Killing Me Softly Part 2

Summary

Podcast Summary: Hit Parade | "Killing Me Softly Part 2" (April 1, 2022)

Overview

In this episode of Slate’s Hit Parade, host and pop-chart analyst Chris Molanphy continues his in-depth exploration of Black female vocal legends—Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, and Chaka Khan—charting their remarkable transitions and reinventions from the late 1970s through the 1980s and into contemporary times. The episode focuses on how these artists navigated evolving musical landscapes, especially the challenges and opportunities presented by disco, early synth-pop, and the era of charity mega-singles, solidifying their legacies and influence across generations.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Challenge and Opportunity of Disco (Late 1970s)

• Disco’s Impact: Black, gay, and especially female artists thrived in disco, but for a generation of pre-disco R&B singers, it was sink or swim. Legends like Diana Ross adapted successfully, while Aretha Franklin’s disco attempt La Diva (1979) flopped critically and commercially.
  • "[Diana Ross’s] hits in this era were intermittent but were by and large classics. And on the other hand, some legends, like the Queen of Soul herself, really face planted in this period." (01:24, Chris Molanphy)

How the Four Queens Navigated Disco

• Dionne Warwick:
  • Experimented with disco-adjacent sounds, guided by collaborations with Barry Manilow, achieving success with “Déjà Vu” and “I’ll Never Love This Way Again”.
  • "Manilow had made Warwick current by making her disco adjacent, not disco." (05:52, Chris Molanphy)
• Roberta Flack:
  • Favored disco instrumentation on slow or mid-tempo ballads, most notably “The Closer I Get to You” with Donny Hathaway (number two pop).
  • "What really worked for Flack in this period was disco instrumentation on slow or mid tempo songs rather than dance songs." (07:05, Chris Molanphy)
• Patti LaBelle:
  • Labored to find footing post-LaBelle; modest club success with “Music Is My Way of Life” (number 10 disco). Solo career emerged as group fortunes faded.
• Chaka Khan:
  • Adapted and thrived, shifting from Rufus’s funk to more disco-oriented solo material, notably launching with “I’m Every Woman”.
  • "Solo career launching songs don’t get much more definitive than I’m Every Woman. Chaka Khan’s single Statement of Purpose." (11:08, Chris Molanphy)

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Reinvention and Emergence in the 1980s

• Roberta Flack’s Loss and Return:

  • The tragic loss of Donny Hathaway shaped her early 80s work. Posthumous duet albums and partnerships (notably with Peabo Bryson) anchored her career through a challenging era.
  • "But Donnie would never live to see that new album’s release. He committed suicide in January 1979. A devastated Roberta Flack completed the album..." (15:25, Chris Molanphy)

• Patti LaBelle’s Breakthrough:

  • Transitioned to ballads and Broadway before finally notching her first R&B #1 with “If Only You Knew” (1983).
  • "Dexter Wansel wound up giving LaBelle her first RB number one, the 1983 single If Only You Knew..." (18:48)

• Dionne Warwick’s Pop Revival via the Bee Gees:

  • “Heartbreaker” (1983), written and produced by the Gibb brothers, returned Warwick to the pop top 10.

• Roberta Flack’s “Sophista-pop” & Duets Era:

  • 1983’s “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” (with Bryson) achieved massive and enduring radio success, marking her last pop solo hit but a major adult contemporary triumph.

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Shaka Khan’s 1980s Sonic Evolution

• Technological Innovation with Rufus:

  • “Ain’t Nobody” (1983) melded the new LinnDrum technology with Khan’s dynamic vocals, producing one of Rufus’s signature hits.
  • "What Hawk Wolinski did on Ain’t Nobody was truly inspired... Then he added a monster kick drum... None of this would have mattered if Chaka Khan weren’t singing the song." (27:06)

• Prince Collaboration and “I Feel for You”:

  • Khan’s 1984 take on Prince’s “I Feel for You” featured Melly Mel’s pioneering rap and Stevie Wonder’s harmonica. The “Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan” sample, born from studio happenstance, became iconic.
  • "The signature element of Chaka Khan’s I Feel for You, the part that everybody loves... to some extent an accident." (30:51)
  • "It had the bones of Prince’s R B classic, Stevie Wonder’s joyous harmonica, rap from one of the country’s top rappers, and the stately vocals of Chaka Khan herself." (31:27)

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Charity Mega-Singles and Late-Career Pop Crossover (Mid-Late 1980s)

• Patti LaBelle’s “New Attitude” (1985):

  • Jumped into synth-heavy pop with tracks from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, notably “New Attitude”—reinventing herself with a “four minute aerobics workout that doubled as a pop song.”
  • "New attitude was both synthetic in sound and authentic to Paddy’s personality..." (36:09)

• Live Aid and Other High Profile Platforms:

  • LaBelle’s dazzling performance at Live Aid 1985 (Philadelphia) marked her as a show-stopper, performing six songs and standing out even in the “We Are the World” finale.
  • "But nobody missed Patty visually or vocally. Of course." (38:19)

• Warwick’s “That’s What Friends Are For” (1985/86):

  • Iconic AIDS charity single featuring Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John became her biggest ever hit and raised millions for research.
  • "It was the biggest hit of Warwick’s career, and it was later named Billboard’s number one song of 1986." (41:03)

• Patti LaBelle’s “On My Own” (1986):

  • Legendary duet with Michael McDonald (recorded in separate studios) went #1 pop and R&B, cementing her crossover status.
  • "They met the night they performed it together on the Tonight Show. By then, On My own was number one on both the Hot 100 and the R B chart..." (44:27)

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Enduring Legacy and Modern Impact

• Songs Reimagined Across Generations:
  • Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard (1992) revived “I’m Every Woman”.
  • The Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly” (1996) introduced Roberta Flack’s classic to a new era.
  • The “Lady Marmalade” (2001) remake (Aguilera, Lil Kim, Mya, Pink, Missy Elliott) brought Patti LaBelle’s hit back to #1.
  • Nelly and Kelly Rowland’s “Dilemma” (2002) interpolated LaBelle’s “Love, Need and Want You.”
• Trivia: Last Top 10 Hit
  • "Who was the last of our four queens to score a top 10 pop hit?... Nope. It was the reclusive Roberta Flack, who in 1991 got all the way to number six in yet another duet..." (50:39)
• All Queens Still Active (as of 2022):
  • Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack, Patti LaBelle, and Dionne Warwick continued to release music and perform into the 2010s and beyond.
• Dionne Warwick’s Modern Resurgence:
  • Renowned as a Twitter icon and even parodied (and appearing) on SNL, Warwick remains culturally relevant.
  • "More famously, Dion has become the queen of Twitter, popping off with thoughts about popular culture tweeted by a woman with no fucks left to give." (53:57)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Adapting to Disco:
  • "Manilow had made Warwick current by making her disco adjacent, not disco." (05:52)
• On Donny Hathaway’s Death:
  • "But Donnie would never live to see that new album’s release. He committed suicide in January 1979. A devastated Roberta Flack completed the album..." (15:25)
• On Chaka Khan’s innovation:
  • "It had the bones of Prince’s R B classic, Stevie Wonder’s joyous harmonica, rap from one of the country’s top rappers, and the stately vocals of Chaka Khan herself." (31:27)
• On Patti LaBelle’s 80s reinvention:
  • "New Attitude was both synthetic in sound and authentic to Patty’s personality..." (36:09)
• On “That’s What Friends Are For”:
  • "It was the biggest hit of Warwick’s career, and it was later named Billboard’s number one song of 1986. Reportedly, that’s what Friends Are for has raised more than $3 million for AIDS research." (41:03)
• On Legacy and the Rock Hall:
  • "Dionne Warwick revealed that she doesn’t, quote, give a damn if she is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And I gotta say, I respect this. She doesn’t need the Rock Hall. Warwick is already a legend, a queen..." (55:25)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00–03:52] – Setting the stage: 1970s disco challenges for veteran R&B stars; adapting or struggling.
• [05:47–11:08] – How each singer responded musically to disco trends.
• [15:25–17:32] – Roberta Flack’s partnership and loss of Donny Hathaway; duets era begins.
• [18:48–20:55] – Patti LaBelle’s first #1 R&B solo hit ("If Only You Knew"); Dionne Warwick’s pop reboot.
• [23:46–24:40] – Roberta Flack’s “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” and her adult contemporary reboot.
• [27:06–31:27] – Chaka Khan’s technological and pop breakthroughs (“Ain’t Nobody,” “I Feel For You”).
• [36:09–38:19] – Patti LaBelle’s major 80s comeback (“New Attitude,” Live Aid prominence).
• [39:56–41:03] – Dionne Warwick and the making/impact of “That’s What Friends Are For.”
• [44:27–47:56] – Patti LaBelle’s “On My Own” and ensuing crossover success.
• [49:53–56:22] – The four queens’ music being revived, sampled, and celebrated in subsequent decades.
• [53:57–54:43] – Dionne Warwick’s modern social media fame and SNL appearance.
• [55:25–56:28] – On legacy, the Rock Hall, and what it means to be a "queen."

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Conclusion

Chris Molanphy’s detailed storytelling in "Killing Me Softly Part 2" compellingly illustrates how four iconic Black women performers not only survived pop culture's tumultuous shifts but innovated and thrived through disco, 80s pop, and beyond. Their unique adaptations, collaborative duets, signature songs, and continual influence on new generations are a testament to their enduring artistry and innovation. The episode affirms these queens' lasting impact as groundbreakers and timeless inspirations in music history.

Transcript

[Chris Melanfi]

You're listening ad free on Amazon Music. Welcome back to Hit Parade, a podcast of pop chart history from Slate magazine about the hits from coast to coast. I'm Chris Melanfy, chart analyst, pop critic and writer of Slate's why Is this Song Number One series. On our last episode, we talked about the distinctive but parallel careers of RB vocal legends Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack, how they continually made songs theirs and redefined the boundaries for Black female artists. Their boundary pushing helped soften the ground for a fourth RB queen, Chaka Khan, to emerge as the star of the funk rock band Rufus and a chart topper in her own right. We're now up to the late 70s, when the moves these ladies made would set up their careers for some big 80s breakthroughs.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Feel like I'm home In a place I used to know long ago.

[Chris Melanfi]

Here was the thing about disco, a music at which black, gay and especially female artists excelled. It absolutely made the careers of legends like Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer. But it was also single sink or swim for a generation of R B singers who predated disco. Some adapted well, like, for example, Diana Ross, whose hits in this era were intermittent but were by and large classics. And on the other hand, some legends, like the Queen of Soul herself, really face planted in this period. Aretha Franklin's 1979 La Diva. Her attempt at an all disco album was eviscerated by critics and more important, her lowest charting album of the 60s, 70s or 80s.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Ladies, you got the spotlight. Let your hair on down, lady.

[Chris Melanfi]

So for our quartet of R B queens, the question was how they would decode disco and keep their careers afloat. In her new book, Shine, A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop, critic Danielle Smith points out that Dionne Warwick was in one sense slightly ahead of the curve. Her 1974 Proto Disco Tom Bell smash Then came you, with what Smith calls a miraculous groove, Presaged a wave of sophisticated disco era hits by the likes of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

You don't have to be a SN.

[Chris Melanfi]

Baby to be in my show and Peaches and her. Still, as Smith points out, Dion was mostly unmoved by disco. But Warwick was pragmatic, Smith writes. She did try a form of urbane disco in the late 70s, as on her 1977 LP Love at First Sight. Nothing from this album was a hit, although Early Morning Strangers was a reunion of sorts for Dion with Hal David, the lyricist who penned so many of Warwick's 60s hits with Bert Bacharachi but it was the other co writer on Early Morning Strangers who turned out to be more pivotal for Disco Era Dion. Singing superstar Barry Manilow, who was also a producer and arranger. Manilow manned the boards for Dion's next album, 1979's simply titled Dion, which became Warwick's first ever platinum album. Manilow figured out a Disco Era sound that suited her. The hit Deja Vu was something closer to yacht rock.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Could you be the Dream that I once Knew?

[Chris Melanfi]

And a solid hit, number 15 pop, number 25 R&B and number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. Another single on the album did even better, the ballad I'll Never Love this Way Again, which reached number 5 pop and number 18 R&B. It sounded contemporary to the period, but not danceable. Manilow had made Warwick current by making her disco adjacent, not disco. Meanwhile, Roberta Flack moved even more cautiously through the disco era, taking a full two years to come back with another self produced album, 1977's Blue Lights in the Basement. Tracks like why don't yout Move In With Me were perky and almost danceable.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Why don't you move in with me we could be so happy.

[Chris Melanfi]

But like Warwick, what really worked for Flack in this period was disco instrumentation on slow or mid tempo songs rather than dance songs. In the era of the so called disco ballad a la the How Deep Is yous Love or Peaches and Herbs reunited Roberta Flack reunited with her duet partner Donny Hathaway for a Blue Lights track that proved to be a mega smash, the Closer I Get to you. The Closer I Get to you climbed all the way to number two on the Hot 101 on the R B chart. The biggest duet hit ever for Flack and Hathaway out Charting even their 1972 hit where is the Love? For an artist who now recorded on her own so slower paced schedule, Flack had nonetheless managed to keep pace on the charts. Patti LaBelle had a tougher time, particularly her group LaBelle. After the triumph of their Nightbirds album which went top 10 and gold, each subsequent album charted lower than its predecessor. It had taken them half a decade to define their own rock meets funk lane, only to find themselves unmoored in the disco era. LaBelle's strutting 1976 dance funk single get yout Somebody New could only manage a number 50 R B chart peak. And 1977's Isn't it a Shame. The closest the group came to a disco ballad, though it was really more like a saloon ballad, managed a number 18, R&B peak, but missed the pop chart entirely. The group's flagging fortunes made Patti LaBelle's departure for a solo career a virtual inevitability. She would not reunite with Nona Hendricks and Sarah dash until the 2000s. More promisingly, the solo LaBelle scored an actual club hit in this period. For all intents and purposes, Patti had been a disco diva in training for most of her two decade career and she finally fulfilled that destiny on Music Is My Way of life in May 1979 at the peak of Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor, Patti's Ride Cymbal Jam reached number 10 on Billboard's disco chart. But perhaps unsurprisingly, the singer who seemed to adapt best to peak disco was the youngin Chaka Khan. In essence, Khan's hits with Rufus had been edging away from funk and closer to disco bit by bit, as on their 1977 number one R&B number 30 pop hit at Midnight My love will lift you up. To this point, the group was still billed as Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. But then, like Patti LaBelle, Khan made a move that indicated she was angling for a fully solo career. The shot across the bow was a single billed to producer Quincy Jones called Stuff like that. Stuff like that featured vocals from husband and wife team Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, as well as a very prominent Chaka Khan. When Quincy's jam reached the top of the R and B chart and scraped the pop top 20 in the summer of 1978, stuff like that served as a de facto career coming out for Chaka Khan within months. Khan moved quickly to capitalize on her new profile outside of Rufus. She teamed with super producer Arif Martin to record a self titled lp Shaka, and with the help of songwriters Ashford and Simpson, she dropped one of her best known singles. Solo career launching songs don't get much more definitive than I'm Every Woman. Chaka Khan's single Statement of Purpose. Ashford and Simpson said they'd been struggling with the melody and the lyric for months, but when they gave the song to Khan, she instinctively knew how to arrange the track, inserting vocal runs in all the right spots like the long I'm in I'm Every Woman. Released in the early fall of 1978, I'm Every Woman took just over a month to top the R B chart and reach number 21 on the pop chart. The best any single sung by Khan, Rufus or otherwise had done on the Hot 100 in nearly three years. Even then, Khan did not abandon Rufus though There was tension in the group resulting from Shaka's ever increasing solo stardom. Producer Quincy Jones managed to reunite the warring factions in 1979 for the album Master Jam, which sounded less like the Rufus of old and more like Quincy's brand of smooth yacht soul. Do you love what you feel? With lead vocals by both Khan and Rufus member Tony Maiden topped the R B chart at the very end of 1979. While it certainly prolonged Rufus's career, mostly it seemed to burnish copy cons. She was back on the solo tip almost immediately as the 80s dawned, dropping a string of new LPs over the next three years, including the sleek synth funk of Whatcha Gonna do for Me, another chaka Khan R B1 in 1980. So Khan enjoyed a glide path from the 70s into the 80s. Roberta Flack's road was much bumpier and much sadder.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Stay with me, stay with me Spend just one more day with me maybe you'll.

[Chris Melanfi]

This song stay with me anchored Flack's next album, which was a kind of elegy. As we discussed in our December episode of Hit Parade when covering the career of Donny Hathaway, the gifted but troubled singer was plagued with crippling depression and paranoid schizophrenia. He spent his final weeks recording with Roberta Flack with the intention of issuing another full album of Flack Hathaway duets. But Donnie would never live to see that new album's release. He committed suicide in January 1979. A devastated Roberta Flack completed the album with whatever vocals he had recorded for a 1980 release in tribute to her friend.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

You are my love, you are my heaven, you are my love, make me sing.

[Chris Melanfi]

Simply titled Roberta Flack featuring Donny Hathaway, the album produced two sizable singles in 1980. Both number eight hits on the R B chart. The sparkling you are my Heaven and the gently funky Back Together Again, its title now a grim irony. Flack's conclusion was that she needed another duet partner before the end of 1980. She'd found one.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Since you came into my life, every part of me seems real. Truth came to the light.

[Chris Melanfi]

Greenville, South Carolina soul balladeer Peabo Bryson. His debut with Flack was a concert plus studio album live and more that generated a a top 20 r b hit they wrote together called make the World Stand Still. There were much bigger hits in their future yet to come. Meanwhile, Patti LaBelle's entry into the 1980s gave no indication of the shifts her career was about to undergo. She was still recording a range of material from the stately piano and brass Lament I don't go shopping. A number 26 R&B hit I never.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Out of to die you always find me.

[Chris Melanfi]

To a mid tempo rock and soul song originally intended for Jackson Brown. Shoot him on Sight.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Shoot him on sight. Shoot him on Sight.

[Chris Melanfi]

The songwriter of Shoot him on Sight, Dexter Wansel, wound up giving LaBelle her first RB number one, the 1983 single if youf Only Knew, a slow dance co written with Philly soul producer Kenny Gamble and Journey woman Cynthia Bigg.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Me only you knew how much I do love you.

[Chris Melanfi]

Between that soulful chart topper and LaBelle's brief stint on Broadway in 1982, acting and singing in the gospel musical you, Arms Too Short to Box With God, Patty had seemingly reached the height of black centered cultural fame without much caring to cross over. Even if you Only Knew, as big as it was at black radio, missed the top 40 on the Hot 100. Patty hadn't had a serious pop crossover hit since LaBelle's chart topper Lady Marmalade back in 1975. But she and the other R and B queens were all about to undergo a serious 80s makeover. And ironically, the first to transform herself, Ms. Dionne Warwick did it by teaming with the kings of the seventies.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Why do you have to be a heartbreaker? Is it a lesson that I never knew?

[Chris Melanfi]

When Dion Warwick recorded her early 1983 hit Heartbreaker, she was jumping on a trend. No, not synth pop. Although synthesizers were more prominent on this track than on any hit she'd had before, the trend was working with the Bee Gees. As we discussed in our Bee Gees episode of Hit Parade, the Gibb brothers were having a bizarro early 80s. Even as the trio were losing out on the charts as frontline artists. No one wanted to hear those falsettos on Top 40 radio anymore. At that time, same moment, Barry Gibb and his brothers were writing and producing wildly successful post disco pop for veteran superstars. Superstars like Barbra Streisand, whom Barry Gibb provided with some of the biggest hits of her career in 1980 and 81. And Islands in the Stream, Kenny Rogers chart topping 1983 duet with Dolly Parton.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

That is what we are no 1 in between how can can we be wrong?

[Chris Melanfi]

So for Dionne Warwick, teaming with Barry Gibb was just good business. With Heartbreaker, written by all three Gibb brothers, they even sing prominent backups on the track. Warwick returned to the pop top 10 for the first time since 1979's I'll Never Love this Way Again what do.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

You mean to be a heartbreaker? When I was being what you want me to be.

[Chris Melanfi]

For Roberta Flack, the 80s reboot was even subtler. On 1982's I'm the One, she sounded like an early version of Sade, a new kind of sophista pop.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Love I am the best I'm all yours put me to the test Love.

[Chris Melanfi]

Is my specialty I'm the one, which made the middle rungs of both the R B chart and the Hot 100, wound up being Flack's last ever pop hit as a soloist. From then on, most of her singles were duets, many with her new singing partner Peabo Bryson, including this hit that you've probably heard wafting out of a radio, a supermarket, a dentist's office, 1983's Tonight I Celebrate my love.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Tonight I celebrate my love for you and then Midnight sun, it's going to come shining through.

[Chris Melanfi]

So ubiquitous was this easy listening favorite, you might be surprised to learn that Bryson and Flack's Tonight I Celebrate My Love only reached number 16 pop, number 5 r b and number 4 adult contemporary. But it was a remarkably long lasting hit, riding the Hot 100 for 29 weeks more than half a year from 1983 into 1984. Figuring she probably couldn't top that, Roberta Flack went on another of her long recording hiatuses. She wouldn't come back for five years, finally ending her dry spell in late 1988, topping the R B chart one last time in early 89 with Oasis. But probably the most transformative sonic evolution of the 80s came from Shaka Khan. Her first big shift came thanks to the group she thought she had left behind, Rufus Ain't Nobody was born when Rufus keyboardist David Hawk Wolinski was playing around with what turned out to be a seminal piece of technology, the Lynn Drum. We've talked on Hit Parade about some inspired 80s singles that came out of artists tinkering with new technology. How, for example, the Prophet 5 spawned Phil Collins's spooky In the Air Tonight, or the Roland Compu Rhythm, which powered Darrell hall and John Oates sleek I can't go for that. The Lindrum was one of those. It had already appeared on major hits by the Human League, don't don't you want me?

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

You know I can't believe it when.

[Chris Melanfi]

I hear that you won't see and Prince. But what Hawk Wolinski did on Ain't Nobody was truly inspired. He ran the Lindrum's beats through a sequencer, which made the rhythm off Kilter and strangely enveloping. It was like the beat and the synth lines were were either fighting or playing off of one another. Then he added a monster kick drum, Which was doubled in the studio by Rufus's actual human drummer, John Robinson. None of this would have mattered if Chaka Khan weren't singing the song. On Ain't Nobody, Khan holds back for two verses, snarling and purring before the explosion of the chorus. It was Rufus last hit and arguably their tour de force. Ain't Nobody reached number one on the R B chart in October 1983 and a more modest number, 22 on the Hot 100 two months later. It remains Rufus's most played radio track to this day, rivaled only by Tell Me Something Good. Now, free of her commitment to Rufus and able to focus entirely upon her solo career, Khan went even further toward the cutting edge of pop. The song that would get her there was this deep cut by none other than Prince.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

I feel for you.

[Chris Melanfi]

I Feel for you was on Prince's self titled 1979 album and had never been issued as a single. Working on her Next album in 1984, Khan and producer Arif Martin felt the song had potential and they assembled an all star team to remake it in the studio. Prince himself was invited but couldn't make it in that busy year of purple Rain. But they did get rapper Melly Mel, who was coming off his classic 1983 hit White Lines. My white line go a long way either up your nose or through your fame. With nothing to gain, Nell agreed to do a bespoke rap honoring Chaka Khan. They also got Stevie Wonder, who not only agreed to play harmonica, he also cleared a sample of his 1963 number one live hit as Little Stevie Wonder. The song Fingertips Part two, Everybody see.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

See.

[Chris Melanfi]

But the signature element of Chaka Khan's I feel for you, the part that everybody loves. Vocalizing to this day was to some extent an accident. Martin intended for Melly Mel's rap Chaka Khan Let Me Rock youk to go in the middle of the record. But one day the sampler got stuck repeating Khan's name. It was so inspired, Martin not only kept it, he put it at the very beginning.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Chaka, Chaka, Chak Chak Chaka Khan, Chaka.

[Chris Melanfi]

Khan, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan. At a time when rap was still in the process of crossing over with pop audiences, I Feel for you was a hip hop ambassador of a song. It had the bones of Prince's R B classic, Stevie Wonder's joyous harmonica rap. From one of the country's top rappers and the stately vocals of Chaka Khan herself. I Feel for you reached number three on the Hot 100 and number one on the R&B chart in November 1984, Chaka Khan's biggest pop hit ever, coming just one year after Ain't Nobody. I Feel for you affirmed Khan as a centerpiece artist of 80s electropop, a sound that carried through on all of her I feel for you LP's tracks, even the ballads like the number 15 R&B hit through the Fire.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Through the Fire, to the Limit, to the Wall. For A Chance to be with you, I gladly risk it all or her.

[Chris Melanfi]

Acclaimed kinetic remake of British soft rocker Gary Wright's 1976 hit Love is Alive. The run of I Feel for you's hits also established Shaka as rock and pop royalty, everyone's favorite guest. One year after the hits from the LP had run their course, Khan finally appeared on a number one pop hit when her unmistakable vocals graced the chorus of Steve Winwood's Grammy winning chart topper Higher Love. And Khan remained a favorite of producer Quincy Jones. He brought her back to do vocals on another of his frontline tracks, his 1989 R&B chart topper I'll Be Good to you, a Brothers Johnson remake that also featured Ray Charles. Maybe the unlikeliest and most inspiring 80s career reboot was Patti LaBelle's. Back in 1984, she had signed to a new label, MCA, and she was looking to get out of her ballad heavy lane. She'd observed how synth infused new wave production styles and had energized the work of not only Chaka Khan but also her friends the Pointer Sisters, Patti thought, I can do that. So teaming up with a new production team working on MCA's soundtrack to a forthcoming Eddie Murphy film called Beverly hills cop, Patti LaBelle, at age 40, underwent a high tech sonic makeover. Patty's two tracks for the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack got prominent placement in the 1984 film, including Stir it up, which reached the r b top five and just missed the pop top 40. Her other track on the soundtrack not only charted better, it doubled as LaBelle's newfound life philosophy.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

I tidied up my point of view, I got a new attitude.

[Chris Melanfi]

New attitude was both synthetic in sound and authentic to Paddy's personality, a four minute aerobics workout that doubled as a pop song. It reached number three on the R&B chart and importantly number 17 on the Hot 100, the highest any Labelle song had climbed since Lady Marmalade. A decade earlier. A month after New Attitude peaked On the Hot 100 in June 1985, the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack reached number one on the pop album chart. So LaBelle was now something like a pop star, perky, peacocking, playful. So it made sense that one month after that, in July 1985, the organizers of Live Aid, specifically the part that took place in Patty's hometown of Philadelphia, gave her a very prominent evening slot.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Bob Dylan. Always keep you May your wishes all come true May you always do for others too.

[Chris Melanfi]

And Patti LaBelle did not phone it in. She looked regal at Live Aid in a crowning headdress, and she played a whopping six songs, one of the longest sets of the entire event. In addition to performing her latest hits, Patti paid tribute to rock legends like John Lennon with a cover of Imagine and Bob Dylan with Forever Young. Just like in her labelle days, Patti was hybridizing rock and sound.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

May you always know the truth that's in the light.

[Chris Melanfi]

But LaBelle's big showcase of the night at Live Aid came not in her set, but in the final all star sing along of We Are the World. Unlike Dionne Warwick, Patty had not taken part in the original USA for Africa recording live on stage at Live Aid. She more than made up for that. It's hard to stand out when about 100 people are on stage. But nobody missed Patty visually or vocally. Of course. Dion Warwick was also at Live Aid, though she was far less prominent that day than Patti LaBelle. I've already extolled Dion's great and underrated vocal on We Are the World. But it wasn't Warwick's only only charity mega single of 1985. Her crowning achievement that year was a song she recorded about six months later, a benefit single for AIDS research. And unlike the carefully staged We Are the World, this song came about much more organically.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

And you can always count on me for sure.

[Chris Melanfi]

That'S what Friends Are For. That's what Friends Are for was first recorded by, of all people, Rod Stewart for Of all things, a 1982 Henry Winkler Michael Keaton comedy film called Night Shift. Stewart's version of the song was not a hit, which greatly disappointed the song's co writers, veteran songsmith Carol Bayer Sager and her then husband, bert Bacharach. Around 1985, Sager and Bacharach were invited to contribute to Dionne Warwick's next album, Remember. Bert and Dion had not recorded together since 1971. Sager brought them back together and their old grudge turned out to be Water under the Bridge. Warwick, for her part, loved that's what Friends Are for and she wanted to record it, but she thought it might need backup. Warwick had the idea to bring in Stevie Wonder. She had duetted with Wonder the prior year on his Woman in Red soundtrack album. Stevie Wonder came in to record that's What Friends Are for with Warwick the same day that actress Elizabeth Taylor, a friend of Carol Bayer Sager's, visited the studio. Taylor was one of the earliest advocates for AIDS research, and Sager proposed that Warwick and Wonder's new single should serve as a benefit for Taylor's charity, AmfAR. Now that it was a benefit song, Warwick proposed that they bring in a couple more vocalists. Her first choice was Gladys Knight, who was still an RB hitman. To round it out and give a final punch at the chorus, they wanted one more male vocalist, and Wonder had recently played with Elton John. So this forsome of Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Elton John took on Burt Bacharach and Carol Bayer Sager's song finally giving that's what Friends Are for the warmth that Rod Stewart's version had lacked. It even kicked off with Wonder's signature harmonica. Together, these four singers were a mini USA for Africa, a super friends of pop. The song had all the vocal fireworks expected of a charity mega single, but also a kindness and empathy, especially given the song's generosity toward those marginalized by hiv. At a very early stage in the AIDS epidemic, the same warmth that Dionne Warwick had brought to her brief solo on We Are the World was all over. That's what Friends Are Are four, Released just before the holidays of 1985, that's what friends Are for, credited officially to Dion and Friends, climbed all the way to number one in January 1986 and stayed there for four weeks. And it was the biggest hit of Warwick's career, and it was later named Billboard's number one song of 1986. Reportedly, that's what Friends Are for has raised more than $3 million for AIDS research. Four months after that song peaked, another of our R and B queens rode another collaboration to number one on a song that was you Can't Make Up a coincidence like this, also by Bert Bacharach and Carol Bayer Sager. But the song that took Patti LaBelle to number one was never supposed to be a duet at all. When Patti LaBelle recorded on my Own for Bacharach and Sager, she sang it well on her own. But to the pair of songwriter producers, the track cried out for a male vocalist accompaniment. Bacharach and Sager were friends with former George Juby brother and yacht rock king Michael McDonald. He agreed to add vocals, but he did so from a studio in Los Angeles while LaBelle remained in Philadelphia. MacDonald and LaBelle never actually met until long after the song had become a hit. In fact, they met the night they performed it together on the Top Tonight Show. By then, On My own was number one on both the Hot 100 and the R B chart, the biggest hit of either vocalist's career. On My Own was so popular, labelle's winner in you album also reached number one on the pop album chart, the first of our R B queens to do this since Roberta Flack's first take in 1972. LaBelle pulled more hits from the platinum certified album, including the top 10 R B top 30 pop hit O People. Patti LaBelle would never quite reach these chart heights again, but her status as a crossover star and R B legend was now etched in stone. LaBelle would continue to cast a shadow on pop in unexpected ways, including recording a song for a James Bond film if you asked me to from 1989's License to Kill, A song that by the way was later turned into a hit by Celine Dion. Game recognized Game.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

And just might change my mind and let you.

[Chris Melanfi]

Indeed, all of our queens saw their music recycled by future generations. Famously for 1992's The Bodyguard soundtrack, Whitney Houston covered Chaka Khan's I'm Every Woman, emulating her arrangement of the song and even doing a little Melly Mel impersonation. In 1996, rap trio the Fugees remade Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly with his song as a showcase for the vocals of Ms. Lauryn Hill and the one time two time rapping of Wyclef Jean. Their version of Killing Me Softly reached number two on pop radio and pushed the Fugees album the Score to number one. In 2001, LaBelle's classic Lady Marmalade was remade for the soundtrack of the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge by no less than four vocalists Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Maya and Pink, plus producer and rapper Missy Elliott, and they took the song back to number one. The year after that. Patti LaBelle was in a way back at number one when her 1983 R B hit Love, need and Want you.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

I want you sugar I want you so bad.

[Chris Melanfi]

Was interpolated by rapper Nelly and Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland into the number one smash Dilemma. Around the same time, rap trio De La Soul invited Chaka Khan to sing on their hit All Good, a top 10 hit on Billboard's rap chart in 2000. And here's a quick trivia question. Who was the last of our four queens to score a top 10 pop hit? Can you guess? Probably Shaka, right? Or maybe Ms. Patty. Nope. It was the reclusive Roberta flack, who in 1991 got all the way to number six in yet another duet, this time with reggae singer Maxi Priest on the song Set the Night to Music. Say this for Roberta, she may not come through all that much, but when she does, it is celebrated. R B chart topper Maxwell even lured Flack out on stage to duet with him at 2010's Grammy Awards on the song that she made famous with Donny Hathaway back in 1972. Where is the love? As I record this episode in 2022, all four of these ladies are still with us. Take note. Rock hall Chaka Khan scored a top 10 club hit in 2013 with it's not over, which paired her with singer and rapper Lecrae. Roberta Flack still records too. Her latest album, Running, came out in 2018. Patti LaBelle is a septuagenarian Energizer Bunny. In the last decade, she's made appearances on Dancing with the stars and in 2019, performed a cover of Lone Star's country hit Amazed, concealed in a costume on the show the masked singer. Mind you, even before Ms. Patty's identity was revealed, it was not hard to figure out who was singing in that flower costume.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

With you.

[Chris Melanfi]

And finally, well, no one is having a better 2000s than Ms. Dionne Warwick. She kicked off the decade in 2019 with a hit song, a number 16 club record called you really started something.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

I wish you love and happiness.

[Chris Melanfi]

More famously, Dion has become the queen of Twitter, popping off with thoughts about popular culture tweeted by a woman with no fucks left to give. This modern day, no holds barred version of Warwick was lovingly parodied on Saturday Night Live by Ego nwodem, so lovingly that Warwick herself deigned to show up on snl.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Darling, I'm so excited for you that I'm here. Ok, all right. Well, let me ask you something, Dion. Why are you perfect? Darling, I'm not perfect. I'm just very, very Good. All right.

[Chris Melanfi]

OK. And oh yeah, Dion, now in her 80s, is still singing. She livestreamed a concert just last May in 2021 for Mother's Day, featuring songs that she made famous nearly 60 years ago.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Don't make me over. Now that I do anything for you don't make me over now that you know how I adore you.

[Chris Melanfi]

While we were preparing this Hit Parade episode, in a mid March interview with the series Watch what Happens Live, Dionne Warwick revealed that she doesn't, quote, give a damn if she is inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. And I gotta say, I respect this. She doesn't need the Rock Hall. Warwick is already a legend, a queen. Like Roberta Flack, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan, Warwick inspired other RB, pop, and even rock vocalists to think outside the box and not limit themselves to any one genre. Nonetheless, I trust Ms. Warwick won't mind if I check her name on my Rock hall ballot. It will bring me joy even if all Dion does is walk on by.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Walk on by make believe you don't.

[Chris Melanfi]

See I hope you enjoyed this episode of Hit Parade. Our show was written, edited and narrated by Chris Melanfy. That's me. My producer is Kevin Bendis. Kevin also produced the latest installment of our monthly Hit Parade, the Bridge shows, which are available exclusively to Slate plus members. In our latest Bridge episode, critic and author Danielle Smith talks to us about the history of Black women in pop, the subject of her new book, Shine Bright. To sign up for Slate plus and hear that show and all our shows the day they drop, visit slate.com hitparadeplus Alicia Montgomery is the executive producer of Slate Podcasts. Check out their roster of [e-mail] podcasts. You can subscribe to Hit Parade wherever you get your podcasts, in addition to finding it in the Slate Culture feed. If you're subscribing on Apple Podcasts, please rate and review us while you're there. It helps other listeners find the show. Thanks for listening and I look forward to leading the Hit Parade back your way. Until then, keep on marching on the one. I'm Chris Melanfi.

[Various Singers (e.g., Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan)]

Don't stop Walk on by, walk on by, walk on by, walk on. You have to walk on by.