Feel for You

Recorded for Chaka Khan’s 1984 album I Feel for You, with Arif Mardin producing and a supporting cast that included Melle Mel, Stevie Wonder, Reggie Griffin, David Frank, Robbie Buchanan, Philippe Saisse, and Steve Ferrone. The arrangement built the single around rap, synthesizers, drum programming, and Wonder’s chromatic harmonica. The single turned Khan’s Prince cover into her commercial breakthrough, helping relaunch her career and reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 1 on the U.S. dance and R&B charts. It also won the Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. It remains Khan’s signature crossover hit and one of the defining pop-R&B singles of the 1980s, remembered for its early mainstream blend of rap and synth-driven production. The song’s chart run and later platinum certification kept it central to retrospectives on Khan’s career.