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' dΓ©but 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 β later leader of Mtume, who had a gold single with "Juicy Fruit" β 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" β a midtempo duet with Teddy Pendergrass β "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 β best known as the hit singing duo Rene & Angela β 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, β produced by Philly Soul keyboardist Ron Kersey β 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."
Comfort Of A Man
Stephanie Mills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Came crashin' down on me
But like a storm that's just been buildin' up {And buidin' up}
Too long
When I look inside to find me, mmm, hmm
There was no one there to guide me
And I'm tired, tired of trying so hard
I need, I need, I need
The comfort of a man, oh, yeah, yes, I do, I can feel it
I need (Ooh), I need (Oh, yes, I need), I need
The comfort of a man
Man that understands
{Like the comfort of a man}
Woo, yeah, no, no...
Don't you think it's awfully sad
How empty life can be
I'd give my soul to someone who needed me {Just needed me}
For me
So afraid to reach out {Reach out}, mmm, hmm
So used to bein' without
And it's takin' so long, a time, a time for me
To see that I
I need (Ooh, ooh, ooh), I need (I need), I need (Oh, yeah)
The comfort of a man, ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I can feel it
I need (I want you to know), I need (Yeah, yeah), I need (Need)
The comfort of, of a man
Man that understands
{Like the comfort of a man}
No one, no one
One loving heart to reach to me
Two strong arms to hold on to me
Somewhere in your eyes I wanna tear, baby
Love shining through and I'm beggin' you
Baby, please, baby, yeah, yeah, yeah
I need (Ooh, ooh), I need (Oh, yeah), I need
The comfort of a man, ooh...
Sweet lovin' man, oh, yeah
Oh, ooh...ooh...ooh...sweet
Comfort of a lovin' man
Comfort of, I...
I need (...need), I need (I need), I need
The comfort of a man, yeah, yeah, yes, I do, I can feel it, Lord
I need (Yeah), I need (Oh, oh), I need
The comfort of a man (Of a man, of a man, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes)
The comfort of a man (I need, I need, I need, oh, yes, I need)
The comfort of a man (The comfort of a man)
The comfort of a man (Yee....hee...)
The comfort of a man (I want you to know what I'm talkin' about, oh, yeah)
The comfort of a man (Yee...hee...yeah, yeah)
The comfort of a man (The comfort of a strong man, the comfort of, comfort, yeah)
The comfort of a man (Yeah, yeah, doo doo doo doo doo)
The comfort of a man (Doo doo hoo...ooh...ooh...ooh...hoo...yeah, yeah)
The comfort of a man (A strong man, a kind man, a loving man)
The comfort of a man (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ooh, ooh)
The comfort of a man (Strong man, a lovin' man, hey, hey, hey, hey)
The comfort of a man (I want you to know, I want you to know, I want you to know)
The comfort of a man (The comfort of, the comfort of, I know)
The comfort of a man (I need, I need, I need)
The song "Comfort of a Man" by Stephanie Mills talks about the need for love and companionship, especially after a long period of loneliness. The lyrics describe how the weight of years of feeling alone has finally caught up with the singer, and she is tired of putting on a brave face and pretending to be strong. She longs for the comfort of a man, someone who understands her and will be there for her, providing a loving and supportive presence that she has been missing for so long.
The singer recognizes that life can be empty and sad without someone to share it with, and she yearns for someone to give her soul to, someone who truly needs her. However, she is also afraid to reach out and used to being without love, which makes it hard for her to break out of this cycle of loneliness. The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability, longing, and hopefulness all at once, as the singer comes to the realization that she needs the comfort of a man to fill the void inside her.
Overall, "Comfort of a Man" is a powerful ballad that speaks to the universal human need for love and connection. Stephanie Mills's soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics make this song a timeless classic that will continue to resonate with audiences for generations to come.
Line by Line Meaning
All the years of loneliness
The singer has been alone for a long time
Came crashin' down on me
The weight of loneliness became unbearable for the singer
But like a storm that's just been buildin' up
Loneliness built up over time like a storm
Too long
The singer has been alone for too long
When I look inside to find me, mmm, hmm
The singer introspected to understand herself
There was no one there to guide me
The singer had to find her own way
And I'm tired, tired of trying so hard
The singer is exhausted from trying to be strong
To be strong
The singer has been trying to be strong for too long
I need, I need, I need
The singer needs something desperately
The comfort of a man, oh, yeah, yes, I do, I can feel it
The singer needs the comfort of a man, and she can feel it
Man that understands
The singer needs a man who understands her
Like the comfort of a man
The comfort that only a man can provide
Don't you think it's awfully sad
The singer thinks that it is terribly unfortunate
How empty life can be
Life can be very empty without someone to share it with
I'd give my soul to someone who needed me
The singer would do anything for someone who needed her
So afraid to reach out
The singer is scared to reach out to someone
So used to bein' without
The singer is used to being alone
And it's takin' so long, a time, a time for me
It is taking the singer a long time to realize what she needs
To see that I
To understand what the singer needs
One loving heart to reach to me
The singer needs someone with a loving heart to reach out to her
Two strong arms to hold on to me
The singer needs someone with two strong arms to hold her
Somewhere in your eyes I wanna tear, baby
The singer wants to find comfort in someone's eyes
Love shining through and I'm beggin' you
The singer is asking for love and comfort
Baby, please, baby, yeah, yeah, yeah
The singer is pleading with someone to help her
Sweet lovin' man, oh, yeah
The singer needs a sweet and loving man
Comfort of a lovin' man
The comfort that only a loving man can provide
The comfort of, I...
The singer is searching for comfort
No one, no one
The singer has no one to turn to
Of a man, of a man, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes
The singer needs a man's comfort and understanding
Doo doo hoo...ooh...ooh...ooh...hoo...yeah, yeah
Sounds in the song with no explicit meaning
A strong man, a kind man, a loving man
The singer needs a man who is strong, kind, and loving
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ooh, ooh
Sounds in the song with no explicit meaning
Strong man, a lovin' man, hey, hey, hey, hey
The singer needs a man who is strong and loving
I want you to know, I want you to know, I want you to know
The singer wants to be understood
The comfort of, the comfort of, I know
The singer knows what she needs
I need, I need, I need
The singer needs something desperately
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID ALRED YOUNG, DYNA BREIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@prettyredgemini6494
Lawd I was single and without a man for so many years and use to hear this song and get so sad. Now I can listen to it and dance all around the house to it WITH my man! Not only a man but a damn good one. An old skool pay all the bills and open doors kind of man! Oh my how thankful I amππ½ππ½ππππΎππΎπ©π©π₯°π₯°
@Best_blessedRhonda
God is great! Now send me that prayer you prayed ππ½
@prettyredgemini6494
@@Best_blessedRhonda just be VERY SPECIFIC. The number one thing for me was a very kind man who was delicate with my feelings and patient with me. And by God's grace he blessed me with one who went above and beyond anything I asked for. It took me 40yrs but that's ok. The Lord knew i wasn't ready! He sent him to me at the perfect time. We just got married in June and will be coming up on our 1yr anniversary!! God is so Good! ππ½β€οΈβ€οΈ
@trinac8668
So true, God will send him when youβre ready. I love it. So happy for you. Congratulations. β€
@keshamerriweather1075
Yep this song only true with a good man
@CBrown9758
Girl u better stop it!π€π€β€οΈπ―π«Άπ₯π«π₯
@pastorqueenprophetess7950
Yes. The Comfort of a Man, a friend, a king, a husband, a true son of God.π
@tgd9477
Pastor Queen Prophetess yes please!!!
@jancw
Amen!
@michellebuford5457
Yess some just donβt know who thy are I just never had the patience to rise a boy to a man I was raised by, my father and and a stepmother . Also was raised by my mother and a stepfather blessed on all levels god is god ..