Hyman began singing professionally in 1971 as part of the group The New Direction. She was also a member of Miami groups All The People and The Hondo Beat before forming Phyllis Hyman & the P/H Factor in 1974 and touring for two years before relocating to New York.
She became a featured vocalist on Norman Connors' album, You Are My Starship (1976) performing "Betcha By Golly Wow" and the duet "We Both Need Each Other" with Michael Henderson.
Hyman released her debut album on Buddah Records with Phyllis Hyman (1977), followed by Sing a Song (1979). After the second album, she signed with Arista, delivering: Somewhere in My Lifetime (1979); You Know How to Love Me (1979); Can't We Fall in Love Again (1981); and Goddess of Love (1983). She then joined Gamble & Huff at Philadelphia International for Living All Alone (1987); Prime of My Life (1991); and I Refuse to Be Lonely (1995), which was released posthumously.
Hyman's first solo Top Ten hit came in 1981 with "Can't We Fall In Love Again", a duet with Michael Henderson. The song was recorded while she was performing in the Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies (1981), a tribute to Duke Ellington. She performed in the role for almost two years, receiving a Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer and a Tony Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. In 1992 she was voted 'Number One Best Female Vocalist' in the United Kingdom by Blues & Soul magazine readers. She has also been honored with a bronze plaque along the Philadelphia Walk of Fame, a tribute to the city's native and immigrant musical legends.
In addition to duets with Henderson, Hyman lent vocals to projects with Grover Washington Jr., Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, Joe Sample, Lonnie Liston Smith, Jon Lucien, The Fatback Band, Chuck Mangione, The Whispers and The Four Tops. Some of these collaborations appear on One on One (1998).
She can be heard in movie soundtracks: for Too Scared to Scream ("I'll Be There"); The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh ("Magic Mona"); and School Daze ("Be One"). The latter two titles are included on In Between the Heartaches (2004), a compilation that also contains guest appearances and previously unreleased material.
On the afternoon of June 30, 1995, Hyman committed suicide, leaving a note to her fans, family and friends that read in part: "I'm tired. I'm tired. Those of you that I love know who you are. May God bless you." She was buried on what would have been her 46th birthday. For her stage presence and fashion sense, Hyman was often known as "The Sophisticated Lady".
At the coda of a particularly pretty and memorable tune from McCoy Tyner's "Looking Out" called "In Search of My Heart", Phyllis soulfully sings "Remember me!"
Kiss You All Over
Phyllis Hyman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gonna light the fire
All day I've been thinking about you
You're my one desire
Gonna wrap my arms around you
Hold you close to me
Oh babe, I wanna feel your lips
I wanna be your fantasy, yeah
Don't know what I do without you
Don't know what I need
And not just another lover
You're everything to me
Every time I'm with you, boy
Can't believe it's true
When you lay in my arms
and we do the things we do
You can see it in my eyes
I can feel it in your touch
You don't have to say a thing
Just let me show how much
Love you.
Need you.
I wanna kiss you all over
All over again
I wanna kiss you all over
Till the night closes in
Till the night closes in
Till the night closes in
No one else could ever make me
Feel the way you do
Oh, keep on loving me, baby
And I'll keep loving you
It's easy to see when something's right
Or something's wrong
Ohh, oh, stay with me and hold me all night long
You can see it in my eyes
I can feel it in your touch
You don't have to say a thing
Just let me show how much
Love you.
Need you.
I wanna kiss you all over
All over again
I wanna kiss you all over
Till the night closes in
Till the night closes in
Till the night closes in
Stay with me, lay with me
Holding me, loving me, baby
Ooo... ooo... ooo...
Dear with me, near with me
Feeling close to me, baby
Show me, show me everything you do
'Cause baby, no one does it quite like you
Love you.
Need you.
I wanna kiss you all over
All over again
I wanna kiss you all over
Till the night closes in
Till the night closes in
Till the night closes in, yeah, yeah, oh
I wanna kiss you all over
All over again
I wanna kiss you all over
Till the night, till the night closes in
I wanna kiss you all over
Phyllis Hyman's "Kiss You All Over" is a seductive love song that is full of passion, desire, and the yearning to be with someone special. In the opening lines, the singer expresses her eagerness to return home and light the fire for her lover. She has been thinking about him all day, and he is her one desire. She wants to hold him close, feel his lips, and fulfill her fantasy. The singer goes on to express her love and need for her lover, describing him as everything to her. When she is with him, she can't believe how perfect it feels. She doesn't need words to express her love; her touch shows it all.
The chorus is the highlight of the song, where the singer repeats the catchy lines, "I wanna kiss you all over, all over again. I wanna kiss you all over till the night closes in." The romantic lyrics express the longing to be close to her lover, to feel his touch, and to kiss him all over again. The singer then implores her lover to stay with her, hold her all night long, and keep loving each other. She describes how easy it is to know when something is right or wrong, and with her lover, everything feels right. The song ends with the repeat of the chorus, assuring us that the singer will always want to kiss her lover all over again.
Line by Line Meaning
When I get home, babe
Upon my arrival at my abode, my love
Gonna light the fire
I will ignite the flames, my love
All day I've been thinking about you
I have had you on my mind throughout the day, my love
You're my one desire
You are the sole object of my affection, my love
Gonna wrap my arms around you
I shall enfold you in my embrace, my love
Hold you close to me
I will clasp you tightly against my chest, my love
Oh babe, I wanna feel your lips
My love, I yearn to sense your lips upon mine
I wanna be your fantasy, yeah
I aspire to fulfill your wildest dreams, my love
Don't know what I do without you
I do not comprehend what I would do if I were without you, my love
Don't know what I need
I am uncertain of what I require, my love
And not just another lover
You are more than just a casual partner, my love
You're everything to me
In my eyes, you are my everything, my love
Every time I'm with you, boy
Each instance we are together, my love
Can't believe it's true
It is challenging for me to grasp the reality, my love
When you lay in my arms
When you recline within my embrace, my love
and we do the things we do
And engage in the intimate acts we share, my love
You can see it in my eyes
You can perceive the depth of my affection in my gaze, my love
I can feel it in your touch
I can sense the intensity of your passion in your caress, my love
You don't have to say a thing
You need not verbalize your feelings, my love
Just let me show how much
Grant me the opportunity to demonstrate the enormity of my love, my love
Love you.
I love you, my love.
Need you.
I require you, my love.
I wanna kiss you all over
I yearn to place my lips upon you in every possible manner, my love
All over again
Repeating the act of kissing you in every way possible, my love
Till the night closes in
Until the darkness envelops us, my love
No one else could ever make me
No other individual has the ability to elicit the emotions you do, my love
Feel the way you do
Stirring the same feelings of passion, love, and desire, my love
Oh, keep on loving me, baby
Continue to hold me dear, my love
And I'll keep loving you
I shall reciprocate and continue to love you, my love
It's easy to see when something's right
It is effortless to discern when something is correct, my love
Or something's wrong
Or when it is not, my love
Ohh, oh, stay with me and hold me all night long
Remain with me and embrace me for the entire night, my love
Stay with me, lay with me
Remain with me and recline beside me, my love
Holding me, loving me, baby
Embracing and loving me tenderly, my love
Ooo... ooo... ooo...
Sounds of pleasure and passion, my love
Dear with me, near with me
Stay close to me, my love
Feeling close to me, baby
Experiencing an emotional and physical closeness with me, my love
Show me, show me everything you do
Reveal all of your intimate actions to me, my love
'Cause baby, no one does it quite like you
For, my love, no one performs these actions the way you do
Till the night, till the night closes in
Until the darkness consumes us completely, my love
I wanna kiss you all over
I yearn to place my lips upon you in every possible manner, my love
Writer(s): Nicholas Barry Chinn, Michael Donald Chapman
Contributed by Hudson W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.