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".

Fate
Chaka Khan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you walked into my lonely life tonight
I saw my destiny, I saw eternity tonight
And the moment I held you I knew it
What we do is decided before we do it

[Chorus]
Fate, this could only be
Fate, I never thought I'd believe in

Fate, now I understand
It's part of the plan
I was meant to be your woman

Time stood still, and we lost on words to say
And though the people stared, they seemed a million miles away
Oh we knew it was love we were feeling
We were destined to give it a whole new meaning

[Chorus]

In my heart I feel I've loved you all my life
I was in the dark, but now I think I've seen the light
I rang like a bell with your laughter
Something tells me I'll love you forever and ever

Fate (this could only be)
It was fate (this could only be)
It's part of the plan
I was meant to be your woman

(It's part of the plan)
I'll love you forever and ever

Overall Meaning

In the song "Fate", Chaka Khan sings about meeting the person who was meant to be in her life. She describes the feeling of destiny and eternity, and how it became clear to her when she first held this person. The lyrics suggest a sense of predestination - the idea that what they were feeling was already decided before they even met. The chorus repeats the word "Fate", underscoring the central theme of the song. The lyrics convey a sense of deep connection and love, as if they were always meant to be together.

Line by Line Meaning

When you walked into my lonely life tonight
The singer saw a glimpse of her future upon meeting the person who walked into her life.

I saw my destiny, I saw eternity tonight
The instant connection between her and the person made her feel like they are meant to be together forever.

And the moment I held you I knew it
The bonding they had was so strong that it didn't take long for her to realize that they were a match meant to be.

What we do is decided before we do it
Their strong connection and love for each other was predetermined, so everything they did felt like it was meant to be.

Fate, this could only be
The singer believes that what she and the other person have is fate, and it was predetermined for them to share the love they have.

Fate, I never thought I'd believe in
The singer didn't believe in fate until she met this person who she feels is her destiny, making her believe in fate for the first time.

Fate, now I understand
The singer now comprehends how fate works and how it brought her to meet the person she believes to be her fate.

It's part of the plan
Everything that happened between them was already boarded in the plan of fate.

I was meant to be your woman
The singer feels like she has finally found the person she was destined to be with.

Time stood still, and we lost on words to say
The moment they met, all sense of time and space disappeared, and they were momentarily speechless.

And though the people stared, they seemed a million miles away
The people around them didn't matter because the singers' connection was so strong that everything else didn't seem to exist.

Oh we knew it was love we were feeling
Both of them knew it was love what they were feeling that moment.

We were destined to give it a whole new meaning
The love they are feeling is something new and special, and they are meant to enhance it into something greater.

In my heart I feel I've loved you all my life
From the moment they met, it felt like they have been in love forever.

I was in the dark, but now I think I've seen the light
The singer was lost and unaware of what she wanted, but now she feels like she found the answer she was looking for.

I rang like a bell with your laughter
The singer feels pure and unadulterated joy with the other person's presence and finds their laughter contagious.

Something tells me I'll love you forever and ever
The singer feels confident that their love is lasting and will survive the test of time.

It's part of the plan
This line repeats to emphasize that everything that is happening is preordained by fate.

I'll love you forever and ever
The singer repeats these lines to reiterate how strong and everlasting her love is for the other person.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DOMINIC KING, FRANK MUSKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS