Stephanie Mills first came to fame as "the little girl with the big voice" as the star of the hit Broadway play, The Wiz, an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's classic book, The Wizard Of Oz. She had many R&B hits such as "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love," "I Feel Good All Over," "(You're Puttin') A Rush On Me," "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)" and "Home" along with one certified million selling single, "Never Knew Love Like This Before." In addition, she also had five gold albums: Whatcha Gonna Do With My Lovin', Sweet Sensation, Stephanie, If I Were Your Woman and Home.
Mills honed her rich vocals singing gospel music at Brooklyn's Cornerstone Baptist Church as a small child. At age 9, she began appearing in the Broadway play Maggie Flynn. She was presented with first prize after winning "The Amateur Hour" talent contest six weeks straight at New York's famed Apollo Theater when she was nine. That success led to her being chosen as the opening act for The Isley Brothers, eventually becoming good friends with lead singer Ronald Isley. Many years later, Isley would manage and later marry singer/songwriter Angela Winbush, who co-wrote one of her number one R&B hits. Mills' début album, Movin' In The Right Direction was recorded for ABC Records in 1974. A year later, she won the role of Dorothy in The Wiz. Her rendition of the beautiful ballad "Home" was a showstopper, mesmerizing audiences nightly for a number of years. The original cast recording of The Wiz was produced by Jerry Wexler and issued by Atlantic Records in spring 1975. Curiously, when The Wiz was made into a full length feature film by Motown Records' film division and Universal Pictures, Diana Ross played the role of Dorothy instead of Mills. The film ended up being a major flop.
Singer Jermaine Jackson referred Mills to Motown head Berry Gordy, who signed her to the label. Her Motown debut was For the First Time, written and produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, being issued in October 1976. For the First Time is a sweet affair with Mills convincingly covering Bacharach/David standards, most of which were originally recorded by Dionne Warwick. In 1978, she signed to 20th Century Records and was teamed with the hit production duo of James Mtume — later leader of Mtume, who had a gold single with "Juicy Fruit" — and Reggie Lucas. Her first LP for the label, Whatcha Gonna Do With My Lovin', went gold, going to number 12 R&B and number 22 pop on Billboard's charts in summer 1979 and spawned the singles, "Whatcha Gonna Do With My Lovin'" and "You Can Get Over." Her next LP, Sweet Sensation (#3 R&B, #16 Pop, spring 1980) yielded "Sweet Sensation," "Never Knew Love Like This Before," and the radio-aired LP track, "Try My Love." Around this time, she briefly married former Soul Train dancer Jeffrey Daniels of the group Shalamar. Next came the LP titled Stephanie in spring 1981, which also was a huge hit, peaking at #3 R&B and #30 Pop. The album included notable songs such as "Two Hearts" — a midtempo duet with Teddy Pendergrass — "Night Games" and the radio-aired LP cut, "Don't Stop Doin' What Cha Do."
In 1981, Mills switched to Neil Bogart's Casablanca Records. Her LPs for the label included Tantalizingly Hot, Merciless and I've Got The Cure. During 1983, she had her own NBC-TV daytime talk show and reprised on role in a Broadway revival of The Wiz. She also signed with MCA Records, where she released her Stephanie Mills album.
The first single from the Stephanie Mills album was "Stand Back," in late 1985, which also included the passionate ballad "I Have Learned To Respect The Power Of Love." "I Have Learned To Respect The Power Of Love" was initially written by Rene Moore and Angela Winbush — best known as the hit singing duo Rene & Angela — as a gospel song and originally was recorded by Alton McClain and Destiny on their self-titled 1978 Polydor LP. The original version is available on Polygram's Power of Love: Best of Soul Essentials Ballads. Because of its massive radio play as an album track, Mills' version of "I Have Learned To Respect The Power Of Love, — produced by Philly Soul keyboardist Ron Kersey — was reissued as an A side holding the #1 R&B spot for two weeks in spring 1986. Its follow-up, "Rising Desire" reached #11 R&B in summer 1986.
Her next LP's title cut was the Clay McMurray/Gloria Jones/Pam Sawyer song, "If I Were Your Woman," originally a 1971 #1 R&B, #9 Pop smash for Gladys Knight and the Pips. Philly-based producer Nick Martinelli gave Mills her second #1 R&B hit with "I Feel Good All Over," written by husband and wife songwriting duo, Gabriel Hardeman and Annette Hardeman. The song held the #1 R&B spot for three weeks in spring 1987. Originally submitted to Mills' fellow MCA labelmate Patti Labelle by the Hardemans, the track was included on Mills' LP If I Were Your Woman, issued June 1987 and peaked at #30 Pop in summer 1987. Paul Laurence produced and co-wrote with Timmy Allen the chugging '"(You're Putting) a Rush On Me" giving the singer her third #1 R&B hit in fall 1987. The single made it to #85 Pop and was followed by "Secret Lady," which landed at #7 R&B in late 1987. Her covers of "If I Were Your Woman" and "Where Is The Love" followed. All were included on her If I Were Your Woman album, which peaked at #1 R&B, #30 Pop in summer 1987. Following these hits, Mills contacted Ronald Isley about working with singer/songwriter/producer Angela Winbush who had hits as half of Rene and Angela and was forging a hit-filled career as a recording artist and producer for the group Body among others. The collaboration between Mills and Winbush resulted in another #1 R&B single, "Something In The Way You Make Me Feel," in summer 1989.
Having starred for five years in the smash Broadway show The Wiz and recorded the song "Home for the play's 1975 original cast soundtrack album, she wanted to record the song again as a posthumous tribute to the play's producer, Ken Harper, and the song's composer, Charlie Smalls. On her new version of "Home," Take 6 sung the background vocals. The song went to #1 R&B in late 1989 and was followed by "Comfort Of A Man" and "Real Love." The Home LP ended up peaking at #5 R&B, #82 Pop in summer 1989. She then recorded a charting single with J.T. Taylor titled "Heart To Heart" in late 1991. Her final MCA album, Something Real included the hit "All Day All Night" and "Never Do Wrong." Following this album, she recorded a gospel album, Personal Inspirations, for Interscope Records and recorded several tracks at Philadelphia International Records with Bunny Sigler among others in the late '90s.
After a hiatus from recording Mills returned with sixteenth album, "Born For This" in 2004. It includes the singles "Can't Let Him Go" and "Healing Time." Mills is currently working on her seventeenth album titled "Breathless." The lead single chosen is a song called, "Yesterday."
Born For This
Stephanie Mills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It´s funny how we Ive seen,
The laughs and frowns, the ups and downs,
It´s a part of destiny.
Some wish upon a star and hopes one day that wish comes true,
But I wouldn´t change one simple thing the chance of loving You!
[Chorus]
I was prepared for this;
Your Strength for my weakness,
I found that loving someone is easy
And learned with love that comes a risk
And in my quest to find the answer,
Found I was born for this.
What we don´t know, time will tell.
This I do believe;
When a child is born the angels sing
In perfect harmony
That doesn´t means just happiness,
There´s always room for rain.
But if we learn, what Autumn knows,
That Spring will come again!
[Chorus]
There´s a time to live and a time to die
So let´s celebrate each moment of our life.
And if we ever lose our way, because the heart is torn
Never let it question why´s the reason that we´re born.
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Stephanie Mills's song Born For This speak to the idea of destiny and true love. The opening lines suggest a reflection on past experiences and how they have led to the present moment, acknowledging the ups and downs that are an inherent part of life. The chorus declares that the singer was born for greatness and was prepared for it, suggesting a belief in destiny and a higher purpose. The lyrics continue to emphasise the importance of love and learning to take risks, with the singer suggesting that even when things get tough, it's important to remember that spring will come again.
The final lines of the song suggest the transience of life and the importance of cherishing every moment. Even when faced with heartache and uncertainty, the singer urges listeners to never lose sight of why they were born and the potential for a higher purpose. Overall, the song's lyrics are optimistic and hopeful, encouraging listeners to embrace their destiny and to not be afraid to take risks in love and life.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking back in retrospect
Reflecting on past experiences
It's funny how we've seen the laughs and frowns, the ups and downs
How we've experienced a range of emotions and situations
It's a part of destiny
It's all meant to be
Some wish upon a star and hopes one day that wish comes true
People make wishes for the future
But I wouldn't change one simple thing the chance of loving You!
Choosing to keep the experience of loving a certain person unchanged
Born for this, destined for greatness
Being created for a specific purpose, with a bright future
I was prepared for this
Being equipped to handle the situation
Your Strength for my weakness
Leaning on someone else's strength when we are weak
I found that loving someone is easy
Discovering how simple it is to love another person
And learned with love that comes a risk
Understanding that love involves taking risks
And in my quest to find the answer, Found I was born for this
Realizing that their purpose is part of their journey
What we don't know, time will tell
Awaiting for time to reveal what we do not know
This I do believe
Having faith in the unknown
When a child is born the angels sing in perfect harmony
The birth of a child is a joyous moment celebrated by angels
That doesn't means just happiness, There's always room for rain
Life has its ups and downs, and it's not always just happy moments
But if we learn, what Autumn knows, That Spring will come again!
When we learn from the past, better times will come in the future
There's a time to live and a time to die
Life has a beginning and an end
So let's celebrate each moment of our life.
We should cherish and appreciate every moment of our lives
And if we ever lose our way, because the heart is torn
If we experience heartbreak or hardship and feel lost
Never let it question why's the reason that we're born.
We should never question our existence, but rather focus on living our lives with purpose
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN WINANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kris Williams
This song inspires me so much and gives me chills. Stephanie Mills still has great vocals.
Frank Lofaro Jr.
The way she holds that note at the end, WOW! I LOVE her voice, and everything else about her too! She is so loving and beautiful in body, mind, and soul! Every song, video, concert, tweet, Facebook post and interview makes me LOVE her more and more! ♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥
Even the word beautiful isn't strong enough to describe her singing and herself!!!
BTW: The one person who gave this a thumbs down must have some serious issues!
Antonio ///
Thanx for this comment Frank and the love and admiration that you have for hr. Very much appreciated/.
jesus first
Yiu are so RIGHT, KING‼️👑. ALWAYS LIVED thus QUEEN 👑. STAY BLESSED and SAFE ALWAYS 💜🦋 2021
Xp3erynce
Hands down, my favorite singer.
Antonio ///
Thanx for appreciating her talent!
Ginger Gwinn
My favorite singer
Joy Lewis
Amazing!!!! I have goose bumps!!! You better sing Stephanie!
E Miller
Omg, I just found this song, This woman can sang her face off! My new favorite song by her.
andrew13758
the last masterpiece by the little woman with a big voice. Bless you for all these years of unpaired artistry