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."
He Cares
Stephanie Mills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you can depend on Him
you, you, you can rely on Jesus hey
Hallelujah I want the whole wide world to know that
He will be there to see you through
Whatever the problem He can solve them
if any burden He will share them
if there are problems in your life
He will make them alright
He will be there to see you through
Let me encourage you if you're in need of a blessing
and your patience is wearing thin
don't you give up and don't you give in
because you're gonna win hey
yes you will cause Jesus said it and I believe it
He will be there to see you through
John I like when you sing with me
(He cares, He cares, He cares
He will never leave you) choir repeats â??til fade
In the midst of a storm
in the midst of rain
let's put all our trust in Jesus
I know His love will sustain
I don't have to stay there
cause my Bible says I can cast all my cares
somebody lost a loved one
you go ahead and cry
God said He's gonna wipe every tear from my eye
I know I know He cares for you and me
He cares
The song "He Cares" by Stephanie Mills is an uplifting and encouraging gospel song that reminds listeners that they can depend on Jesus. The song emphasizes the importance of faith and trust in the Lord, even during difficult times. The lyrics encourage listeners to turn to Jesus when they are facing problems or burdens, as He can solve them and will be there to see them through. The song also addresses the issue of patience, encouraging listeners to hold on and not give up, as Jesus is with them and will help them to win.
Overall, the message of the song is one of hope and comfort, reminding listeners that they are not alone and that Jesus cares for them. The song encourages listeners to put their trust in Jesus and to rely on Him for help and support, regardless of what they are going through.
Line by Line Meaning
You can depend on Jesus
Jesus is reliable and trustworthy, you can count on Him.
you can depend on Him
Christ is dependable and can be relied upon.
you, you, you can rely on Jesus hey
You can count on Jesus to be there for you.
Hallelujah I want the whole wide world to know that
I am so grateful to God and I want everyone to know.
He will be there to see you through
God will be present to help you overcome any obstacle.
Whatever the problem He can solve them
Christ has the power to solve any problem.
if any burden He will share them
Christ is willing to help carry the load of our burdens.
oh Thank You Jesus
I am giving thanks to Jesus for his love and kindness.
if there are problems in your life
If there are difficulties you are facing.
He will make them alright
He has the power to change and fix things for the better.
Let me encourage you if you're in need of a blessing
I want to uplift and motivate you if you need something good to happen in your life.
and your patience is wearing thin
If you are starting to lose hope or becoming frustrated.
don't you give up and don't you give in
Keep persevering and don't let the difficulties defeat you.
because you're gonna win hey
You are going to overcome and triumph in the end.
yes you will cause Jesus said it and I believe it
Jesus promised success and I believe in His promise.
In the midst of a storm
During the rough and difficult times of life.
in the midst of rain
During hardships and challenges.
let's put all our trust in Jesus
We should rely completely on Jesus during these times.
I know His love will sustain
I am sure that Christ's love is enough to carry us through hardships.
I don't have to stay there
We do not have to remain in a state of despair or sadness.
cause my Bible says I can cast all my cares
Because my holy book says I can give all my worries to God.
somebody lost a loved one
Someone might have recently lost a close family member or friend.
you go ahead and cry
It's okay and understandable to be emotional and grieve.
God said He's gonna wipe every tear from my eye
God promised to comfort and console us in our time of grief.
I know He cares for you and me
I believe that Jesus loves and cares for all of us.
He cares
Jesus is compassionate and concerned.
He cares, He cares, He cares
Jesus cares a lot and we can trust in Him.
He will never leave you
Jesus will always be with us and help us.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN P. KEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ramelmil8552
He cares! This song got me thru a storm. Thank u Ms. Mills.
@franklofarojr.2969
The spirit of God is very strong in Stephanie indeed. You can tell from her songs, her concerts and her tweets. She has helped me to realize God is loving and inspired me to be a more loving person myself. She touches lives that is for sure, God is using her for so much good. I hope she is as blessed as she has been a blessing to the world.
@MrAlwaysnred
I really love all her songs on this album
@agapeprayerandoutreachmini7119
I love this version soooooo much!!! Hallelujah!
@annehamilton8190
Sang it Steph....Praise Him!!!
@donaldthomas7330
"He cares!! For SURE!! JESUS is the BEST!!" AMEN!
@Purplegurl108
He Cares takes me to my zone of comfort and peace.
@annettemcnair9439
Glory to God👏🙌🙏❤😀👑
@RTDavis0503
One of my favorite John P Kee songs
@donaldthomas7330
I "LOVE LOVE LOVE this woman!!" God BLESS HER IN JESUS NAME!!