I Feel for You

Lore & Background

Prince originally wrote "I Feel For You" and his hit single "I Wanna Be Your Lover" for musician Patrice Rushen, but she turned down both songs. Prince subsequently recorded them for his eponymous second album, released in October 1979. For the song, Prince uses a falsetto vocal with the melody range between C3 and D5. The Pointer Sisters recorded the song in 1982 on their album So Excited!, and Rebbie Jackson recorded it for her 1984 debut album Centipede. In 1993, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake sang this song on The Mickey Mouse Club. In October 2019, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the album Prince, the Prince Estate and Warner Records released a previously unheard solo acoustic demo recording of the song, with Prince also performing acoustic guitar. The track became available on streaming services and as a limited-run 7” vinyl single which sold out.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered against the glass of the rehearsal studio, blurring the city lights outside into streaks of neon and shadow. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of rosin and sweat as Prince leaned over the mixing board, eyes closed, listening to the playback loop. He tapped a rhythm on his thigh, the bassline pulsing through the floorboards like a heartbeat. Siedah stood by the microphone stand, her voice weaving around his own in the air, creating a tapestry of sound that felt heavier than gravity. "It's not just about the notes," he murmured, finally opening his eyes to meet hers with an intensity that made the room feel smaller. "It's about how much you can't hold back." In that moment, the song wasn't just music; it was a confession suspended in time.

Reader's Guide

Chaka Khan's version of "I Feel for You" featured a supporting cast including rapping from Melle Mel; guitar, drum programming, bass guitar, keyboards and arrangement by Reggie Griffin; bass synthesizer and programming by The System's David Frank using an Oberheim DSX sequencer; and chromatic harmonica playing by Stevie Wonder. The song also uses vocal samples from Wonder's song "Fingertips" (1963). The repetition of Khan's name by Melle Mel at the beginning of the song was a mistake made by producer Arif Mardin, who then decided to keep it. This version sold more than one million copies in the US and UK, helping to relaunch Khan's career and becoming her biggest hit as a solo artist. The song hit No. 1 on the Cash Box singles chart and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single reached No. 1 on both the US Hot Dance/Disco and Hot Black Singles charts in late 1984, remaining atop both for three weeks each. In addition, the song also reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, remaining there for three weeks from November 4–25, 1984. While touring with Prince in 1998 in support of her collaborative album Come 2 My House, Khan and Prince performed "I Feel for You" as a duet. Khan's version is written in the key of G♭ major with a tempo of 125 beats per minute in common time. Khan's vocals span from D♭4 to A♭5. In 1985 at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards, the Chaka Khan version won the Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. The song also won a Grammy for Best R&B Song, with Prince as its songwriter. In 2026, Khan's recording was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

Did You Know?

• The repetition of Chaka Khan's name by Melle Mel at the beginning of the song was a mistake made by producer Arif Mardin, who then decided to keep it.
• Prince originally wrote "I Feel For You" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover" for musician Patrice Rushen, but she turned down both songs.
• The song uses vocal samples from Stevie Wonder's 1963 song "Fingertips".