It was the fall of 1981 when I celebrated my 18th birthday with a small but unforgettable party alongside some of my closest friends. One of them brought a twelve-inch record that we couldn’t stop playing. We must have spun it a dozen times that night. It quickly became the unofficial soundtrack of my milestone birthday. We were all convinced it was destined to become the next big disco hit—it had everything. Yet, strangely, it never took off.
The record was by T. Life, an artist whose full name is Theodore Life. Born on June 1, 1948, in Philadelphia, he was not only a performer but also a talented songwriter and producer. As a teenager, he formed a local music group, whose rehearsals caught the attention of Frankie Beverly. This led to an invitation to join Beverly’s backup group, The Butlers, which eventually evolved into Maze. It wasn’t long before Life started recording his own material and signed with Gamble & Huff’s publishing company. He became a staff writer and a member of MFSB, the legendary studio collective behind many of the iconic Philadelphia International Records productions.
However, T. Life’s biggest break came not from his own recordings but from discovering a young woman singing while cleaning the PIR offices. That woman was Evelyn “Champagne” King. He immediately signed her to a production deal and was responsible for her first major hit, “Shame”, which became a disco classic. Building on this success, T. Life went on to produce for other artists before finally releasing his own solo album in 1978 on RCA. Unfortunately, despite disco’s peak popularity at the time, his album didn’t gain traction amidst fierce competition.
Three years later, he made another attempt with a second album on Arista, featuring the single “Something That You Do To Me.” Despite high hopes, the song didn’t achieve significant success. It reached a modest #66 on the dance charts, staying there for only three weeks, and failed to appear on the pop, R&B, or international charts. The reasons behind its underperformance remain unclear. Arista did prioritize the single’s international release—I even own a European copy—but for some reason, it never broke through. Adding to the mystery, the song isn’t available on digital platforms today, which often points to unresolved rights issues.
Regardless of its commercial fate, the track has stood the test of time. I recently came across a comment on YouTube that perfectly captures the spirit of the song: “Nous sommes sept, une bouteille de whisky avec coca et une de vodka avec orange svp. Spotlight, boule à facette, dancefloor, que la soirée commence ! 😃” (“There are seven of us, a bottle of whiskey with coke and one of vodka with orange, please. Spotlight, disco ball, dancefloor, let the evening begin! 😃”)
Even after all these years, “Something That You Do To Me” remains as vibrant as the night we danced to it at my 18th birthday.
Thank you for the knowledge 🙏❤️
And thank you for reading & reacting Lee ! 😃