Paul Davies and Charlene over Zoom.
The day is June 24, 1982, and Motown artist Charlene’s “I’ve Never Been to Me” is sitting at No. 1 on the charts. Through the airwaves, Charlene’s hit was there to greet Paul Davies as he entered the world that very same day of the same year.
Those two events 40 years later had a, well, fairy-tale coming together, Charlene, who wound her way around the world to settle in Texas and make Fort Worth her home, and Davies, a Brit living in the UK, in a song the two wrote together this year, a total collaboration, over Zoom.
“Fairytale Life” will be released Oct. 21.
Paul and Charlene's single, "A Fairytale Life."
“Paul is one of those people whose energy and style make him an incredible writing partner,” says Charlene, a voice instructor at Fort Worth’s Creative Soul Music School. “I am blown away. I love it. I feel the music, I feel the music in me when I'm with him, and it's phenomenal. He has all these great ideas up his sleeve and I love it. It gives me a chance again. When I was in Motown before, I never really had someone else’s input.”
The song, the two say, demonstrate the instant artistic connection the two felt.
Davies, a Motown fan in the UK, discovered Charlene and “I’ve Never Been to Me” through his affinity for the genre and, of course, the coincidence of the song being No. 1 on the charts on the day of his birth.
Charlene, originally from Hollywood who signed on with the Motown label in 1973 at age 23, recorded the song twice, first in 1977. It took in 1982 in a big way, evening reaching No. 1 for a spell in the UK.
Her first single, “All That Love Went to Waste,” was released in January 1974. Later on, she wrote songs, and she recorded the first demo Michael Jackson’s “One Day in Your Life.”
“They thought she was a one-hit wonder,” Paul says. “I didn't even know, but by digging more into her music earlier this year, I came to find that she had recorded a billboard chart with Stevie Wonder. I don’t know how that slipped through my mind.”
The same year as the re-release of “I’ve Never Been to Me,” she partnered with Stevie Wonder on “Used to Be.” Now that’s rubbing elbows with royalty.
“At a young age, I fell in love with Paul McCartney and his style,” Charlene says. “When I was doing Motown, I couldn't come up with my own creative tapestry. I always had to do it the way they wanted me to do it and it was really hard.”
Charlene is working on a new record. One single was released in April this year, “Why Can’t Time Stands Still,” a “really emotional and intense song,” she says.
“And it's one of my favorite songs that I have, and I love it,” Charlene says. “It's about going back in years, and it's a reminiscing song. It's pretty darn beautiful.”
Paul has rubbed shoulders in the industry, too. In 2014, he did a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On,” the renowned classic of 1973. Gaye’s wife, Janis Gaye, so enjoyed it she sent Paul a message telling him so. That opened doors for him to work with other Motown artists.
“My career has been like walking in his footsteps,” Paul says.
Paul met Gloria Jones, best known for “Tainted Love” in 1964, at one of the soul weekends in the UK. In 2020 before the pandemic, Jones and Paul went to Sierra Leone to teach orphans music lessons.
“That’s one of those things you think happens to people once in a lifetime,” Paul says. “I’ve been managing to do these things in my musical career that most people would pinch themselves over. Charlene is another musical adventure chapter for me.”
In April, Paul contacted Charlene to express his goodwill on the anniversary of “I’ve Never Been to Me.” The two talked about their careers, music, and interests, both realizing that a duet between them would be a natural.
“One thing that I love about Charlene is during her heydays at Motown in the 60s, she was compared to the Temptations and Joni Mitchell,” Paul says. “The Motown then does not sound like the Motown now. It’s a different sound because it’s a different audience now. It’s a classy Motown for everyone to love.”
Paul recorded his side of the song in his home studio in England, while Charlene was able to record with Clint Niosi, the owner of Orange Otter Records, in Fort Worth.
“He [Clint] is big on the music scene over there. I’m hoping we could go to one of the gigs, and we could get up on the stage and do the single together live.”
Like Charlene, Paul is also doing his own composing, working on a record, “Lost Soul,” which he hopes includes “Fairytale Life.”
In September, Charlene will be performing in the virtual concert, Wake Up Rise Up 4 Peace, a 24-hour virtual event that according to Charlene, attracted 50 million international views last year. During the show, artists share performance videos. Charlene and Paul hope to include “Fairytale Life.”
“We've shared a sneak preview of the song to a select group of friends and DJs,” Paul says. “We’ve received nothing but positive feedback. One guy who used to produce for the singer Meat Loaf said he listened to the song seven times in a row. Another DJ who is promoting the song said he loved it. It's already doing well and it hasn't even been released yet.”
And, yes, Paul and Charlene actually plan to meet in person. On his itinerary is a trip to Fort Worth, probably in October when both artists are done with their current work.
Sitting down and writing songs with Charlene is high on his to-do list. Perhaps even one together. Who knows?
“When you're writing together and taking ideas from each other, it has to be each other as inspiration,” Paul says. “You’re inspiring each other as you go along. Neither of us is under the illusion we will break into the charts. We are making music we believe in and know we do well. The end result is coming out as representation for who we are as musicians and people.”
