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Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Chaka Khan's "What Cha Gonna Do For Me" Turns 40 Anniversary Retrospective
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Reply #30 posted 05/17/21 6:25pm

TrivialPursuit

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1. "We Can Work It Out" John Lennon, Paul McCartney 3:43
2. "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" Ned Doheny, Hamish Stuart 3:54
3. "I Know You, I Live You" Chaka Khan, Arif Mardin 4:29
4. "Any Old Sunday" Andy Fraser, Danny Ironstone, Linda McCrary, Alfred McCrary 3:37
5. "We Got Each Other" Alan Baboff, Chaka Khan, Fred Lederman 3:56
6. "And the Melody Still Lingers On (Night in Tunisia)" Chaka Khan, Arif Mardin, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli 5:04
7. "Night Moods" Jerry Ragovoy 4:21
8. "Heed the Warning" Ellison Chase, Arthur Jacobson, Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens 4:32
9. "Father He Said" Deborah Ash, Mike Campagna 3:52
10. "Fate" Dominic Bugatti, Frank Musker 3:14
11. "I Know You, I Live You" (Reprise) Chaka Khan, Arif Mardin 1:22


What Cha' Gonna Do For Me
has only been re-issued on CD in both Europe and Japan. The album has yet to see a CD release in the United States, but did become domestically available digitally shortly after Khan won multiple Grammys for her 2007 album Funk This.


In 2016, Big Break Records re-issued the album as an expanded edition with special liner notes, rare photos, and containing three bonus tracks: "Only Once", "Lover's Touch" and "I Know You, I Live You (Remix)". Though the remix of "I Know You, I Live You" was previously released on Life Is a Dance: The Remix Project, the other two were only available on 7" singles until the Big Break reissue. "Lover's Touch" was the B-Side of "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me" in the US, and "Only Once" was the B-Side of "We Can Work It Out."

The instrumental intro to "Fate" has been sampled by a host of dance acts all through the 1990s and 2000s, most notably by Stardust on their 1998 hit single "Music Sounds Better With You" and a section of "I Know You I Live You" also features on "Bad Habit" by ATFC & Onephatdeeva feat. Lisa Milett.

Singles:

  1. "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me"
    Released:
    February 1981 (US) [#WBS 49692]
    June 1981 (UK) [#K17821]
  2. "We Can Work It Out"
    Released: June 1981
    [#WBS 49759]
  3. "Any Old Sunday"
    Released: August 1981
    [#WBS 49804]
  4. "I Know You, I Live You"
    Released: November 1981
    [#WBS 49847]
  5. "Heed The Warning"
    Released: April 1981 (UK Only)
    [#K17793]

Non-Album songs:

  • "Lover's Touch" — B-side of single "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me" (WBS 49692) (Taylor) - 4:31
  • "Only Once" — B-side of single "We Can Work It Out" (WBS 49759) (Ruff, Ruff, Kaplan) - 3:55

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #31 posted 05/17/21 6:32pm

Derek1984

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I LOVE the song What Cha' Gonna Do for Me. Very groovy. Sounds like something MJ would sing and dance to. I can imagine him adlibbing with some "Get Downs". Love the breakdown of the song in the bridge.

I think this was originally sung by Average White Band a year prior and it just doesn't have the jelly Chaka brought to it.

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Reply #32 posted 05/17/21 6:58pm

RJOrion

the joint she sings with her brother "We Got Each Other" is one of my very favorites too
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Reply #33 posted 05/17/21 7:06pm

paligap

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...

...

Chaka's Voice , Arif Mardin's Production, Anthony Jackson's Bass--A Great Combination!

...

....

" I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout
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Reply #34 posted 05/17/21 10:44pm

Hamad

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Derek1984 said:

I LOVE the song What Cha' Gonna Do for Me. Very groovy. Sounds like something MJ would sing and dance to. I can imagine him adlibbing with some "Get Downs". Love the breakdown of the song in the bridge.



I think this was originally sung by Average White Band a year prior and it just doesn't have the jelly Chaka brought to it.



I like this version too, yacht rock or whatever the hell that coined term is,,,
Link: https://youtu.be/ztj36lnGRNo

I agree though! A song touched by Chaka, is a song baptized.
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future...

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Reply #35 posted 05/17/21 10:53pm

TrivialPursuit

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Hamad said:

I like this version too, yacht rock or whatever the hell that coined term is,,, Link: https://youtu.be/ztj36lnGRNo I agree though! A song touched by Chaka, is a song baptized.


Uh, no sir. Not today.

And I love the Yacht Rock station on Amazon music. There's also (at least there used to be) a Yacht Rock station on Sirius XM. It's just that great late 70s adult-oriented rock. Doobie Brothers, Ace, Ambrosia, Toto, some MJ, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Pablo Cruise. I even get Donnie Hathaway in the mix sometimes.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #36 posted 05/18/21 1:28am

Hamad

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What do you mean “not today”? I like it & that’s that. Doesn’t negate the superiority of CK’s version.
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future...

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Reply #37 posted 05/18/21 2:11pm

kitbradley

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I only own this album in 5 different versions - a sealed vinyl, framed hanging on my wall, the original Japan CD pressing, the Japan SHM CD pressing, the Original Album CD series and of course the ultimate expanded CD version from Big Break. It pains me thinking about the vault tracks that didn't make it onto the final album. From what I hear, "Only Once" and "Lover's Touch" weren't the only ones. There are more. I hope she releases them one day.

"It's not nice to fuck with K.B.! All you haters will see!" - Kitbradley
"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." - Socrates
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Reply #38 posted 05/18/21 4:46pm

TrivialPursuit

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Hamad said:

What do you mean “not today”? I like it & that’s that. Doesn’t negate the superiority of CK’s version.


I didn't imply you shouldn't like what you like. I just didn't care for some yt dude trying to sing her song.

Chaka will really always be the only version. It's perfection.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #39 posted 05/18/21 5:16pm

Hamad

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TrivialPursuit said:



Hamad said:


What do you mean “not today”? I like it & that’s that. Doesn’t negate the superiority of CK’s version.


I didn't imply you shouldn't like what you like. I just didn't care for some yt dude trying to sing her song.

Chaka will really always be the only version. It's perfection.



Understood. In all fairness, it was his original song as he wrote and recorded it before the average white band & later Chaka, I like it because it has that 70s pacific coast highway feel to it, I prefer Chaka’s cover because she threw the grease on the pan, but I love both versions for their different vibes.
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QLH82
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Reply #40 posted 05/18/21 5:16pm

Abdul

SoulAlive said:

I think it’s her best solo album.

Yup, it's tight from front to back!

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Reply #41 posted 05/18/21 5:23pm

TrivialPursuit

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Hamad said:


Understood. In all fairness, it was his original song as he wrote and recorded it before the average white band & later Chaka, I like it because it has that 70s pacific coast highway feel to it, I prefer Chaka’s cover because she threw the grease on the pan, but I love both versions for their different vibes.


Ahh, well. It still sounds a bit too generic, for my tastes. (Although, I suppose that argument could be made about most yacht rock type music. lol )

I didn't know a lot of history about the song, so that's interesting to know. I should look up AWB's version.

It's amazing the songs that become so popular, and often times we're wholly unaware that it was a cover. I mean, it wasn't until just a few short years ago that I knew "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" was a cover from a male singer. Or a few years before that learning "Torn" was a cover.

I didn't even know, until Zaza on here, told me about Bowie covering "China Girl" from Iggy Pop. I just never much kept up with Iggy's songs or career, so I never knew. Had no reason to know to that point.

Ya live and learn, I guess.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #42 posted 05/18/21 6:13pm

Hamad

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Yeah, the majority of WGDFM are cover songs if we’re being technical and her version of those covers are all superior than the original, sans “Night In Tunisia” (I prefer Sarah Vaughan’s original vocal version after Dizzy made it titled “Interlude”).

The original of “Any Old Sunday” is kinda cool too, straight light R&B as opposed the swinging funk version of CK’s: https://youtu.be/g4BKPkClo7s
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future...

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Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Chaka Khan's "What Cha Gonna Do For Me" Turns 40 Anniversary Retrospective