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."
I Never Knew Love Like This Before
Stephanie Mills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
WRITERS REGGIE LEWIS, JAMES MTUME
I never knew love like this before, now I'm lonely never more
Since you came into my life You are my lovelight, this I know
And I'll never let you go You my all, you're part of me
Once I was lost and now I'm found Then you turned my world around
Cause I never knew love like this before
Opened my eyes
Cause I never knew love like this before
What a surprise
Cause I never knew love like this before
This feelings so deep inside of me Such a tender fantasy
You're the one I'm living for You are my sunlight and my rain
And time could never change
What we share forever more, ooh...hoo...
I never knew love like this before
Now I'm lonely never more Since you came into my life
Cause I never knew love like this before
Opened my eyes
Cause I never knew love like this before
What a surprise
Cause I never knew love like this before
You are my lovelight, this I know And I'll never let you go
You my all, you're part of me Once I was lost and now I'm found
Then you turned my world around
When I need you, I call your name
Cause I never knew love like this before
Opened my eyes
Cause I never knew love like this before
What a surprise
Cause I never knew love like this before
Inside of me I never knew love like this before
Opened my eyes
Never , never
Never knew love like this Never , never
Never knew love like this Never , never
Never knew love like this Never , never, never
Never knew love like this Never , never, never
Never knew love like this Never , never I never
Never knew love like this Never , never, never
Never knew love like this Never
Stephanie Mills’ “I Never Knew Love Like This Before” is a love song that talks about the feeling of truly being loved for the first time. The song starts with the singer saying she had never experienced love like this before, but now she is never lonely thanks to this newfound love. The chorus repeats the same message of her realizing how much she loves her partner and being surprised at how much that love can affect her.
The lyrics suggest that the love the singer has found is unique and deep, and she never believed that she would find anything like it. She describes the feeling as a tender fantasy, something she always dreamt of, but never thought was possible. In the end, she acknowledges that this newfound love has opened her eyes to something she didn’t know existed.
Line by Line Meaning
I never knew love like this before, now I'm lonely never more
I had never experienced love like this before, but now that you are in my life, I am no longer alone or lonely.
Since you came into my life You are my lovelight, this I know
Ever since you entered my life, you have become the light of my love, and I am sure of it.
And I'll never let you go You my all, you're part of me
I promise to never let go of you because you are everything to me, and you are a part of me.
Once I was lost and now I'm found Then you turned my world around
I was lost and directionless, but you came into my life and gave it a new direction and purpose.
When I need you, I call your name Cause I never knew love like this before
Whenever I need you, I call out to you because I have never experienced love like this before.
Opened my eyes Cause I never knew love like this before What a surprise
You have opened my eyes to a new kind of love that I have never known before and it has been a delightful surprise.
This feelings so deep inside of me Such a tender fantasy You're the one I'm living for
The feelings I have for you are so deep and intense that they almost seem unreal, and I am living my life for you.
You are my sunlight and my rain And time could never change What we share forever more, ooh...hoo...
You are the source of my happiness and comfort, and nothing can change the bond that we have, which will continue forever.
Inside of me I never knew love like this before
I have discovered a new kind of love that I never knew existed within me.
Never knew love like this Never , never
I had never before experienced love like this, not even once.
Never knew love like this before Never , never, never
This love that I have discovered is entirely new to me, something that I have never felt before.
Never knew love like this Never , never, never
This exceptional feeling of love was unknown to me before, and it's something that is entirely new, never experienced before.
Never knew love like this before Never , never
The love that I feel for you transcends anything I ever knew, and I had never imagined such love before.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Mtume, Reggie Lucas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rociosarm2507
Lyrics:
I never knew love like this before
Now I'm lonely never more
Since you came into my life
You are my love light, this I know
And I'll never let you go
You my all, you're part of me
Once I was lost and now I'm found
Then you turned my world around
When I need you, I call your name
'Cause I never knew love like this before
Opened my eyes
'Cause I never knew love like this before
What a surprise
'Cause I never knew love like this before
This feeling's so deep inside of me
Such a tender fantasy
You're the one I'm living for
You are my sunlight and my rain
And time could never change
What we share forever more, ooh
I never knew love like this before
Now I'm lonely never more
Since you came into my life
'Cause I never knew love like this before
Opened my eyes
'Cause I never knew love like this before
What a surprise
'Cause I never knew love like this before
You are my love light, this I know
And I'll never let you go
You my all, you're part of me
Once I was lost and now I'm found
Then you turned my world around
When I need you, I call your name
'Cause I never knew love like this before
Opened my eyes
'Cause I never knew love like this before
What a surprise
'Cause I never knew love like this before
Inside of me
I never (never) knew love like this before
Opened my eyes
Never (never), never (never)
Never knew love like this (I never knew, I never knew I never)
Never (never), never (never)
Never knew love like this (I never knew, I never knew I never knew)
Never (never), never (never)
Never knew love like this (I never knew)
Never (never knew), never (never)
Never knew love like this (I never knew)
Never (never knew), never (never)
Never knew love like this (I never knew, I never knew I never knew)
Never (I never knew, I never knew), never (I never)
Never knew love like this (never knew)
Never (never knew), never (never)
Never knew love like this (opened my eyes)
Never (what a surprise)
@EndtimeElijah
You NEED to be baptized in water, the correct Bible way.
Acts 2:35 + 10:48 + 8:16 + 10:48 + 19:5.
You MUST be born of TWO things, “Water” and “Spirit” John3:5.
You NEED to accept the "Messenger" that the Lord has sent in this day, William Branham.
Malachi 4:5.
Matthew 17:11.
Revelation 10:7.
Revelation 3:14.
Revelation 1:16 – 20.
Revelation 2:1.
Revelation 3:1.
Otherwise you will be left behind, the five foolish virgins were not atheists.
@latbarr0130
Heard this song in the store soon after my mother died from Covid in 2020 and it took every part of me not to crumble and break down right then and there. She always played this song when I was a child, not to mention that she was my very best friend. 😭 Love and miss you, Mom. May you forevermore rest in paradise.
@unapologeticallynj3491
She is your guardian angel now
@latbarr0130
@@unapologeticallynj3491 thank you 😊
@Charoletta77
That was comfort from God , may God give you strength 🙏🏽, Merry Christmas ❤
@atomicplaygirl66
That was not a coincidence. Your mom will always be with you. One of God's best gifts to us is beautiful music. So many songs remind me of my mom too and it is such a comfort. ❤❤❤
@latbarr0130
@@Charoletta77 Thank you. May you have an awesome new year.😊
@samonejrowe
I woke up with the Holy spirit playing this song in my head this morning. God is so faithful! ❤
@gatheringupthefragments6734
I actually just came here to hear this because I’m invited to speak at a conference about our testimony of Christ, and my testimony is “I found love, and I fell in love with Jesus the Christ “ and this song came to me thinking about it. HONEY!!!❤❤❤😭😭😭
@beauty4ashes571
Gloryyyyyy wow that’s why I’m here now . Look at God 🙌🏽🙌🏽❤️❤️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
@lakeishadean4298
Absolutely! My mother loves Stephanie Mills, so I've heard this song countless times. But as someone that was recently brought back to Jesus and hearing this song, it immediately meant something completely different to me. This song makes me cry with tears of Joy because every single word is so true for me. Amen amen🥲