Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6 1949 - June 30, 1995), was born in Philadelphia… Read Full Bio ↴Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6 1949 - June 30, 1995), was born in Philadelphia, and grew up in Pittsburgh. She is perhaps best remembered for her signature song, You Know How to Love Me (1979), which was the title track from her fourth album and which peaked at #6 on the disco chart that year.

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!"

Let Somebody Love You
Phyllis Hyman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You been lost inside yourself left your feelings on the shelf
For so long second nature now
You're afraid of promises
You never let a stranger in your wondering arms
Someone worth your down
Anything that time might change you will eventually
Swear that love will never be sincere
Given all just alf a chance, keep an open heart

You can't be happy the way you are

Chorus:
You should let somebody love you
Let a true love find you
Let omebody loe you,
It's not too hard to do if you try
Ooo, if you try

Your desires need a home
They will just wait there alone
Without someone you can share them with
Why put on that same old act
Face up to the natural fact
That everyone needs some love to live
You're not fooling anyone saying you're complete
You're only half of what you need to be
Given all just half a chance, keep an open heart
You can't be happy the way you are

Chorus:
You should let somebody love you
Let a true love find you
Let somebody love you,
It's not too hard to do if you try

(You must, you must)
Let somebody love you

[Music interlude]

(You must, you must)
You should let somebody love you
Ooh, let a true love find you
Come on and let somebody love you,
It's not too hard to do if you try

(You must, you must)
Let somebody love you
You got to let a true love find you
Oh, let somebody love ya
It's not so hard to do if you try

(You must, you must)
Let somebody love you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Phyllis Hyman's song "Let Somebody Love You" convey a message of the importance of opening up to love and allowing oneself to be vulnerable in order to find true happiness. The singer addresses someone who has been closed off and hesitant to let anyone in, having been "lost inside" themselves for such a long time that it has become "second nature." However, the lyrics suggest that this is not a fulfilling way to live, and that the person is only "half of what you need to be" without someone to share their desires with. The message of the chorus is clear - "you should let somebody love you," and it is expressed in a way that is both heartfelt and empowering. The repetition of the phrase "you must" in the song's final section makes it feel almost like a call to action, urging the listener to take a chance on love and allow themselves to be loved.

Line by Line Meaning

You been lost inside yourself left your feelings on the shelf
You have been hiding your emotions and thoughts from the world and keeping them within yourself for far too long.

For so long second nature now
Hiding away from people has become so common to you, it has become a natural behavior.

You're afraid of promises
You're scared of making promises because they might not be kept, hurting you all the more.

You never let a stranger in your wondering arms
You have never let go of the fear and allowed yourself to trust anyone you don't know well enough.

Someone worth your down
You deserve someone who deserves you and will not leave you or break your heart.

Anything that time might change you will eventually
There are so many things in life that you can't control or even imagine what they will do to you, but they will eventually happen to you.

Swear that love will never be sincere
You have convinced yourself that nobody can truly love you, and all love is nothing but lies and deception.

Given all just alf a chance, keep an open heart
If you try to put some effort into it, you can make things better, and it's essential to open your heart to the possibility of love.

You can't be happy the way you are
You need to let go of the past and the fears that are holding you back from finding love and happiness.

Your desires need a home
Your needs and wants are essential parts of your personality, and they need to be expressed and fulfilled.

They will just wait there alone
If you don't seek what you want and need, they will remain unfulfilled, and you will be stuck where you are.

Without someone you can share them with
Your desires require somebody to share them with, somebody who can understand and respect them.

Why put on that same old act
Why keep hiding behind the same old facade? It doesn't do any good, and it prevents you from experiencing true emotions.

Face up to the natural fact
The truth is you need companionship, affection, and love as a human being, and that's nothing to be ashamed of.

That everyone needs some love to live
Love is an essential part of life that nobody can live without, and it is necessary to accept it and embrace it.

You're not fooling anyone saying you're complete
You can't pretend that you are whole and independent when you are still wounded and incomplete on the inside.

You're only half of what you need to be
You need love and companionship as much as you need to be independent and strong, and neglecting either side will leave you unfulfilled.

You must let somebody love you
You need to open yourself to the possibility of love and let someone else love you.

Let a true love find you
You should let yourself be found by someone who really loves you, somebody that is genuine and understands you.

It's not too hard to do if you try
If you put in the effort and stop being afraid of what you might lose or not gain, finding love is not that difficult.

Writer(s): Preston W. Glass, Alan Glass Copyright: Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp.

Contributed by Elizabeth S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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