Really loved your little story, thank you for that 🙏It reads like a scene from the movie Love Story, in real life. Thank you ones more.
Just like the choice of words you use to relay this story, powerful indeed!
Bet the subtle wh0ring line made her wet
Amazing story and timeless.
That song held me during my teen years and ended up being so truthful for me. I always had a stubborn streak and figured I would experience much heartache along the way, much as you did. It was the only song for years that spoke to a woman's ability to search for happiness and herself. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I'm so glad you got away from your abuser. Keep seeking. I have come to the notion that nothing in my life was wasted on God. He had a plan for me from the start. I hope you find the happiness you sang about wanting to find. Sincerely, Patti
was 21/22 in 1982 never heard of this song until today never missed anything
i bought the song not long ago on digital. was flipping through some songs on Amazon heard it and said, "I remember that song!!" It was so different, sad, and beautiful.
She been in paradise the wealt the rich the power everywhere..but the true paradise is love that she cannot find..true love finds in her lovingly husband and her beautiful child.
Charlene 👑❤👑🇧🇷❤
I love this tune.💛🧡
Gosh. For years it was just a song that stuck in my head, but now that I know the story behind the singer.....it will be engraved in my brain. Charlene, sooo sorry you had to undergo all this pain, I never knew this. Look at your beautiful daughter: you still guess who you are? Look into her eyes, and you WILL know.
Beautiful melody, relevant lyrics and her voice, her breathtaking voice.
Always and forever I will associate this song with Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Such a great movie with an excellent soundtrack!
I love the song and only she can make it sound so good.
This is an absolutely amazing song and Charlene’s voice is incredible! Why isn’t she recording???
Thank you Charlene ❤
This song has haunted me since I first hear it back in 1982.
That is still the meaning of music....thank you
No other song can and could ever beat this! 💜
She actually sounds much better now than she did way back then. She needs to be performing folk blues.
😥😥😥😥😥😥🇻🇺🇻🇺🇻🇺🇻🇺🇻🇺 I can't stop the tears. Thanks for sharing the story behind it
When i first heard this song by Charlene it totally blew me away such a beautiful singer n oh boy what a beautiful song indeed such a lovely song
Remembering my mother, a very strong woman with full of wisdom. ❤
I'm saddened to see that she is still searching. I really like the song.
Mooi verhaal bij dit prachtige nummer.
What a sad song it reminds me of a woman with a sad life trying to get out and have a life of her own that's why she dreams about things like this, Paradise,,
I first heard that song on the movie "Pricilla Queen of the Desert" and fell in love with it. I'd never seen an interview with Charlene before either. What a beautiful person.
fell in love with her and this meaningful true song...great sing a long...still sing to ""I've never been to ME..."..Love to meet her
I put this song in my humanities subject then after i discussed the meaning of this song other ladies in the class cried. Maybe they can relate . Thank you charlene for this song.
2021 still listening to this song ❤️
Very beautiful story of Charlene's troubled first marriage . Although the lyrics reflect someone regretting not settling down , it seems i can relate to putting my eggs in one basket whilst living lives that weren't working.
Spot on....Thank you
@@oskie66skye I think I get it - maybe she was dreaming of that kind of life: a loving husband, a baby and a stable life, where the one she had was so turbulent, nothing like a loving marriage “should” be, as the one she describes.
I remember this song hitting me hard. I was away from home in college. Rebound from a heart break.It hit most women who listened in some way. Charlenes voice was pure gold. So lovely to hear Charlene all these years later. I saw that rebound ghost last week. How age affects the human body but doesn't really affect the memory. I can still see a young man in my mind. However reality is.Iv been to me.Not going back.❤❤
Great song. Great interview.
GREAT SONG? It's horrible
Marilyn Anthony it was of a time. But of a fish out of water. That’s why it appealed to certain people. Wordy, rhyming scheme, vivid images.. tragic and regretful and a cautionary tale. Compared to Let’s get Physical...
I've listened to this song so many times over the years. Haunting and so true to life. My life. Well, maybe didn't have yahts, but song speaks to me.
I'd never thought I'd see how Charlene looks like but here I am
My favorite song, Love from China❤
This song is my life. Almost literally except I'm a gay male and not a woman. I'm old now and have no children and regret my choices
This is one of the best story i saw on youtube
I'm So Sad You Said That I was Cried Charlene ,Thank You so much you Made Beautiful Love Song 💖♥️
Charlene i love this song 😍 . Growing up with this kind of music made my childhood awesome im crying right now 😭😭..
I want you to know i love you so much ❤️❤️❤️ hope you doing well .
Love this song very much
You are with you all the time XOX you can't find yourself because you are you, when you stop rejecting what is already you, looking for a better version.. then you will be to you xox
One of my aunt really hated this song, because this song was practically about her whole life, and the first time she listened to this song, it really broke her, everything the song tried to tell people, it was too late for her for most of those things. She tried to be the fun aunt though, so even though she's still 'alone' in her mid 60s now, she's not really alone since all of us nieces and nephews loved her, and she loved us back-- as long as we don't mention this song, that is.
This was my song, it helped me through a bad relationship and troubled time in my life. It stayed with me even when I moved on and when I was in my late 20’s I was told the news that the one thing I longed for through my whole life was impossible and that was to have a child. That almost destroyed me so this song had even more significant meaning then and still does today and I’m 58🦋🙏🇦🇺
Cool Charlene
I bet this song would be a hit again if Charlene re recorded it!
Truly a masterpiece
Remember this on the radio in Chicago, at 19. The lyrics.
Very Nice !!!
Truly cheesy songs like this one will always occupy a soft spot in my heart. I simultaneously hate them and love them. Thank you, Charlene.
One can't insult something and also have it occupy "a soft spot" in your heart. The song isn't "cheesy."
This song is very far from cheesy- you need to get your ears checked!
Wow. Really cool story behind the song. I don't think she ever hit the charts with anything else.
The music biz is hard to penetrate. You have to have the right personality to make it all the way up.
She looks and sounds a little like Stevie Nicks in these later years!
what a sweet lady!
I love your song soooo much! that talks reality...
Wonderful woman....Wonderful song....Wonderful story!!!!!
Charlene I send you a hug wherever you are !!
Meaningful song and Beautiful Voice, And Beautiful Girl
I was attracted by this beautiful song in 1982 when my English was zero.
I love the song!
"Physical" went on to be the #1 song of the 80's. LOL! I absolutely love Charlene's song though. The second time around (1982), it spent 3 weeks at #3.
It always adds to something, song/movie/etc., if you learn the story behind it. Two songs that come to mind are Stevie Nicks song, "Has anyone ever written anything for you", and "Suzanne" by Leonard Cohen(I prefer the Neil Diamond version). There is also the story by Jerry Jeff Walker about how he came to write the song, "Mr. Bojangles". The man he wrote about was someone who claimed to be Bojangles, but the real Bojangles had died many years before the incident described in the song took place in the jail. Bobby Cole's version is my favorite version of that song. Thanks for posting this video.
One wandered and searched far & wide yet paradise was right there reachable and yours all the time ❤️
This is my favorite song.
This is one of my all time favourite songs so sad though that itx about everything that was wrong in her life and if your still searching for your me it can only be found within you
These snippet interviews are so short!!!
I never knew the first version was written from a male perspective. My 20’s 30’s and 40’s were pretty much the words of this song, jumping from one relationship to another, looking for the next party, luckily for me one of those relationships produced my son, who is now a man and my best friend.