Charlene - I’ve never been to me``````Charlene 就是这首歌的原唱。
选自女歌手Charlene（1950.06.11生于好莱坞）的同名专辑。听过Charlene唱歌的人泰半都对她带磁性的嗓子印象深刻，特别是她在专辑同名曲中自述其历经结婚、生子的风雨波折后，对婚姻失了信心，但渴望真正找寻到内心的平静。当中的口白读来令人顿生怜悯与同情之意。这首作品最初于1977年由Motown公司发表，并未获得重视，直到1982年透过Florida的一位电台DJ播放后，方才大受欢迎，听众不断点播，至今依旧为许多人所喜爱。
I\'ve Never Been to Me是一首充满女性自觉的抒情歌曲。歌曲的叙述方式十分特别：描述一个历经沧桑的女人，见到一个因不满自己目下的生活、准备去追寻“自由”的怨妇，忍不住真挚地提出忠告“我自己也曾经有过放荡形骸的生活，甚至为追寻所谓的自由走遍了世界；而且凭借年轻和美貌，曾得到过别的女人做梦都不敢想的快乐时光；但是到头来却是一场空，等到年纪大了，发现自己追求的不过是镜花水月，甚至从未有过真正的自我”。
虽然歌中唱的是劝告别人，但听起来却像是在规劝另一个自己，一个几十年前的自己。她规劝那位彷徨的妇女，“要好好珍惜自己的拥有，珍惜自己怀抱中的孩子，以及那经常拌嘴却是真心爱自己的丈夫”。她说自己虽然到过所谓的快乐“天堂”，却从来没未找到过自我，希望别人不要再重蹈她的覆辙。
这首歌早在1977即由美国女歌手夏琳(Charlene)灌唱，其后也曾经数次重录，或许是发行公司财力不够。宣传无门，问世没有多久就销声匿迹。终于本歌在1982年被一位电台DJ发掘，在自己的节目中密集的播放，从而老曲新红，一年后拿下全美排行榜第三和英国第一的好成绩。但是夏琳(Charlene)本人的星途却远非一帆风顺，另外唱了一些歌都反响平平，1980年代中期就彻底消失歌坛了。不过这首未曾有自我(I\'ve Never Been to Me)却一直传唱至今，成了夏琳唯一的一首畅销曲。
最美的吟唱版：
演唱版
，好听的不行：
视频版（原唱）：
歌词如下：
By Charlene
Transcribed by Frantic Freddy; What I Hear Is What You Get (errors included)
Hey lady, you, lady, cursin' at your life
You're a discontented mother and a rich inventive wife
I've no doubt you dream about the things you'll never do
But I wish someone had a talked to me like I wanna talk to you
Ooh I've been to Georgia and California, oh, anywhere I could run
Took the hand of a preacherman and we made love in the sun
But I ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free
Charlene
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 Nice and the isle of Greece
While I sipped champagne on a yacht
I 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 s'posed to see
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me
[spoken:]
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
Sometimes I've been to cryin' for unborn children
That might have made me complete
But I, I took the sweet life and never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet
I spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that cost too much to be free
Hey lady, I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me
I've been to paradise - never been to me
(I've been to Georgia and California, and anywhere I could run)
I've been to paradise - never been to me
(I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
While I sipped champagne on a yacht)
I've been to paradise - never been to me
(I've been to cryin' for unborn children...) (to fade)
