She began gospel singing with her mother in the Holloway Community Singers and she has also recorded with Albertina Walker in The Caravans gospel group. Holloway was also a cast member of the Chicago troupe of Don't Bother Me I Can't Cope.
Holloway found moderate disco success when she placed eighteen songs on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including four Number ones, and was featured on Dan Hartman's disco classic, "Vertigo / Relight My Fire". In the early 1980s, she had another dance hit with "Crash Goes Love", before she had her first Number one in the UK with "Ride On Time" by Black Box, which featured vocal samples from her own Salsoul recording, "Love Sensation". This happened again in 1991 when Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featured her vocals in the chart topping cover version of the song "Good Vibrations". Although both songs were notorious for initial copyright infringements (see: white label), they did help elevate Holloway to legendary status in the dance music/disco community.
A more recent dance chart entry was "Relight My Fire" (credited to Martin featuring Loleatta Holloway), which hit #5 in 2003.
Her latest hit "Love Sensation '06" peaked at #22 in the Dutch Top 40[1] and reached #37 on the UK Singles Chart as well as #49 in Australia.
Holloway died on March 21, 2011 from heart failure. She was 64 years old. She is survived by her four children.
Like a Prayer
Loleatta Holloway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home
[Chorus:]
When you call my name it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your powerJust like a prayer you know I'll take you there
I hear your voice, it's like an angel sighing
I have no choice, I hear your voice
Feels like flying
I close my eyes, Oh God I think I'm falling
Out of the sky, I close my eyes
Heaven help me
[Chorus:]
When you call my name it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there
Like a child you whisper softly to me
You're in control just like a child
Now I'm dancing
It's like a dream, no end and no beginning
You're here with me, it's like a dream
Let the choir sing
[Chorus:]
When you call my name it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there
Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery
Just like a dream, you are not what you seem
Just like a prayer, no choice your voice can take me
There
Just like a prayer, I'll take you there
It's like a dream to me
The lyrics to Loleatta Holloway's song "Like a Prayer" are both spiritual and sensuous. The first verse starts with the idea that life is a mystery and that everyone has to stand alone in front of it. However, the feeling of loneliness disappears when the person hears a voice calling their name. The voice has a power that can persuade them to kneel and reach for it. It is as if the person giving voice and the person listening share a spiritual connection, and their encounter almost becomes a religious experience. This idea is reinforced in the chorus, where the person states that when the voice calls their name, it's like a little prayer, and by kneeling in front of it, they want to be taken to a special place.
The song then goes on to describe the seductive power of the voice calling out to the singer. The voice is described as angelic, and it makes the person feel like they are flying, although they find themselves falling out of the sky with each sigh. The seductive power of the voice becomes almost overwhelming, making the person feel as though they are out of control, but it is exciting and pleasurable. And by the end, the voice is compared to a dream to suggest that the singer might have created the voice in their own imagination.
Explanation of "Like a Prayer" is not complete without including the fact that Madonna wrote the original song of the same name. Madonna's version became a huge success and was released in 1989, while Loleatta Holloway's version was released in 1992. Interesting facts about Loleatta Holloway's version include that it was remixed by several popular DJs, such as Shep Pettibone, Frankie Knuckles, and David Morales. Additionally, the song's success in the UK led Loleatta Holloway to perform live on the TV sketch show "The Fast Show."
Line by Line Meaning
Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone
Life is filled with secrets, and every person must find their own way through it.
I hear you call my name, and it feels like home
When I hear you call my name, it brings me comfort and makes me feel like I belong.
When you call my name it's like a little prayer, I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there
Your voice is powerful and spiritual, and when I hear it, I am humbled and willing to follow it.
In the midnight hour I can feel your power, just like a prayer you know I'll take you there
Even in the darkest moments, your voice has the power to guide me through and bring me to a better place.
I hear your voice, it's like an angel sighing, I have no choice, I hear your voice, feels like flying
Your voice is like that of an angel, and when I hear it, I feel like soaring through the air.
I close my eyes, Oh God I think I'm falling, out of the sky, I close my eyes, heaven help me
When I close my eyes and focus on your voice, it is so strong that I feel like I am falling from the sky and I pray for divine intervention.
Like a child you whisper softly to me, you're in control just like a child now I'm dancing
Your voice is gentle, and it soothes me like I am a child. At the same time, you have a power over me that makes me want to dance and let go.
It's like a dream, no end and no beginning, you're here with me, it's like a dream, let the choir sing
Being with you is a surreal experience, as if we are in a dream with no sense of time or place. And the feeling is so joyous that it makes me want to sing with a choir.
Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there, just like a muse to me, you are a mystery
Your voice has a magical power to transport me to a higher state of being. In the same way, you inspire me like a muse but also mystify me because I cannot fully understand you.
Just like a dream, you are not what you seem, just like a prayer, no choice your voice can take me there
Being with you feels like an unreal fantasy, where you are not exactly what you appear to be. At the same time, your voice is so alluring that I am compelled to follow it.
Just like a prayer, I'll take you there, it's like a dream to me
Like a spiritual devotion, I will follow you wherever you lead me, and the entire experience feels like a wonderful dream.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, MUSIC.INFO FINLAND OY, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Patrick Leonard, Madonna Ciccone
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind