Phyllis Nelson
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Nelson was an American
singer, most famous for her UK
chart
-topping recording, "Move Closer". Her son is the R&B
singer and record producer
, Marc Nelson
.
. She worked and recorded
for several years from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s without achieving much success. Her records
were usually dance
tracks, and she also recorded numerous records during the disco
era.
In 1984, she recorded a self-written
ballad
entitled "Move Closer
". It was a complete departure from the type of music she had been recording. The lyrics
of "Move Closer" were based on a long-term love affair she had with a much younger man in Philadelphia, who was struggling to start his own computer business. They lived together for several years, raising Nelson's two children (Marc
and Kenya) that she had borne earlier by two different men.
While "Move Closer" failed to find an audience in her home country, it reached number one
on the UK Singles Chart
in early May 1985, making her the first black woman to top that chart
with a self-composed offering. The song remained on the chart for almost six months, and became one of the highest selling singles
of the year. Based in France
, Nelson recorded a single
with the French
actor
, Alain Delon
: "I Don't Know". It was included in the original soundtrack
of the 1985 French film
, Parole De Flic (Cop's Honor). Her subsequent releases failed to make any impression (except "I Like You" which made #81), and she is remembered as a one-hit wonder
.
In the United States
, she had success on the Hot Dance Club Play
chart, where her song entitled "I Like You" peaked at #1 in 1985. "I Like You" reached the #29 in the French dance charts. "Move Closer" returned to the UK
chart in 1994, reaching the Top 40, after being featured in a television
commercial
for anti-perspirant.
in Los Angeles
, California
, where she had been living since her divorce. She was 47 years old.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, most famous for her UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
-topping recording, "Move Closer". Her son is the R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Marc Nelson
Marc Nelson
Marc Nelson is an American singer. His mother was the late R&B/Dance singer Phyllis Nelson, known for the songs 'I Like You' and 'Move Closer'. He was an original member of Boyz II Men while still attending Philadelphia's High School of Performing Arts...
.
Career
Nelson was born in IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. She worked and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
for several years from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s without achieving much success. Her records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
were usually dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
tracks, and she also recorded numerous records during the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
era.
In 1984, she recorded a self-written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
entitled "Move Closer
Move Closer
Move Closer is a song by Phyllis Nelson, which reached the #1 spot in United Kingdom during 1985.-History:Phyllis Nelson wrote the self-written ballad 1984, It was a complete departure from the type of music she had been recording...
". It was a complete departure from the type of music she had been recording. The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
of "Move Closer" were based on a long-term love affair she had with a much younger man in Philadelphia, who was struggling to start his own computer business. They lived together for several years, raising Nelson's two children (Marc
Marc Nelson
Marc Nelson is an American singer. His mother was the late R&B/Dance singer Phyllis Nelson, known for the songs 'I Like You' and 'Move Closer'. He was an original member of Boyz II Men while still attending Philadelphia's High School of Performing Arts...
and Kenya) that she had borne earlier by two different men.
While "Move Closer" failed to find an audience in her home country, it reached number one
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in early May 1985, making her the first black woman to top that chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
with a self-composed offering. The song remained on the chart for almost six months, and became one of the highest selling singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
of the year. Based in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Nelson recorded a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
with the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, Alain Delon
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon is a French actor. He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 was already being compared to French actors such as Gérard Philipe and Jean Marais, as well as American actor James Dean. He was even called the male Brigitte Bardot...
: "I Don't Know". It was included in the original soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the 1985 French film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Parole De Flic (Cop's Honor). Her subsequent releases failed to make any impression (except "I Like You" which made #81), and she is remembered as a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she had success on the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart, where her song entitled "I Like You" peaked at #1 in 1985. "I Like You" reached the #29 in the French dance charts. "Move Closer" returned to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart in 1994, reaching the Top 40, after being featured in a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
commercial
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
for anti-perspirant.
Death
Nelson died in January 1998 from breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where she had been living since her divorce. She was 47 years old.
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Move Closer | Carrere Records |
| 1985 | I Like You | Hallmark |
Singles
| Year | Single | U.S. Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Don't Stop the Train" | — | 20 | — | — | Move Closer |
| 1985 | "Move Closer Move Closer Move Closer is a song by Phyllis Nelson, which reached the #1 spot in United Kingdom during 1985.-History:Phyllis Nelson wrote the self-written ballad 1984, It was a complete departure from the type of music she had been recording... " |
— | — | — | 1 | |
| 1985 | "I Don't Know" | 61 | 1 | 65 | — | I Don't Know |
| 1985 | "I Like You" | 61 | 1 | 65 | 81 | I Like You |
| 1994 | "Move Closer" (re-issue) | — | — | — | 34 | Move Closer |
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of performers on Top of the Pops