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."
You're Putting A Rush On Me
Stephanie Mills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'd like to know you better
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better
What kind of girl do you think I am
It's just too soon, can't you understand
I'm not the kind of girl who has to
It's been kind of relaxed here waiting
But baby, you got to slow down
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Maybe next time)
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Baby)
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Maybe next time)
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Baby)
Please just be patient if nothing else, oh, babe
Just know that I respect myself, yes, I do
But I hope I didn't lead you to thinking
Thinking that I was that easy, boy
I know that we're living in the 80s
Yet some things never change
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Maybe next time)
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Baby)
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Maybe next time)
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Baby)
I'm just an old fashioned girl
When it comes down to love
Before I give you some love
I've got to be sure your intentions are pure
(Oh, babe) You're puttin' a rush on me (Take it easy, baby)
But I'd like to know you better (Don't rush it, baby)
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Maybe next time, oh)
You're puttin' a rush on me (Oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah)
You're puttin' a rush on me (Puttin' a rush on me)
Baby, can't you see (Oh, can't you see)
Puttin' a rush on me (You're puttin' a rush on me)
Yeh, ey, hey, hey
You're puttin' a rush on me (Oh, babe)
But I'd like to know you better (Puttin' a rush on me, don't-don't do it, babe)
You're puttin' a rush on me (I can't stand it, baby)
But I'd like to know you better (Don't you do it, baby, ah oh oh)
You're puttin' a rush on me (Oh oh oh oh)
But I'd like to know you better (Yeah)
You're puttin' a rush on me (You're puttin' a rush on me)
Oh, baby, can't you see (Oh, baby, can't you see)
Puttin' a rush on me (Puttin' a rush on me)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'd like to know
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better (Oh, baby, ooh, ooh, ooh, babe)
You're puttin' a rush on me (Slow down, boy)
But I'd like to know you better (Take it easy)
You're puttin' a rush on me
But I'd like to know you better
The lyrics of Stephanie Mills's song "You're Putting A Rush On Me" center around a woman who is hesitant to jump into a relationship too quickly with a man. She tells him that she wants to get to know him better before taking things to the next level, and feels that he is rushing her. She doesn't want to be seen as an easy girl, and believes that he should be patient and understand that she values herself and her boundaries. The song suggests that some things never change, and that even in the modern era, it's important to have respect for oneself and take things slow when it comes to matters of the heart.
The lyrics of the song are reflective of the time period in which it was released, as the 1980s saw a shift in popular culture toward more casual relationships and sexual liberation. However, despite this societal change, many people still hold traditional values when it comes to romance and prefer to take things at a slower pace.
Overall, "You're Putting A Rush On Me" is a cautionary tale about the importance of respecting oneself and not giving into pressure from others. It encourages listeners to take their time when it comes to dating and relationships, and reminds them that it's okay to set boundaries and prioritize their own wellbeing.
Line by Line Meaning
You're puttin' a rush on me
You're pressuring me to get physical with you, and it's making me uncomfortable
But I'd like to know you better
I'm interested in getting to know you on a deeper level before jumping into anything physical
What kind of girl do you think I am
I'm offended that you assume I'm the type of girl who gives it up easily
It's just too soon, can't you understand
I need more time to get to know you before we can take things to the next level
I'm not the kind of girl who has to Lay you down before I fall in love
I don't believe in having sex before forming an emotional connection
It's been kind of relaxed here waiting, But baby, you got to slow down
I've been enjoying taking things slow, and I need you to respect that pace
Please just be patient if nothing else, oh, babe
I'm asking you to be patient with me and respect my boundaries
Just know that I respect myself, yes, I do
I value myself and my worth and won't settle for anything less than what I deserve
But I hope I didn't lead you to thinking Thinking that I was that easy, boy
I don't want you to think that I'm easy or that I'm leading you on
I know that we're living in the 80s Yet some things never change
Even though it's the 80s, some things, like the importance of building a connection before sex, remain the same
I'm just an old fashioned girl When it comes down to love
I have traditional values when it comes to love and relationships
Before I give you some love I've got to be sure your intentions are pure
I won't engage in any physical activity until I'm certain that you genuinely care for me on an emotional level
Baby, can't you see
I need you to understand where I'm coming from
Puttin' a rush on me
Your behavior is making me feel like you're pushing me to do something I'm not ready for
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'd like to know
I'm not closed off to the idea of pursuing a relationship with you, but I need to establish trust and emotional intimacy first
Slow down, boy
I need you to slow down physically and emotionally
Take it easy
I need you to respect my boundaries and pace in this relationship
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL LAURENCE JONES, TIMOTHY MONROE ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mashanti_worldwide
Can we give this Queen a lifetime achievement award?
Stephanie is a living legend
@angelaedwards5279
💯💯💯
@DaPhlyymamee
👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
@louisefedrick3482
🔥🔥🔥🔥
@EricSl
Sure she is!
@mysticakhenaton1701
M. Ashanti, you can add El Debarge too.
@geedawg1946
Never gets old! Her voice is so awesome.
@petermartin2924
Miss Mills is the BEST
@kaym.h.3583
Absolutely 🔥🌹💖💫👑
@roxannemiller6961
Queen Stefanie, can sang it now, yessssss she can.