I've Never Been to Me

I've Never Been to Me - Charlene

Hey lady, you lady, cursing at your life
You're a discontented mother and a regimented wife
I've no doubt you dream about the things you'll never do
But I wish someone had talked to me like I wanna talk to you

Oh, I've been to Georgia and California and anywhere I could run
I 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 all 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 a million lies...

Oh, I've been to Niece and the Isle of Greece
While I've sipped champagne on a yacht
I've 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

[Spoken]
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 little baby you're holding
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 crying for unborn children
That might have made me complete
But I took the sweet life,
I never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet
I've spent my life exploring the subtle whoring
That costs too much to be free
Hey lady, I've been to paradise,
But I've never been to me

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所謂的One hit singer，就是指只有一首歌大賣的那種歌手。他們也不見得歌唱得不好聽，但是也許就是因為星運不佳，便莫名其妙地帶著滿腹才華消失了。Charlene大概就是最佳的代表了。

這首歌最早是在1976年由Motown（現在已經在UMG底下）推出的，而於1977年勉強以第97名擠入Hot 100排行榜，然後就這麼不見了。由於唱片大概不賣的關係，Charlene也就離開了Motown，甚至遷居英國。可是，事情就是這麼奇妙，1982年時，在WRBQ-FM（老歌音樂電台）裡一個名叫Scott Shannon的DJ，心血來潮，撥了這首歌，結果獲得廣大迴響。於是，Motown趕緊又把Charlene找回來，重新再次錄製了這首歌，同時，也把在1976年版中漏掉的口白部分補回去。而這次的同曲再出擊，聲勢驚人，一路殺到了Hot 100的第3名，在英國則取得第1名。可惜，東山再起也是曇花一現，後來的專輯，再也無法達到對應的好成績，於是Charlene又再次於1985年退出歌壇。

這首歌的內容主要是敘述一名遊戲人間的女子，在年華老去之後，對於過去不在乎生命裡平凡的價值，最後終將一無所有、獨自面對孤獨，而感到後悔。就如歌詞內容的，即便曾經到過所謂繁華天堂，卻從無機會認清自己。而中間的口白部分，卻也同時是整首歌的精華部分，強烈的闡述平凡生活所具備的幸福在是最重要的。

另外，歌詞中有一句"crying for unborn children"雖然常常會被當作有反對墮胎的隱喻，不過，原始的意義也僅是，要闡述主角因為蹉跎時光，而錯過了養育兒女的機會而已。

這首歌的翻唱版本非常多，其實我自己也聽過其他的版本，不過，還是最喜歡Charlene的版本。如果上wikipedia去看看的話，其實還有很多語言的版本。其中，稍微嚇到的是，金瑞瑤的中文版和周慧敏的粵語版。（對這兩個名字有印象，就洩漏出年齡了。）

同樣的，更多有趣的資訊一項可以參考wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I've_Never_Been_to_Me
（裡面居然還有寫到S.H.E在專輯「青春株式會社」有翻唱過，真不愧是wiki...）

最後，依照慣例，要稍微提到電影或影集:P，這首歌曾經出現在"Desperate Housewives"最好看的第一季裡（1x11），Edie在Julie的生日會上唱過唷！