Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known as Chaka Khan, and… Read Full Bio ↴Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known as Chaka Khan, and frequently referred to as the "Queen of Funk", is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus.

In 1964, at the age of 11, Khan formed her first musical group, the Crystalettes. While still in high school, she joined the Afro-Arts Theater, a group which toured with Motown great Mary Wells; a few years later, she adopted the African name Chaka Khan while working on the Black Panthers' breakfast program. After quitting high school in 1969, Khan joined the group Lyfe, soon exiting to join another dance band, the Babysitters — neither was on the fast track to success, but her fortunes changed when she teamed with ex-American Breed member Kevin Murphy and Andre Fisher to form Rufus.

Debuting in 1973 with a self-titled effort on the ABC label, Rufus was among the preeminent funk groups of the decade. Distinguished by Khan's dynamic vocals, the group earned half a dozen gold or platinum albums.

While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career. Her signature hits, both with Rufus and solo, include "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire".

Caught in the Act
Chaka Khan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Suspicions rising, answers aren't clear
I thought we made a promise, now you've disappeared
You seem to lead two lives at a time
Do I still fit in, I thought you were mine
Sitting at the bar in our favorite cafe
I turn and see ya laughin' with her and your smile fades away
Didn't surprise me, there's nothin' left to say
I caught you red-handed now and you can't walk away

CHORUS:
You were caught in the act
When you thought I wasn't lookin' at ya
C.I.T.A., I can see what you're doin'
Caught in the act, and I can't stand to hear your lies
Caught in the act, don't you try and change my mind

You called me the only, you said, "she's only a friend"
Don't pretend you're sorry, my heart will mend
Don't you come back to me, don't you try to call
You couldn't hold my heart with love, now you can't hold me at all

CHORUS

Caught in the act, caught in the act
Caught in the act, C.I.T.A.

Caught in the act, caught in the act
Caught in the act, C.I.T.A.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Chaka Khan's song "Caught in the Act" depict the feelings of betrayal and hurt resulting from infidelity. The singer is suspicious of her partner's faithfulness and realizes that he is leading a double life. She confronts him while sitting at their favorite café, and her fears are confirmed when she catches him laughing with another woman. The singer hammers home that she doesn't want anything to do with the partner anymore, and she feels betrayed since he told her that the other person was just a friend. In the end, the singer is relieved that she can move on though hurt.

Line by Line Meaning

Suspicions rising, answers aren't clear
I am starting to have doubts because I can't find clear answers.

I thought we made a promise, now you've disappeared
I trusted you and thought we were committed to each other, but now you have vanished.

You seem to lead two lives at a time
It feels like you have two separate lives that you're leading simultaneously.

Do I still fit in, I thought you were mine
I'm not sure where I stand anymore, I always believed we were together.

Sitting at the bar in our favorite cafe
I am sitting in our usual spot at the bar in our favorite café.

I turn and see ya laughin' with her and your smile fades away
I saw you laughing with someone else and your smile vanished when you realized I saw you.

Didn't surprise me, there's nothin' left to say
What I saw didn't surprise me, and I have nothing left to say to you.

I caught you red-handed now and you can't walk away
I caught you in the act of being unfaithful, and you can't just walk away from it.

You were caught in the act
You were caught doing something you shouldn't have been doing.

When you thought I wasn't lookin' at ya
You were doing it when you thought I wasn't watching you.

C.I.T.A., I can see what you're doin'
I know what you were doing, and I'm not clueless.

Caught in the act, and I can't stand to hear your lies
You were caught in the act, and I can't tolerate hearing any more of your lies.

Caught in the act, don't you try and change my mind
You were caught doing the wrong thing, and you can't persuade me to stay with you anymore.

You called me the only, you said, "she's only a friend"
You claimed that I was the only one for you, and that it was just a friend, you were laughing with.

Don't pretend you're sorry, my heart will mend
You don't need to act apologetic, I will get over this eventually.

Don't you come back to me, don't you try to call
Don't bother coming back, and don't ever try to contact me again.

You couldn't hold my heart with love, now you can't hold me at all
You weren't able to make me stay with you because of love, and now you can't hold me back in any way.

C.I.T.A.
Caught In The Act.

Caught in the act, caught in the act
You were caught doing the wrong thing, and it's undeniable.

C.I.T.A.
Caught In The Act.

Caught in the act, caught in the act
You were caught doing the wrong thing, and it's undeniable.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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