Your love's so much pleasure!
It's so nice to feel you hold me again
No, it doesn't matter where you have been
My heart welcomes you back home again
Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 — June 30, 1995) was an American R&B and Soul singer and actress. Born in Philadelphia, and raised in Pittsburgh, she possessed a rich, booming, and soulful contralto voice with a powerful emotive quality.
She rose to fame in the 1970s. Some of her biggest hits include "You Know How To Love Me," "Can't We Fall In Love Again," and "Living All Alone."
Along with being a singer, she was also an actress. She landed roles on the stage as well as on-screen. She starred in the Broadway musical production Sophisticated Ladies. Her role earned her a Tony nomination for Best Supporting Acress in a Musical.
Unfortunately, her story ended tragically due to her long-time struggles with mental illness. Phyllis ended her own life with a lethal dose of barbituates and vodka six days away from her forty-sixth birthday.
Discography
- Phyllis Hyman (1977)
- Sing a Song (1978) / Somewhere in My Lifetime (1979)
- You Know How To Love Me (1979)
- Can't We Fall In Love Again? (1981)
- Goddess of Love (1983)
- Living All Alone (1986)
- Prime of My Life (1991)
- I Refuse to Be Lonely (1995)
- Forever with You (1998)
Filmography
- Lenny (1974)
- Too Scared to Scream (1985)
- School Daze (1988)
- Soda Cracker/The Kill Reflex (1989)
Beautiful tropes of mine:
- Cover Version:
- "What You Won't Do For Love"
- "Betcha By Golly, Wow"
- "I Don't Want To Lose You"
- Disco: You Know How To Love Me and Can't We Fall In Love Again? covered the genre pretty well.
- Dramatic Irony: Anyone listening to "This Too Shall Pass" will experience this. Phyllis is delivering advice that she possibly could have used herself.
- The Future Will Be Better: "This Too Shall Pass."
- Hates Being Alone: "Living All Alone."
- If Only She Knew: "This Too Shall Pass."
- Important Hair Accessory: Her hats.
- Let's Duet: "Can't We Fall In Love Again" with Michael Henderson.
- Old Flame: "Old Friend."
- One-Woman Wail: Phyllis did quite often. It helped to emote the forlorn quality of much of her music. A few examples: Loving You, Losing You, Living All Alone, Why Not Me.
-
Posthumous Credit: Her final two albums, I Refuse to Be Lonely and Forever with You, were both released after her passing. - Re-Release The Album: Her second album Sing a Song was her final album released for Buddah Records before the label shut down. She joined Arista Records and released Somewhere in My Lifetime the following year. The latter contained six songs from the former: "Living Inside Your Love," "The Answer Is You," "Gonna Make Changes," "Soon Come Again," "Be Careful (How You Treat My Love)," and "Here's That Rainy Day."
- Silly Love Songs: She sung many. A few examples include Sing A Song, Be Careful (How You Treat My Love), and You Know How To Love Me.
- Soul: She is a prominent voice of the Philadelphia Soul genre.
- Statuesque Stunner: She was a gorgeous, six foot tall woman.
