Evelyn Thomas - High Energy (Record Shack Records 1984)

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"High Energy" is the title of a 1984 song by co-written and co-produced by Ian Levine (British) and Fiachra Trench (Irish), and performed by American dance singer Evelyn Thomas. The song was very popular in dance clubs around the world, and it topped the American dance chart in September of that year. It also spent four weeks atop the pop chart in Germany, and peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart. It became one of the earliest successful songs within the genre of music that has come to be known as Hi-NRG. On the SoBe Music compilation album Gay Classics, Volume 1: Ridin' the Rainbow, the liner notes describe the song as "...engagingly capturing the spirit of the genre through uplifting lyrics tightly fused with dazzling synth work".

Ellen Lucille "Evelyn" Thomas (August 22, 1953 – July 21, 2024) was an American singer from Chicago, Illinois, best known for the hi-NRG dance hits "High Energy", "Masquerade", "Standing at the Crossroads", "Reflections", and "Weak Spot".

Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 22, 1953. Although best known worldwide for her 1980s hi-NRG club hits, Thomas recorded and performed disco, Eurobeat, R&B, and dance music songs in the 1980s. She was discovered by British producer Ian Levine, who was in the United States in 1975 scouting for gospel and soul singers he could promote in the UK. The two recorded several tracks which resulted in a contract with 20th Century Records.

Thomas scored a chart hit with her first single, reaching the UK top 30 in 1976 with the single "Weak Spot", co-written by Levine and Paul David Wilson. A follow-up single, "Doomsday", entered the UK charts twice, and Levine and Thomas would continue their association for quite some time. She signed to US label Casablanca Records for her first album release, I Wanna Make It on My Own, released in 1978. With Casablanca doing little to promote the LP, she switched to AVI Records for the double A-side 12-inch single "Have a Little Faith in Me" / "No Time to Turn Around" which prompted the label to release it as an LP, backed with Rick Gianatos' extended remixes of her 1976 tracks "My Head's in the Stars" and "Love's Not Just an Illusion".

By 1984, Levine had re-established himself as a producer and asked Thomas to come to London to record a new track "High Energy". Just a few weeks after it was released, it became a chart hit in Europe, peaking at number one in Germany[4] and at number five in the UK. The song was her only Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 85, although three additional songs hit the Billboard dance chart.

The follow-up single, "Masquerade", was taken from her third album, High Energy, released the same year. While it received heavy rotation in European clubs, it failed to break into the UK top 40. Later in the year, "Heartless" became her only single other than "High Energy" to chart outside of the dance charts in the US. "Heartless" peaked at number 84 on the Black Singles chart (later renamed the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart) in 1985.

Though she would not return to the US pop or R&B charts, she had a dance chart hit with a cover of the Supremes' 1967 song "Reflections", peaking at number 18 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in early 1986. A second Thomas release that summer fared even better on the dance charts, with "How Many Hearts" narrowly missing the top 10, peaking at number 11. The two songs would later appear on Thomas' fourth album release, Standing at the Crossroads, in 1986.

In 2009, Thomas and three others formed an entertainment company, called Eljopan Entertainment Incorporated.

Thomas died on July 21, 2024, at the age of 70. Her death was acknowledged by Ian Levine.

Evelyn's accompanied by Dee Lewis and Shirley Lewis (backing vocals); Fiachra Trench & Luis Jardim (Drum Programming [Linn Drum Programming]; Luis Jardim (Percussion) and Fiachra Trench (Synthesizer).

High energy - your love is lifting me.
Oh
Oh
High energy -
Your love is lifting me
Lifting me high.
It was only last week that we first met

When I was walking down the street.
You came up from behind me and
I knew that our eyes were gonna meet.
That's when I fell into your arms
Imagine my surprise.
I thought this only happened in fairy tales.
Love hit me right between the eyes
Oh yeah.
High energy - your love is lifting me...

When you call me on the phone you make my spirits rise.
I'm glad the others didn't last
It's a blessing in disguise.
Everytime you're touching me
It gives me such a thrill.
When I look deep into your eyes my heart just can't keep still.
High energy - your love is lifting me...
All the gold that's in Fort Knox couldn't buy this happiness.
With your love I don't need money
I don't need success.
I became a victim of a sudden love attack.
It happened in a blink of an eye and there's no holding back.
Oh
High energy - your love is lifting me...
Oh
High energy - your love is lifting me...