Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of I Feel for You!
Thank you Chaka!
This memorable album and its title track were released on October 1, 1984.
This is the cover art for the album "I Feel for You" by Chaka Khan. The eponymous hit single was the album’s sixth track.
“While I couldn’t do Windmills like a few of my friends could, I finally learned the Worm (we called it the “Centipede”) and even learned to Moonwalk and Sideglide, all to the sounds of ‘I Feel for You’ and ‘Jam on It’.'“
- Woodard, Anthony. “There’s a big world out there, and remember, when one door closes, another opens... (Repost)”. Feb. 8, 2023
The song “I Feel for You” reached No. 1 on both the U.S. Dance and R&B charts in late 1984, remaining atop both for three weeks each. Chaka Khan’s vocals and music, including the title track, penned by the late Prince, still take me to a good place and bring back fun childhood memories. When I was in sixth grade, like most of my classmates, I was in awe of the legendary dancer Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers, who played “Turbo” in the May 1984 movie “Breakin’” and who also appeared with his fellow cast members in the popular “I Feel for You” music video, shown above.
The legendary “broom dance” scene from “Breakin’”
Chaka’s version of I Feel for You won two Grammys, one for “Best R&B Song” (with Prince as its songwriter) and the other for “Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female”, at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985.
The "Queen of Funk” celebrating her Grammy award in 1985.
Associated Press (AP)
The year before, Chaka and her bandmates from Rufus won the Grammy for “Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” for their song “Ain’t Nobody”, a song that also appeared on the Breakin’ movie soundtrack; my favorite Chaka Khan song!
Rufus and Chaka Khan were one of the most popular and influential funk bands of the 1970s, with four consecutive number one R&B albums and four number one R&B singles, among other accolades. My friend and Toxic A$$ets bandmate, Antoinette Ellis, cites Chaka Khan as one of her biggest musical influences. She believes that Chaka’s vocals have unparalleled “umpf”; jazzy and full of energy. I definitely agree!