Charles began her career as a backing vocalist and session artist, and recorded her first solo single in 1969 with a then-unknown Elton John singing backing vocals. In 1971 she made a record called "Joe" (about a little puppy).
She provided the lead vocals for 5000 Volts' 1975 disco hit "I'm On Fire". Although not publicly acknowledged as a group member at the time, Charles was considered to have a stronger voice than the group's official lead singer. The song reached number 4 in the UK, and number 26 in the US.
Her big break came in 1975, when Indian-British music composer and producer Biddu, who had just enjoyed massive success worldwide composing the disco hit "Kung Fu Fighting" for Carl Douglas, composed and produced the single "I Love to Love" for her. The single spent three weeks at number one on the UK singles chart in February 1976 and was major hit around the world. Biddu's collaboration continued on a future album and other huge hits like "Dance Little Lady Dance". Further hits, like "Love Me Like a Lover", "Dr. Love", "Rendezvous" and "Love Bug", made her a star throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, but she was never able to achieve success in the US.
By 1979 her career was somewhat in decline, and disco music was losing some of its public appeal. She married and had a child, and devoted herself for some years to family life, putting her singing career on the back burner.
In the mid 1980s she had a resurgence with a remix of "I Love to Love" which was produced by Sanny X. Since 2000, Charles has performed throughout Europe where disco music and her hit singles have been reappraised, and she has become a popular live performer.
Tina enjoyed yet another comeback as she was featured on a Top 5 Billboard hit called "Higher" in 2006, a song which was produced by longtime friend and associate Sanny X. She also signed a record deal in the US with Wizard Records, releasing an album entitled Listen 2 the Music in 2008.
http://www.tinacharles.com
Love Me Like A Lover
Tina Charles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
BUT YOUR FRIEND, IS ALL I'LL STAY.
I'M ONLY HALF-WAY TO PARADISE,
SO NEAR...YET SO FAR AWAY.
I LONG FOR YOUR LIPS TO KISS MY LIPS,
BUT JUST WHEN I THINK THEY MAY,
YOU LEAVE ME HALF–WAY TO PARADISE,
BEIN' CLOSE TO YOU IS ALMOST HEAVEN, (HEAV-EN)
BUT SEEIN' YOU CAN DO JUST SO MUCH.
IT HURTS ME SO TO KNOW YOUR HEART'S A TREASURE, (TREA-SURE)
AND THAT MY HEART IS FORBIDDEN TO TOUCH
SO PUT YOUR SWEET LIPS CLOSE TO MY LIPS, AND TELL ME
THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE GONNA STAY,
DON'T LEAVE ME HALF WAY TO PARADISE
SO NEAR YET SO FAR AWAY,
SO NEAR YET SO FAR AWAY,
SO NEAR YET SO FAR AWAY,
SO NEAR YET SO FAR AWAY.
Tina Charles's song Love Me Like A Lover conveys the story of a person's struggle to progress from just being friends with their desired lover to being in a romantic relationship with them. The singer wants to be their lover, but they are only regarded as a friend. They are halfway to paradise, as they are near their goal of being with their desired person, but still, they are far away from achieving it entirely. The lyrics describe a deep longing for the loved one to return their feelings and a desire to unite with them.
The singer's emotions are bittersweet, as they are happy to be near their beloved one but heartbroken that they cannot move forward. Being near the object of their desire is almost heaven for the singer, but at the same time, they are aware that it is not enough. They realize that, despite their intense feelings, their love interest's heart belongs to someone else. The singer thus cannot touch their heart, which is the most significant treasure of their loved one.
The lyrics conclude with a plea to the lover to reciprocate their feelings and not leave them halfway to paradise. The singer asks the beloved one to put their sweet lips close to theirs and assure them that they will stay that way. In summary, Love Me Like A Lover is a song about the complexities of romantic relationships and the longing to be with someone who only sees you as a friend.
Line by Line Meaning
I WANT TO BE YOUR LOVER,
I desire to be in a romantic relationship with you,
BUT YOUR FRIEND, IS ALL I'LL STAY.
But it seems that I'm only a friend to you,
I'M ONLY HALF-WAY TO PARADISE,
I'm not fully satisfied in this friendship,
SO NEAR...YET SO FAR AWAY.
Although we are close, it still seems distant to me,
I LONG FOR YOUR LIPS TO KISS MY LIPS,
I yearn for a deeper level of intimacy with you,
BUT JUST WHEN I THINK THEY MAY,
But every time I think we may be headed in that direction,
YOU LEAVE ME HALF-WAY TO PARADISE,
You pull away and leave me feeling unsatisfied,
BEIN' CLOSE TO YOU IS ALMOST HEAVEN, (HEAV-EN)
Being close to you brings me such joy and happiness,
BUT SEEIN' YOU CAN DO JUST SO MUCH.
But merely being near you doesn't fulfill all my desires,
IT HURTS ME SO TO KNOW YOUR HEART'S A TREASURE, (TREA-SURE)
It pains me to realize that your heart is valuable to me,
AND THAT MY HEART IS FORBIDDEN TO TOUCH
Yet I can't express my true feelings or touch your heart in return,
SO PUT YOUR SWEET LIPS CLOSE TO MY LIPS, AND TELL ME
So please show me affection and reciprocate my feelings,
THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE GONNA STAY,
Assure me that our physical intimacy won't just be temporary,
DON'T LEAVE ME HALF WAY TO PARADISE
Please don't leave me feeling unfulfilled or unsatisfied again,
SO NEAR YET SO FAR AWAY,
Because although we are close, it still seems like we have a long way to go.
SO NEAR YET SO FAR AWAY,
We are close yet distant, close yet not close enough.
SO NEAR YET SO FAR AWAY,
Our physical closeness doesn't seem to fulfill the emotional distance between us.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JACK ROBINSON, JAMES BOLDEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marcela Prado
Me fascina esta canción, gracias por subirla
Edmilton sebastião
A cantora da minha infância, naquela época, nos anos 70, a dança se chamava "Kokota" kkk