One-Hit Wonders: Charlene And “I’ve Never Been To Me”
Charlene's "never been to me." The bus doesn't make a stop there. (YouTube)
With the help of legendary DJ Scott Shannon, Charlene‘s “I’ve Never Been to Me” went from flop to famous, five years after it was first released.
In 1976, Charlene D’Angelo was a 26-year-old countrypolitan singer signed to work with Ron Miller and Ken Hirsch on Motown’s Prodigy imprint. Not country enough for purists (or pop enough for popsters), Charlene’s three Prodigy singles barely managed to find their way into the Top 100.
Five years later, Scott Shannon reintroduced ”I’ve Never Been to Me” to Tampa radio listeners, Motown re-signed Charlene and recut the song (with the now infamous spoken interlude) and a One-Hit Wonder was born.
“I’ve Never Been to Me” reached #3 in May 1982.
Gone but not forgotten, at least not at WNEW, find more tales of One-Hit Wonders here …
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