Chords for First Non-Black Soul Train Dancer Cheryl Song Recalls How She Got The Show! | American Soul
Tempo:
102.05 bpm
Chords used:
Cm
Fm
D
Gm
C
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[Dm] [E] [Bm] I'm Cheryl Song.
I was a Soul Train [Em] dancer from [D] 1976 until [Em] 1990.
[D] [Em]
[D] [C]
[G] [D] [G] [C] [D]
First saw Soul Train [Em] just looping through the [Bb] channels on TV and I said,
Wow!
Look [A] at all those [E] great dancers.
And I [D] watched the show religiously, but I [Bb] never [Gm] thought I would be, I wasn't black.
[A] Why [G] would I be on Soul Train?
I [D] didn't start dancing [Gm] until I got into high school.
I went to a predominantly black high school and [A] everybody was [D] into dance.
A lot of my friends [Bb] at Dorsey High School, I knew they [Gm] used to dance on the show,
but it was like a million miles away [A] from me.
[Gm] Two of my friends, they came [D] up to me and they said,
We're going to bring you [Bb] on Soul Train.
And [Gm] I think it was more of a dare to [G] see what would happen
if [D] they brought this Asian girl on the [Bb] show.
And I remember [Gm] walking on the set, utter silence.
[A] [E] So [D] they played music, they let me dance on the floor and that [Bb] was history.
In the [Gm] beginning, there was a lot of flack.
[A] Of course there was, you know, it was a black show
and I was kind of like [Bb] invading [Gm] their [G] territory.
The first time that [A] they put me on [D] the riser, on the center riser,
I heard a [Bb] female say, Who does that [Gm] high yellow bitch think she is?
And [A] I kind of got [E] scared.
[D] But it took a while for them [Bb] to accept me.
[Gm] And after proving that I could dance, [A] then [D] I became one of the, one of the Soul Train [Cm] crew.
Before I danced on the show, [Fm] I was on a swim team.
[Cm] And I swam all the time [Fm] and I didn't want to wear a cap.
[Db] So I [Cm] had a really, really short haircut [Fm] for, you know, swimming.
[Cm] And I'll never forget this.
I [Fm] was in school and I was wearing a dress [Db] with my short, [C] short, short hair.
These two guys [Fm] were walking by me and they said,
Man, [Cm] that girl looked like [Fm] a dude.
So [Db] that [Cm] day I decided I'm [Fm] growing my hair.
I had a lot of [Cm] memorable [Gm] moments.
One of my [Fm] favorite things [Ab] was being [Db] able to dance [Cm] with Marvin Gaye.
[Fm] One of the other moments, the Jacksons were [Cm] on stage, [Fm] on the center stage.
I was on the [Db] side riser [C] and Michael just walked up [Fm] to the edge of [Cm] the center stage
and started [Fm] talking to me.
And [Gb] I was like, Ooh.
[C] [Ab] I was, [Gm] I [Fm] was like flabbergasted that he would [C] even approach me and talk to [Fm] me.
And I was [Db] so nervous.
[C] I don't even remember what [Fm] he said.
And I don't even remember [Cm] what I said.
Dancing on Soul Train for me was the best thing I ever could have done.
In 1990, it was basically my partner that decided we should stop [Ab]
while we were on top.
And I thank Don Cornelius to this day for letting me stay on [Cm] as the first non-Black dancer.
It opened so many doors for me.
I met Michael Jackson.
I found dancers for him.
I was in his Beat It video.
I choreographed for Lionel Richie and the [Ab] Commodores, Marilyn McHugh [G] and Billy [Cm] Davis.
And I got to do other [C] TV shows.
I [Ab] got to do some movies.
[G] [Cm] So Soul Train [G] was [C] the best thing [Eb] that ever happened [Ab] to me.
[Cm] [Ab] [Cm]
I was a Soul Train [Em] dancer from [D] 1976 until [Em] 1990.
[D] [Em]
[D] [C]
[G] [D] [G] [C] [D]
First saw Soul Train [Em] just looping through the [Bb] channels on TV and I said,
Wow!
Look [A] at all those [E] great dancers.
And I [D] watched the show religiously, but I [Bb] never [Gm] thought I would be, I wasn't black.
[A] Why [G] would I be on Soul Train?
I [D] didn't start dancing [Gm] until I got into high school.
I went to a predominantly black high school and [A] everybody was [D] into dance.
A lot of my friends [Bb] at Dorsey High School, I knew they [Gm] used to dance on the show,
but it was like a million miles away [A] from me.
[Gm] Two of my friends, they came [D] up to me and they said,
We're going to bring you [Bb] on Soul Train.
And [Gm] I think it was more of a dare to [G] see what would happen
if [D] they brought this Asian girl on the [Bb] show.
And I remember [Gm] walking on the set, utter silence.
[A] [E] So [D] they played music, they let me dance on the floor and that [Bb] was history.
In the [Gm] beginning, there was a lot of flack.
[A] Of course there was, you know, it was a black show
and I was kind of like [Bb] invading [Gm] their [G] territory.
The first time that [A] they put me on [D] the riser, on the center riser,
I heard a [Bb] female say, Who does that [Gm] high yellow bitch think she is?
And [A] I kind of got [E] scared.
[D] But it took a while for them [Bb] to accept me.
[Gm] And after proving that I could dance, [A] then [D] I became one of the, one of the Soul Train [Cm] crew.
Before I danced on the show, [Fm] I was on a swim team.
[Cm] And I swam all the time [Fm] and I didn't want to wear a cap.
[Db] So I [Cm] had a really, really short haircut [Fm] for, you know, swimming.
[Cm] And I'll never forget this.
I [Fm] was in school and I was wearing a dress [Db] with my short, [C] short, short hair.
These two guys [Fm] were walking by me and they said,
Man, [Cm] that girl looked like [Fm] a dude.
So [Db] that [Cm] day I decided I'm [Fm] growing my hair.
I had a lot of [Cm] memorable [Gm] moments.
One of my [Fm] favorite things [Ab] was being [Db] able to dance [Cm] with Marvin Gaye.
[Fm] One of the other moments, the Jacksons were [Cm] on stage, [Fm] on the center stage.
I was on the [Db] side riser [C] and Michael just walked up [Fm] to the edge of [Cm] the center stage
and started [Fm] talking to me.
And [Gb] I was like, Ooh.
[C] [Ab] I was, [Gm] I [Fm] was like flabbergasted that he would [C] even approach me and talk to [Fm] me.
And I was [Db] so nervous.
[C] I don't even remember what [Fm] he said.
And I don't even remember [Cm] what I said.
Dancing on Soul Train for me was the best thing I ever could have done.
In 1990, it was basically my partner that decided we should stop [Ab]
while we were on top.
And I thank Don Cornelius to this day for letting me stay on [Cm] as the first non-Black dancer.
It opened so many doors for me.
I met Michael Jackson.
I found dancers for him.
I was in his Beat It video.
I choreographed for Lionel Richie and the [Ab] Commodores, Marilyn McHugh [G] and Billy [Cm] Davis.
And I got to do other [C] TV shows.
I [Ab] got to do some movies.
[G] [Cm] So Soul Train [G] was [C] the best thing [Eb] that ever happened [Ab] to me.
[Cm] [Ab] [Cm]
Key:
Cm
Fm
D
Gm
C
Cm
Fm
D
[Dm] _ [E] _ [Bm] I'm Cheryl Song.
I was a Soul Train [Em] dancer from [D] 1976 until [Em] 1990.
[D] _ [Em] _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
[G] _ _ [D] _ _ [G] _ _ [C] _ [D]
First saw Soul Train [Em] just looping through the [Bb] channels on TV and I said,
Wow!
Look [A] at all those [E] great dancers.
And I [D] watched the show religiously, but I [Bb] never [Gm] thought I would be, I wasn't black.
[A] Why [G] would I be on Soul Train?
I [D] didn't start dancing [Gm] until I got into high school.
I went to a predominantly black high school and [A] everybody was [D] into dance.
A lot of my friends [Bb] at Dorsey High School, I knew they [Gm] used to dance on the show,
but it was like a million miles away [A] from me.
[Gm] Two of my friends, they came [D] up to me and they said,
We're going to bring you [Bb] on Soul Train.
And [Gm] I think it was more of a dare to [G] see what would happen
if [D] they brought this Asian girl on the [Bb] show.
And I remember [Gm] walking on the set, utter silence.
[A] _ [E] So [D] they played music, they let me dance on the floor and that [Bb] was history.
In the [Gm] beginning, there was a lot of flack.
[A] Of course there was, you know, it was a black show
and I was kind of like [Bb] invading [Gm] their [G] territory.
The first time that [A] they put me on [D] the riser, on the center riser,
I heard a [Bb] female say, Who does that [Gm] high yellow bitch think she is?
And [A] I kind of got [E] scared. _
[D] _ But it took a while for them [Bb] to accept me.
[Gm] And after proving that I could dance, [A] then [D] I became one of the, one of the Soul Train [Cm] crew.
Before I danced on the show, [Fm] I was on a swim team.
[Cm] And I swam all the time [Fm] and I didn't want to wear a cap.
[Db] So I [Cm] had a really, really short haircut [Fm] for, you know, swimming.
[Cm] And I'll never forget this.
I [Fm] was in school and I was wearing a dress [Db] with my short, [C] short, short hair.
These two guys [Fm] were walking by me and they said,
Man, [Cm] that girl looked like [Fm] a dude.
So [Db] that [Cm] day I decided I'm [Fm] growing my hair.
I had a lot of [Cm] memorable [Gm] moments.
One of my [Fm] favorite things [Ab] was being [Db] able to dance [Cm] with Marvin Gaye.
[Fm] One of the other moments, the Jacksons were [Cm] on stage, [Fm] on the center stage.
I was on the [Db] side riser [C] and Michael just walked up [Fm] to the edge of [Cm] the center stage
and started [Fm] talking to me.
And [Gb] I was like, Ooh.
[C] [Ab] I was, [Gm] I [Fm] was like flabbergasted that he would [C] even approach me and talk to [Fm] me.
And I was [Db] so nervous.
[C] I don't even remember what [Fm] he said.
And I don't even remember [Cm] what I said.
Dancing on Soul Train for me was the best thing I ever could have done.
In 1990, it was basically my partner that decided we should stop [Ab]
while we were on top.
And I thank Don Cornelius to this day for letting me stay on [Cm] as the first non-Black dancer.
It opened so many doors for me.
I met Michael Jackson.
I found dancers for him.
I was in his Beat It video.
I choreographed _ for Lionel Richie and the [Ab] Commodores, Marilyn McHugh [G] and Billy [Cm] Davis.
And I got to do other [C] TV shows.
I [Ab] got to do some movies.
[G] _ [Cm] So Soul Train [G] was [C] the best thing [Eb] that ever happened [Ab] to me.
[Cm] _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Cm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I was a Soul Train [Em] dancer from [D] 1976 until [Em] 1990.
[D] _ [Em] _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
[G] _ _ [D] _ _ [G] _ _ [C] _ [D]
First saw Soul Train [Em] just looping through the [Bb] channels on TV and I said,
Wow!
Look [A] at all those [E] great dancers.
And I [D] watched the show religiously, but I [Bb] never [Gm] thought I would be, I wasn't black.
[A] Why [G] would I be on Soul Train?
I [D] didn't start dancing [Gm] until I got into high school.
I went to a predominantly black high school and [A] everybody was [D] into dance.
A lot of my friends [Bb] at Dorsey High School, I knew they [Gm] used to dance on the show,
but it was like a million miles away [A] from me.
[Gm] Two of my friends, they came [D] up to me and they said,
We're going to bring you [Bb] on Soul Train.
And [Gm] I think it was more of a dare to [G] see what would happen
if [D] they brought this Asian girl on the [Bb] show.
And I remember [Gm] walking on the set, utter silence.
[A] _ [E] So [D] they played music, they let me dance on the floor and that [Bb] was history.
In the [Gm] beginning, there was a lot of flack.
[A] Of course there was, you know, it was a black show
and I was kind of like [Bb] invading [Gm] their [G] territory.
The first time that [A] they put me on [D] the riser, on the center riser,
I heard a [Bb] female say, Who does that [Gm] high yellow bitch think she is?
And [A] I kind of got [E] scared. _
[D] _ But it took a while for them [Bb] to accept me.
[Gm] And after proving that I could dance, [A] then [D] I became one of the, one of the Soul Train [Cm] crew.
Before I danced on the show, [Fm] I was on a swim team.
[Cm] And I swam all the time [Fm] and I didn't want to wear a cap.
[Db] So I [Cm] had a really, really short haircut [Fm] for, you know, swimming.
[Cm] And I'll never forget this.
I [Fm] was in school and I was wearing a dress [Db] with my short, [C] short, short hair.
These two guys [Fm] were walking by me and they said,
Man, [Cm] that girl looked like [Fm] a dude.
So [Db] that [Cm] day I decided I'm [Fm] growing my hair.
I had a lot of [Cm] memorable [Gm] moments.
One of my [Fm] favorite things [Ab] was being [Db] able to dance [Cm] with Marvin Gaye.
[Fm] One of the other moments, the Jacksons were [Cm] on stage, [Fm] on the center stage.
I was on the [Db] side riser [C] and Michael just walked up [Fm] to the edge of [Cm] the center stage
and started [Fm] talking to me.
And [Gb] I was like, Ooh.
[C] [Ab] I was, [Gm] I [Fm] was like flabbergasted that he would [C] even approach me and talk to [Fm] me.
And I was [Db] so nervous.
[C] I don't even remember what [Fm] he said.
And I don't even remember [Cm] what I said.
Dancing on Soul Train for me was the best thing I ever could have done.
In 1990, it was basically my partner that decided we should stop [Ab]
while we were on top.
And I thank Don Cornelius to this day for letting me stay on [Cm] as the first non-Black dancer.
It opened so many doors for me.
I met Michael Jackson.
I found dancers for him.
I was in his Beat It video.
I choreographed _ for Lionel Richie and the [Ab] Commodores, Marilyn McHugh [G] and Billy [Cm] Davis.
And I got to do other [C] TV shows.
I [Ab] got to do some movies.
[G] _ [Cm] So Soul Train [G] was [C] the best thing [Eb] that ever happened [Ab] to me.
[Cm] _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Cm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _