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."
Never Gonna Give You Up
Stephanie Mills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep on doing it
Right on oh oh oh
Right on doing it
Baby keep on
Right on
Keep on doing it
Now my baby keep on
Wherever, wherever girl I'll do it
Forever and ever, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'll see you through it
I've got to keep you pleased in every way I can
Gonna give you all of me
As much as you can stand
Make love to you right now, that's all I want to do
I know you need it, girl, and you know
I need it, too
'Cause I found what the world is searching for
Here, right here, my dear
I don't have to look no more
And, oh, my babe, I hoped and I prayed for someone
Just like you to make me feel the way you do
Never, never gonna give you up
I'm never, ever gonna stop
Not the way I feel about you
Girl, I just can't live without you
I'm never ever gonna quit,
'Cause quitin' just ain't my schtick
I'm gonna stay right here with you
Do all the things you want me to
Whatever you want, girl, you got it,
And whatever you need,
I don't want to see you without it,
You've given me much more than words could ever say
And oh, my dear, I'll be right here until my dying day
I don't know just how to say all the things I feel
I just know that I love you so and it gives me such a thrill
'Cause I found what this world is searching for
Here, right here, my dear
I don't have to look no more
And all of my days I hoped and I prayed
For someone just like you
To make me feel the way you do
I never, never gonna give you up
I'm never, ever gonna stop
Stop the way I feel about you
Girl I just can't live without you
I'm never ever gonna quit,
'Cause quitin' just ain't my schtick
I'm gonna stay right here with you
Do all the things you want me to
Oh I never gonna give you up
I'm never, ever gonna stop
All the things I feel about you girl,
I just can't live without you
I'm never ever gonna quit,
'Cause quitin' just ain't my schtick
I'm gonna stay right here with you
Do all the things you want me to
The lyrics to Stephanie Mills's song Never Gonna Give You Up express a deep commitment and loyalty to a significant other. The song expresses the singer's willingness to do whatever it takes to keep the relationship strong and maintain their partner's happiness. The chorus, which repeats the phrase "never gonna give you up," demonstrates the singer's commitment to staying with their partner no matter what obstacles may come their way. The lyrics also touch on themes of love, intimacy, and the desire to please one's partner.
The verses of the song delve deeper into the specific ways the singer plans to keep their partner happy. They promise to give everything they have to the relationship, both physically and emotionally. The line "make love to you right now, that's all I want to do" emphasizes the importance of physical intimacy in the relationship. They also say that they will give their partner "whatever [they] want" and "whatever [they] need," showcasing their desire to be attentive and responsive to their partner's needs. Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes their unwavering devotion and the lengths they are willing to go to keep their relationship strong.
Line by Line Meaning
Keep on
Continue doing what you're doing
Keep on doing it
Keep up the good work
Right on oh oh oh
Absolutely, yes
Right on doing it
Keep doing what you're doing well
Baby keep on
Sweetheart, continue doing it
Wherever, wherever girl I'll do it
I'll be there for you no matter what
Forever and ever, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Throughout all eternity
I'll see you through it
I'll support you until the end
I've got to keep you pleased in every way I can
I want to make you happy in every possible way
Gonna give you all of me
I'll give you everything I have
As much as you can stand
As much as you're willing to accept
Make love to you right now, that's all I want to do
I want to express my love for you physically at this moment
I know you need it, girl, and you know
I understand your needs and desires
I need it, too
I have those same needs and desires
'Cause I found what the world is searching for
I've found true love, which is what everyone wants
Here, right here, my dear
It's with you, my beloved
I don't have to look no more
I've found what I was looking for in you
And, oh, my babe, I hoped and I prayed for someone
I longed and prayed for a person like you
Just like you to make me feel the way you do
To make me feel this immense love and happiness
Never, never gonna give you up
I'll never let you go
I'm never, ever gonna stop
I'll always continue to love you
Not the way I feel about you
Because my love for you is so strong
Girl, I just can't live without you
I need you in my life
I'm never ever gonna quit,
I'll never give up on us
'Cause quitin' just ain't my schtick
Giving up is not my style
Do all the things you want me to
I'll fulfill all of your desires
Whatever you want, girl, you got it,
You can have anything you desire
And whatever you need,
I'll make sure you have what you need
I don't want to see you without it,
I don't want to see you lacking anything
You've given me much more than words could ever say
You've given me so much love and joy that words cannot express
And oh, my dear, I'll be right here until my dying day
I'll always be by your side until the end of my life
I don't know just how to say all the things I feel
I can't find the right words to express all of my emotions
I just know that I love you so and it gives me such a thrill
I feel so much excitement and happiness because of my love for you
Oh I never gonna give you up
I'll never let you go
All the things I feel about you girl,
The immense love and affection I have for you
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BARRY WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind