🎵 Basic info & credits
- Released in 1985 as a single from the album As the Band Turns.
- Written and produced by band members David Lewis and Wayne Lewis.
- Lead vocals performed as a duet between vocalist Barbara Weathers and David Lewis.
📈 Chart performance & career impact
- “Secret Lovers” was the group’s big crossover hit: it reached #3 on the US Pop charts and #4 on the US R&B charts.
- It also reached #1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.
- The song marked a turning point for Atlantic Starr: although they had had R&B hits before, this track gave them major mainstream (pop) visibility.
💡 Musical & song-details
- The tempo of the track is approximately 80 BPM, with a key of C major.
- Lyrically, the song tells the story of two people who are in love with each other but are also married to someone else (hence “secret lovers”). They struggle with guilt, desire, and the fear of being discovered.
🎙️ Context & legacy
- The album As the Band Turns (1985) was Atlantic Starr’s sixth studio album and their last on A&M Records.
- After this success, the band went on to even greater mainstream success with later songs (for example, their 1987 hit Always).
- The song remains a classic of 1980s R&B/pop ballads, frequently cited in playlists of “songs about forbidden love” or “smooth R&B slow jams.”
