美國女歌手Charlene Duncan的歌很適合在寂靜的夜晚獨自靜靜欣賞,她那略帶磁性的嗓音也讓大多數聽者印象深刻。伴著動人的旋律,這首I』ve Never Been To Me(未曾有自我)描述了一位歷盡滄桑的女人,看見另外一個已婚婦女在悲嘆自己的命運,因不滿自己目下的生活、準備去追尋"自由",忍不住真摯地提出忠告,歌中Charlene自述其歷經結婚、生子的風雨波折后,對婚姻失了信心,但渴望真正找尋到內心的平靜,當中的自白髮人深省,又使人頓生憐憫與同情,實在是百聽不厭。有人更欣賞Sweet Heart的無歌詞吟唱版(可惜我沒能在youtube找到),因為沒有歌詞對旋律的限制,人聲本身已成為一種極富情感的樂器,優雅而感性,可以盡情地從歌者的吟唱里體味許多無言的感觸,能夠自由地沉醉在飄渺的音樂之中。
這首歌早在1977即由美國女歌手夏琳(Charlene)灌唱,其後也曾經數次重錄,或許是發行公司財力不夠。宣傳無門,問世沒有多久就銷聲匿跡。終於本歌在1982年被一位電台DJ發掘,在自己的節目中密集的播放,從而老曲新紅,一年後拿下全美排行榜第三和英國第一的好成績。但是夏琳(Charlene)本人的星途卻遠非一帆風順,另外唱了一些歌都反響平平,1980年代中期就徹底消失歌壇了。不過這首未曾有自我(I've Never Been to Me)卻一直傳唱至今,成了夏琳唯一的一首暢銷曲。
台灣藝人黃鶯鶯早在歌曲在美國走紅前慧眼識珠,發現並翻唱了這首曲子;火爆一時的青春少女組合SHE也翻唱了本曲。黃鶯鶯的版本由於太老,所以沒能找來對比;而SHE的版本則明顯稚嫩了很多,不過想來也是,幾個二十齣頭就風光一時的年輕女孩,又怎能演繹得出這樣深刻的中年滄桑呢。
歌詞:
Hey lady, you lady, cursing at your life
You』re a discontented mother and a regimented wife
I』ve no doubt you dream about the things you』ll never do
But I wish someone had talked to me like I wanna talk to you
Oh, I』ve been to Georgia and California and anywhere I could run
I took the hand of a preacher man and we made love in the sun
But I ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free
I』ve been to paradise but I』ve never been to me
Please lady, please lady, don』t just walk away
』Cause I have this need to tell you why I』m all alone today
I can see so much of me still living in your eyes
Won』t you share a part of a weary heart that has lived a million lies....
Oh, I』ve been to Niece and the Isle of Greece while I』ve sipped champagne on a yacht
I』ve moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo and showed 』em what I』ve got
I』ve been undressed by kings and I』ve seen some things that a woman ain』t supposed to see
I』ve been to paradise, but I』ve never been to me
[Spoken]
Hey, you know what paradise is? It』s a lie
A fantasy we create about people and places as we』d like them to be
But you know what truth is?
It』s that little baby you』re holding
It』s that man you fought with this morning
The same one you』re going to make love with tonight
That』s truth, that』s love
Sometimes I』ve been to crying for unborn children that might have made me complete
But I took the sweet life, I never knew I』d be bitter from the sweet
I』ve spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that costs too much to be free
Hey lady, I』ve been to paradise, but I』ve never been to me