I've Never Been to Me
Encyclopedia
"I've Never Been to Me" is a sleeper hit
single performed by American singer Charlene Oliver née D'Angelo.
, "Used to Be", which charted but failed to make the top 40.
Charlene did two versions of the song. The version which was initially released was actually the second version which Charlene recorded. Her original version (which became more popular) has an expanded bridge, over which the singer makes an impassioned comparison between the non-committal "fantasy about people and places as we'd like them to be," versus the committed real love of a family.
In 1982, Tampa, Florida
disc jockey
Scott Shannon
, then at WRBQ
(Q105), started playing it, by which time Charlene had moved to England and was working in a sweet shop in Ilford
, east London. Audience reaction was impressive, and spread quickly, resulting in the song's re-issuance by Charlene's label, the version WITH the original spoken bridge. The re-release became a huge hit in Britain as well.
The use of the line "I've been to crying for unborn children that might have made me complete", refers to a woman who is at a point in her life that she wished she had taken the time to have children. However, this was deemed too close to feminist issues and when Charlene's song was first released in 1976, the version used was the one without that portion (which is not the spoken bridge). When the song became an unexpected hit in 1982 it was the version with the spoken bridge (ed. note: the spoken bridge has nothing to do with unborn children, that portion of the song was sung, not spoken. The spoken bridge consists of the words "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, and 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......" This was not the song portion that was deemed "too feminist") intact that was released. It has also been widely reported that the 1982 single was a re-recording, it is not.
Originally written from a male point of view, the song was rewritten by Ron Miller for Charlene. The male version is sung from the perspective of an old man begging for a dime for a cup of coffee, addressing a younger man who is "raising hell
" the way the old man used to do. The female version is sung to a housewife who wishes that she could trade her everyday life for the exciting, fantastic life led by the singer. The singer tells of some of the highlights of her life, but the tone is bittersweet and she wishes that someone had told her what she is telling the listener. She has learned what is important, but now it is too late. She finds her life hollow and without purpose, having lost her real self years before — the "me" she has never been to, is the life that she would have led if she had not been lured away by false ideas.
When this song was first released in the USA, in 1976, Charlene's full name was Charlene Duncan through her marriage to record producer Larry Duncan, but when the song was released for a second time in 1982, the name she had taken was Charlene Oliver because of her marriage to Englishman Jeff Oliver.
It soon rose to the top of the Pop charts and Adult Contemporary charts that year. Her LP album I've Never Been to Me, released in 1982 proved to also be successful for Charlene. Her song was one of the biggest hits of the year and became a standard in pop music.
Charlene has not yet been able to follow-up the success of her one big hit "I've Never Been to Me", but has continued to record and release songs to the public. She released another album in 1983, but was not so successful.
Because of her one big hit, Charlene became a one-hit-wonder
in music. Charlene and her big hit "I've Never Been to Me" were featured on VH1
's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders show, hosted by William Shatner
in 2002. Her position on that list was at #75.
Charlene re-released the song in the form of a dance remix via download music in 2008.
's daughter and Oda Nobunaga
's son.
The latter, positive version is often used as a wedding song in Japan; the chorus line "never been to me" is replaced with "my love is true". This reappropriation of the song's melody for use in a wedding is quite ironic, as the original song's lyrics describe a single, lonely, aged, childless, promiscuous woman who never got married and wishes she had borne children; further, the singer describes the life of a married woman - the implied listener of the song - as a "discontented mother and a regimented wife" who "dream[s] about the things you'll never do". The original lyrics' meaning would be a rather poor fit for a wedding.
However, the wild and free-wheeling lifestyle of the singer, even if presented in lurid detail (having "been undressed by kings, and ... seen some things that a woman ain't supposed to see") is presented as a warning to the bored housewife, that the boring married lifestyle is, in the end, better than a life of free-love that ends in loneliness and solitude. Seen this way, this warning could be construed as appropriate for a wedding.
In any event, this adaptation uses different lyrics, so younger Japanese listeners may be unaware of the original lyrics' meaning.
By the way, in Japan the original English version itself is known with another title "Ai wa Kagerou no you ni"(roughly meaning 'love seems ephemeral'), as is often the case for oversea songs released there.
, Kikki Danielsson
recorded the song on her 1983 album "Singles Bar
".
" (에즈원), Korean female duo, Crystal (Dahee Chae 채다희) and Min (Minyoung Lee 이민영).
Lyric by Sara Yun (윤사라), and re-arranged by Jaehong Shin (신재홍).
Album Day by day, released on November 11, 1999.
In 2009, German singer Ina Müller recorded the song in the German minority language of "Plattdüütsch" (Low German) as "De Wind vun Hamborg" (meaning "The breeze of Hamburg"). The Low German lyrics, written by Müller herself, tell about the singer's experiences during her travels of Northern Germany and concluding that the most happy times have always been when she felt the breeze of Hamburg blowing, thereby transporting the sentiment that there's no place like home. Prior to the studio recording, "De Wind vun Hamborg" had been part of Ina Müller's stage act for several years and still is.
Sleeper hit
A sleeper hit, a.k.a. surprise hit , refers to a film, book, single, album, TV show, or video game that gains unexpected success or recognition...
single performed by American singer Charlene Oliver née D'Angelo.
Chart history
Upon its initial release in 1977, the song reached number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In 1982, renewed interest in the song led to the single reaching Number 3 in the USA and Number 1 in the UK. The song also reached number 1 in Australia for six weeks and in Canada for four weeks.Content
Charlene was signed to Motown Records, but this has been her only hit save for a late 1982 duet with Stevie WonderStevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, "Used to Be", which charted but failed to make the top 40.
Charlene did two versions of the song. The version which was initially released was actually the second version which Charlene recorded. Her original version (which became more popular) has an expanded bridge, over which the singer makes an impassioned comparison between the non-committal "fantasy about people and places as we'd like them to be," versus the committed real love of a family.
In 1982, Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Scott Shannon
Scott Shannon
Michael Scott Shannon is a radio disc jockey, current co-host of the "Scott and Todd in the Morning" show on WPLJ, host of The True Oldies Channel, and the official voice of The Sean Hannity Show.-Early Radio Career:...
, then at WRBQ
WRBQ
WRBQ-FM is a commercial classic hits music formatted radio station in Tampa, Florida.-History:Formerly WPKM and later WEZX, 104.7 switched to a rock ’n roll format as Q105 in December 1973, home to the Q-Morning Zoo, Cleveland Wheeler, Scott Shannon, Dave Saint, Jack Harris, Bill Garcia, Uncle...
(Q105), started playing it, by which time Charlene had moved to England and was working in a sweet shop in Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, east London. Audience reaction was impressive, and spread quickly, resulting in the song's re-issuance by Charlene's label, the version WITH the original spoken bridge. The re-release became a huge hit in Britain as well.
The use of the line "I've been to crying for unborn children that might have made me complete", refers to a woman who is at a point in her life that she wished she had taken the time to have children. However, this was deemed too close to feminist issues and when Charlene's song was first released in 1976, the version used was the one without that portion (which is not the spoken bridge). When the song became an unexpected hit in 1982 it was the version with the spoken bridge (ed. note: the spoken bridge has nothing to do with unborn children, that portion of the song was sung, not spoken. The spoken bridge consists of the words "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, and 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......" This was not the song portion that was deemed "too feminist") intact that was released. It has also been widely reported that the 1982 single was a re-recording, it is not.
Originally written from a male point of view, the song was rewritten by Ron Miller for Charlene. The male version is sung from the perspective of an old man begging for a dime for a cup of coffee, addressing a younger man who is "raising hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
" the way the old man used to do. The female version is sung to a housewife who wishes that she could trade her everyday life for the exciting, fantastic life led by the singer. The singer tells of some of the highlights of her life, but the tone is bittersweet and she wishes that someone had told her what she is telling the listener. She has learned what is important, but now it is too late. She finds her life hollow and without purpose, having lost her real self years before — the "me" she has never been to, is the life that she would have led if she had not been lured away by false ideas.
When this song was first released in the USA, in 1976, Charlene's full name was Charlene Duncan through her marriage to record producer Larry Duncan, but when the song was released for a second time in 1982, the name she had taken was Charlene Oliver because of her marriage to Englishman Jeff Oliver.
It soon rose to the top of the Pop charts and Adult Contemporary charts that year. Her LP album I've Never Been to Me, released in 1982 proved to also be successful for Charlene. Her song was one of the biggest hits of the year and became a standard in pop music.
Charlene has not yet been able to follow-up the success of her one big hit "I've Never Been to Me", but has continued to record and release songs to the public. She released another album in 1983, but was not so successful.
Because of her one big hit, Charlene became a one-hit-wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
in music. Charlene and her big hit "I've Never Been to Me" were featured on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders show, hosted by William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
in 2002. Her position on that list was at #75.
Charlene re-released the song in the form of a dance remix via download music in 2008.
Cover versions
- Randy CrawfordRandy CrawfordRandy Crawford is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist...
recorded a cover of the song, which was included on her 1976 album Everything Must Change. - Soul singer Walter Jackson recorded a cover of the song in 1977 for his album I Want To Come Back As A Song.
- The song had been previously recorded by Nancy WilsonNancy Wilson (singer)Nancy Wilson is an American singer with more than 70 albums, and three Grammy Awards. She has been labeled a singer of blues, jazz, cabaret and pop; a "consummate actress"; and "the complete entertainer." The title she prefers, however, is song stylist...
in 1977. Her cover can be found on one of her greatest hits compilations. - Mary MacGregorMary MacGregorMary MacGregor is an American singer, best known for singing the 1976 song "Torn Between Two Lovers", which topped the Billboard charts for two weeks.-Career:...
released a cover in 1978, but it was only a minor Adult Contemporary chart single and failed to make the pop charts. It was included on her 1978 album ...In Your Eyes. - Dutch singer Patricia PaayPatricia PaayPatricia Anglaia Margareth Paaij , best known as Patricia Paay, is a Dutch singer, radio host, glamour model and television personality. In the Netherlands, she is well known for her musical career, which spans over four decades...
recorded the song for her 1995 English-language album Time of My Life comprising songs from movies, "I've Never Been to Me" being the opening number in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the DesertThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the DesertThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot is based on the journey of three drag queens who travel across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named... - Tracy Huang Ying Ying, a famous TaiwaneseTaiwanese peopleTaiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...
divaDivaA diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
, covered this song and she is better known for this song in SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia and other parts of Asia than the original singer. This version replaces the words "subtle whoring" with "inner feelings." - The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
performed the song on their ReunionReunion (Temptations album)Reunion is a 1982 album by The Temptations for Gordy Records. The album was released during the 1982 Temptations Reunion tour, which reunited David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks with the Temptations after a decade-long absence. The album also features then-current Temptations Dennis Edwards, Glenn...
album in 1982. - Neds Atomic Dustbin covered the song on their 1994 album 0.522. It was also included on the 1992 compilation Ruby Trax.
- Taiwanese girl group S.H.ES.H.ES.H.E is a Taiwanese girl group whose members are Selina Jen, Hebe Tien, and Ella Chen. The name of the group is an alphabetism derived from the first letter of each member's name. Since releasing their first album Girls Dorm , S.H.E has recorded 12 albums with sales totalling over 15 million, and...
included a cover on their 2002 album, Youth SocietyYouth Society (S.H.E album)Youth Society is the second studio album by Taiwanese Mandopop girl group S.H.E. It was released on 29 January 2002 by HIM International Music, four months after their debut album, Girl's Dorm. It features S.H.E's first collaboration with Jay Chou, who composed "熱帶雨林"...
. - A hi-NRGHi-NRGHi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
/eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
cover of the song by Rainbow Nation featuring Monica Dionne was released as a single through Almighty RecordsAlmighty RecordsAlmighty Records is a British recording label and remix production team founded in 1989, releasing their first single in the same year. Producing mainly Dance-Pop and Hi-NRG music, the label is best known for releasing remakes and remixes of mainstream pop songs...
in 2003. An audio sample can be heard on the official Almighty Records website. - J-pop singer Yuki KoyanagiYuki Koyanagi, is a Japanese pop singer. She released her first single, 'Anata no kisu o kazoemashô - You Were Mine' on September 15, 1999. This song was a huge hit in Japan and made the 17-year-old a sensation overnight. Her second album 'EXPANSION', sold over 1.3 million copies. She has done several albums ...
recorded a Japanese-language cover. It was included on the "Love Knot-Ai No Kizuna" single from 2004. She sang it in English as well, including the spoken bridge, though she does not actually understand English.
Live cover performances
- It has been covered live by Korean female duo As One in English and in Korean with somewhat similar lyrics.
- K-pop and J-pop singer YounhaYounhaYounha , is a South Korean pop singer who first got her start in Japan, and continues to have success today in both countries....
sung a cover of the song in English on the Korean TV program "Music Travel Lalala".
Chinese
- Cantonese
- Vivian ChowVivian ChowVivian Chow is a Hong Kong based Cantopop singer and actress. She is well known for her ladylike stage image as well as her charity works for animal rights and breast cancer awareness....
's Cantonese version "孤單的心痛" (lit.The solitary heartache) is a pretty generic CantopopCantopopCantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
love song.
- Mandarin
- "三月的玫瑰" (lit. Rose of March) performed by Taiwanese singer, Jin Rei-Yao (金瑞瑤).
- TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese singer Teresa TengTeresa TengTeresa Teng , was an immensely popular and influential Chinese pop singer from Taiwan. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognized throughout East Asia and in areas with large Asian populations...
recorded versions of this song both in Mandarin and in English
- Female group S.H.E. performed this song in one of their albums without altering the lyrics. The spoken bridge was missing, possibly because of the catchier tempo and melody that the group used to cover this song.
Japanese
There are two different versions of the lyrics in Japanese. One largely follows the original theme, while a newer version has completely different lyrics written by Keiko Aso(麻生圭子) with the title "LOVE IS ALL ～愛を聴かせて～"(Love is All -Let me hear your love-). Japanese female singer Megumi Shiina(椎名恵) recorded it for a TV period drama of the unrequited love between Takeda ShingenTakeda Shingen
, of Kai Province, was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:Shingen was called "Tarō" or "Katsuchiyo" during his childhood...
's daughter and Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
's son.
The latter, positive version is often used as a wedding song in Japan; the chorus line "never been to me" is replaced with "my love is true". This reappropriation of the song's melody for use in a wedding is quite ironic, as the original song's lyrics describe a single, lonely, aged, childless, promiscuous woman who never got married and wishes she had borne children; further, the singer describes the life of a married woman - the implied listener of the song - as a "discontented mother and a regimented wife" who "dream[s] about the things you'll never do". The original lyrics' meaning would be a rather poor fit for a wedding.
However, the wild and free-wheeling lifestyle of the singer, even if presented in lurid detail (having "been undressed by kings, and ... seen some things that a woman ain't supposed to see") is presented as a warning to the bored housewife, that the boring married lifestyle is, in the end, better than a life of free-love that ends in loneliness and solitude. Seen this way, this warning could be construed as appropriate for a wedding.
In any event, this adaptation uses different lyrics, so younger Japanese listeners may be unaware of the original lyrics' meaning.
By the way, in Japan the original English version itself is known with another title "Ai wa Kagerou no you ni"(roughly meaning 'love seems ephemeral'), as is often the case for oversea songs released there.
Spanish
Charlene herself recorded a Spanish version of this song called Nunca He Ido A Mi with the spoken bridge portion intact. It was released concurrently with the English version.Swedish
With the lyrics "Jag har sett himmelen" (I have seen heaven) in SwedishSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Kikki Danielsson
Kikki Danielsson
Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She is also famous for yodeling in some songs. Kikki Danielsson gained her largest popularity in the Nordic region from the late 1970s until...
recorded the song on her 1983 album "Singles Bar
Singles Bar
Singles Bar is a 1983 studio album from Swedish country and pop singer Kikki Danielsson. On the album charts, "Singles Bar" as best finished 13th in Norway and 35th in Sweden.In July 2009 the album was digitally released to iTunes.-Side A:-Side B:...
".
Finnish
Seija Simola recorded the Finnish version "En tunne itseäin" ("I do not know myself") in 1984. It was released as a single, as well as on the compilation "Jokamiehen suosikit 10".Korean
"As OneAs One
As One is a Korean pop duo consisting of Korean Americans Min Young Lee and Crystal Chae. Their first hit was the song "너만은 모르길," released in 1999 on Rock Records Between their fourth and fifth albums, their contract with Rock Records expired and they signed with EMI Korea; a label which also...
" (에즈원), Korean female duo, Crystal (Dahee Chae 채다희) and Min (Minyoung Lee 이민영).
Lyric by Sara Yun (윤사라), and re-arranged by Jaehong Shin (신재홍).
Album Day by day, released on November 11, 1999.
German
A German version with the same sentiment as in the original version, but a softer choice of words (avoiding phrases like "exploring the subtle whoring" which can be found in Charlene's original version) was recorded by Swiss-born singer Paola under the title "Ich hab' ins Paradies geseh'n (I've peeked into paradise)".In 2009, German singer Ina Müller recorded the song in the German minority language of "Plattdüütsch" (Low German) as "De Wind vun Hamborg" (meaning "The breeze of Hamburg"). The Low German lyrics, written by Müller herself, tell about the singer's experiences during her travels of Northern Germany and concluding that the most happy times have always been when she felt the breeze of Hamburg blowing, thereby transporting the sentiment that there's no place like home. Prior to the studio recording, "De Wind vun Hamborg" had been part of Ina Müller's stage act for several years and still is.
Vietnamese
A Vietnamese version of "I've Never Been To Me" was written and sung by Vân Quỳnh. The title of the song is called "Thiên Đường Ảo" ("Virtual Heaven").Parodies
- It was covered by IrishIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
TV puppet Dustin the TurkeyDustin the TurkeyDustin the Turkey is a puppet, "television presenter" and star of RTÉ television's The Den since 1989. A turkey with a strong Dublin accent, Dustin is voiced by John Morrison, brother of Ciaran Morrison who was one of the creators of Zig and Zag. Dustin first appeared on The Den with Zig and Zag in...
(from the children's TV series The DenThe Den (television)The Den was the brand of the children's television strand on Irish public broadcaster RTÉ Two. It first broadcast on 29 September 1986 on RTÉ One, before moving to RTÉ Two in September 1988. The strand began to diversify throughout the late 1990s and the 2000s...
) with re-worked lyrics on his album Unplucked. This version replaces the title with a claim that Dustin has "never been to MeathCounty MeathCounty Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
". - WLWWLWWLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
Radio in Cincinnati (The Gary Burbank Show) played a parody called "Never Been To XeniaXenia-Things:* Xenia , the ancient Greek concept of hospitality* Xenia motif, the representation of a host's generosity to his guests* Xenia epigram, an epigram accompanying a present or gift* Xenia , a genus of coral...
" in the 1980s. - FilipinoPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Ogie AlcasidOgie AlcasidHerminio Jhay Alcasid, Jr., more popularly known as Ogie "Eric Ordoñez" Alcasid , is a Filipino singer, songwriter, composer, television presenter, comedian, parodist, actor, and entrepreneur.-Recording career:...
covered this song in a second-hand expressed information.
Sampling
- Australian artist Ben LeeBen LeeBenjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
sampled the song for his track "No Room to Bleed" off his 2002 album hey you. yes you.Hey you. yes you.hey you. yes you. is the fourth album by Australian musician Ben Lee, released in 2002. The single, "Something Borrowed, Something Blue", was voted #22 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2002.-Track listing:#"Running with Scissors" – 3:32...
.
Appearances / references in other media
- In 1994, the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the DesertThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the DesertThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot is based on the journey of three drag queens who travel across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named...
opened with Hugo WeavingHugo WeavingHugo Wallace Weaving is a Nigerian born, English-Australian film actor and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "V" in V for Vendetta, and performances in numerous Australian character dramas.-Early...
lip-synching this song while in drag. The song is also featured in the first act of the stage musical where it is mimed onstage by two Sydney female impersonators at the Imperial HotelImperial HotelImperial Hotel, Ltd. is a company that operates hotels in Japan. Its flagship hotel, the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo , and its headquarters are located in the Chiyoda Ward of Tokyo, near the Imperial Palace, Hibiya Park, and Ginza.The Imperial Hotel group includes five hotels throughout Japan.-List of...
in Erskineville, SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is also used in the same style in the film's stage musical adaptation. - In the sitcom Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, Jack McFarlandJack McFarlandJohn Philip "Jack" McFarland was a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace, played by Sean Hayes.-Character personality:...
comically performed this song during Just Jack, his first show in the 1998 1st season episode "Between A Rock And Harlin's Place". - It was referenced on The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
in the 15th season episode from 2004, "Catch 'Em If You CanCatch 'Em If You Can"Catch 'Em If You Can" is the 18th episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, first broadcast on April 25, 2004.-Plot:Bart lectures the other students on the bus on the topic of water balloons. After hitting Lisa with one he fights with her all the way home. Marge stops them and tells the pair that...
", When HomerHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
is told he has been to space, he replies "And yet I've never been to me". - In episode 5 of season 3 of the series Absolutely FabulousAbsolutely FabulousAbsolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
("Fear", 1995), Eddie says, "Sweetie, I've been to paradise, but I have never been to me." - It was sung by Edie BrittEdie BrittEdie Britt Williams is a fictional character created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
, a fictional character portrayed by Nicollette SheridanNicollette SheridanNicollette Sheridan is an English film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing.-Early life:...
on the hit TV show Desperate HousewivesDesperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
in the season one episode "Move On" from 2005. - In the sitcom Black BooksBlack BooksBlack Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
; Fran Katzenjammer realises her date is gay when he requests the song is played at a restaurant they are eating in. - In 2006, the song was used in Toffee Pops biscuit commercials in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. - In 2006, "I've Never Been to Me" was released as one of the songs on SingStar Anthems, one of the popular SingStarSingStarSingStar is a competitive music video game series for PlayStation consoles, developed by London Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. 23 English-language instalments of the series have been released for the PlayStation 2, and six versions for the PlayStation 3 have been released...
video games. - In 2007, the song was used in the movie Shrek the ThirdShrek the ThirdShrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...
. - The Weekend UpdateWeekend UpdateWeekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
segment of the September 25, 2004 episode of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
featured Rachel DratchRachel DratchRachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
portraying Barbara WaltersBarbara WaltersBarbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
conducting an interview with herself (ie. Walters): the routine ended with "Barbara" singing the second chorus of "I've Never Been to Me". - In the 2008 UK TV Series, Beautiful PeopleBeautiful People (UK TV series)Beautiful People is a British comedy drama television series based on the memoirs of Barneys creative director Simon Doonan. The series takes place in Reading, Berkshire in 1997, where thirteen-year-old Simon Doonan and his best friend Kylie dream of escaping their dreary suburban surroundings and...
, Simon's teacher Miss Prentice delivers the second verse and chorus as a farewell speech when leaving the school, replacing the word 'paradise' in the chorus with the town of ReadingReading, BerkshireReading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, where the show is set. - Used in a montage for Tina LordTina LordTina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
on One Life to LiveOne Life to LiveOne Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. - This song can be unlocked in Wii MusicWii Musicis a free form music game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in Japan and North America in October 2008, and in Europe and Australia in the following month...
. - The song was listed as the #3 worst song of all time in Jimmy Guterman's book "The Worst Rock n' Roll Records of All Time: A Fan's Guide to the Stuff You Love to Hate."
- A CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
poll listed the song as the #4 worst song of all time.