17 November 1984
Apparently it happened by accident during production. It was probably clear to everyone involved, though, that they had struck gold. And that’s how we have one of the great iconic pop moments of the entire ’80s: a human record scratch of the singer’s name—“Ch-ch-ch-chaka KHAN! Chaka KHAN! Chaka KHAN!” This was a genuine cultural meme of 1984 and after. I remember at least one TV show where someone threw someone a tin of Coke or Pepsi with a gleeful “Chuck a can! Chuck a can!” and when a pop record begets a light entertainment gag you know it has crossover power.
Incredibly, ‘I Feel For You’ gets better. That initial name-drop sets off a brilliant old-school body-popping rap by (pop trivia alert) Melle Mel, formerly of ‘Grandmaster Flash and…’ fame. Chaka Khan’s bright, strong voice is always a pleasure, bringing disco sass and pop smarts. And the song itself is by Prince, from his self-titled 1979 second album. Prince’s version is as fantastic as you’d expect; a neat, playful funk-pop groove where his feels are (quelle surprise) of the randy, sexy kind: his “I think I love you” has a laser focus on the carnal. Chaka’s version opens it out: the feels still include Prince-ly sexiness but also giddiness and excitement—her “I think I love you” sounds like the sky opening up with wonder.
Speaking of which, notionally the star name here is Stevie Wonder, who provides the harmonica parts. However, for me he just doesn’t match the electricity of the rest of the track; his contribution feels weak and a bit old hat. Thankfully, there’s no serious damage done, but literally anything else would have lifted this record into near perfection. (Imagine a Prince guitar part here!) Still, Chaka Khan’s ‘I Feel For You’ is sensational anyway.
Astonishingly, considering he made the most exciting and influential music of the whole decade, this is the only Prince-related single to get to number one in the UK or Ireland during the 1980s. What were we like?
