What a Feelin'


What a Feelin' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Irene Cara. Released on November 2, 1983, this album is dominated by dance-pop and Euro disco songs produced by Giorgio Moroder, unlike her R&B-heavy debut. Many of the songs were co-written by Cara herself. The album spawned the singles "The Dream ", "Flashdance... What a Feeling", "Why Me?", "You Were Made for Me" and "Breakdance".
Although the album was a success thanks to its singles, it struggled to stay in the top 100 of the Billboard 200. Music reviewer William Ruhlmann on AllMusic speculated that it was because the album was released at the end of 1983 and the lead-off single, "Flashdance... What a Feeling" had been released earlier that spring and people had already purchased either copies of the single or the best-selling soundtrack album to Flashdance.

Singles

"Flashdance....What a Feeling" was the first, although unofficial, single from the album and the theme song to the hit motion picture Flashdance, released in April 1983. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 28, 1983 where it stayed for six weeks and was also a big hit around the world. "Why Me?" was the second, and first official, single released in October 1983. The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 on October 22, 1983 and charted for fifteen weeks, peaking at #13 on December 3, 1983. "The Dream " was the third single from the album and was featured in the film D.C. Cab. It entered the Billboard chart on December 10, 1983 and peaked at #37 on February 11, 1984, staying on the charts for a total of fourteen weeks.
"Breakdance" was the fourth single from the album, released in March 1984. It entered the chart on March 24, 1984 and charted for a total of nineteen weeks. It peaked at #8 on June 9, 1984, making it her third and last top ten hit on the pop chart. "You Were Made for Me" was the final single from the album and Cara's last charting song on the Billboard Hot 100. It entered the chart on July 28, 1984 and peaked at #78 on August 11 of that year. The song stayed on the charts for only five weeks.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "C+" grade and was critical of Cara's songwriting and singing: "I wish she'd gotten her training in church rather than at Performing Arts." In a retrospective review, Allmusic's William Ruhlmann gave it four-and-a-half out of five stars and said that, even though she sang and co-wrote the lyrics, Cara was mostly "the mouthpiece of Euro-disco producer Giorgio Moroder on these recordings."

Track listing

Original

1997 CD reissue bonus tracks

Chart positions

Personnel