#21: Caught Up In The Rapture by Anita Baker

City: Burnaby, BC
Radio Station: CFML
Peak Month: January-February 1987
Peak Position in Burnaby ~ #6
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #48
YouTube: “Caught Up In The Rapture”
Lyrics: “Caught Up In The Rapture”

Anita Baker was born in 1958 in Toledo, Ohio. She was raised by foster parents. By the age of sixteen she was singing in R&B nightclubs in Detroit. Baker joined Chapter 8 in 1975 and the group toured until they got a record deal in 1979. Chapter 8’s first album, Chapter 8, was released that year and featured the singles “Ready For Your Love”, a duet between Baker and bandmate Gerald Lyles, which cracked the Top 40 on the R&B charts. Chapter 8 was dropped by the label who were convinced that Baker, as the group’s lead singer, did not have “star potential.” Anita Baker returned to Detroit, working as a waitress and a receptionist until, in 1982, Otis Smith, a former associate of Ariola Records, convinced Baker to start a solo career under his Beverly Glen label.

In 1983, she released her debut album titled The Songstress. A track from the album, “Angel”, made the Top 5 on the R&B charts in the USA. Her second album, Rapture, was released in March 1986 to critical acclaim. The first single from the album was “Sweet Love” which peaked on the R&B charts in the USA at #2, and the Billboard Hot 100 at #8, in Ireland at #10, and the UK at #13. The single topped the pop charts in Kamloops (BC). “Sweet Love” earned Anita Baker a Grammy Award in the Best Rhythm & Blues Song category. While she received a second Grammy Award in 1987 for Rapture for Best R&B Vocal Performance (Female).

The followup single release was “Caught Up In The Rapture”.

“Caught Up In The Rapture” was written by Dianne Quander and Garry Glenn. They collaborated to write a number of songs in the 1980s and 90s. They also wrote songs for Freddie Jackson. While Quander also wrote songs recorded by Evelyn Champagne King, Peabo Bryson, Johnny Gill, Nino Tempo, Grover Washington Jr., and Earth, Wind & Fire.

“Caught Up In The Rapture” is a song about a sexual and romantic connection that is enduring. Baker sings, “When we first met, always knew I would feel that magic for you. On my mind constantly, in my arms is where you should be.” With this lasting connection, the couple are able to overcome the storms of life.

“Caught Up In The Rapture” peaked at #1 in Detroit, #3 in Sacramento (CA), #4 in San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Stuart (FL), and Atmore (AL), #5 in Boston, #6 in Burnaby (BC), #7 in Atlanta, and San Diego, #9 in Fort Lauderdale (FL), and #10 in Kansas City (MO). On the Billboard Hot 100 the song stalled at #37, and at #51 on the UK pop singles chart.

Two more tracks from Rapture, “No One In the World” and “Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year)”, cracked the Top Ten on the Hot Black Singles chart, and the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Rapture sold over eight million copies.

In 1988, Anita Baker and the Winans shared a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus for “Ain’t No Need to Worry”.

In 1988, Baker released the album Giving You the Best That I Got. The title track reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was ranked by the music industry magazine at #10 for the Year-End of 1989. The single also topped the Hot Black Singles and Adult Contemporary charts. “Giving You the Best That I Got” earned Anita Baker Grammy Awards for both Best R&B Vocal Performance (Female) and in the Best Rhythm & Blues Song categories. She also received Grammy Award nominations for her recording of the song in the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories. Both the Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1989 went to Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.

A second track from the album, “Just Because”, topped the Hot Black Singles chart but stalled at #14 on the Hot 100. It was her final Top 40 charting pop hit. Giving You the Best That I Got sold over five million copies and also topped the Billboard 200 (pop) album chart and the Top Black Albums chart.

In 1991, for her album Compositions Anita Baker won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance  (Female). The album also received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Album Package category.

In 1995, she received a Grammy Award nomination for her Rhythm of Love album in the Best R&B Album category. She also received a second Grammy nomination that year for the track “Body and Soul” in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 1996, her duet with James Ingram “When You Love Someone” earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She also received a Grammy Award nomination for “I Apologize” in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category.

Baker continued to chart singles into the Top Ten on the Hot Black Singles chart. These included “Lead Me into Love”, “Talk To Me”, “Fairy Tales”, “Body and Soul”, and “I Apologize”. While Rhythm of Love and My Everything became her third and fourth albums to reach number-one on the Top R&B Albums chart. My Everything earned Baker her fifteenth Grammy Award nomination, this time in the Best R&B Album category. Her sixteenth Grammy nomination was for the track “You’re My Everything” in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.

Her final album release was in 2005 with Christmas Fantasy. From the album, “Christmas Time Is Here” earned Baker her seventeenth Grammy nomination, this time in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category. Her final single release was “Lately” which peaked at #15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It earned her eighteenth and final Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance. In total, Baker won eight Grammy Awards. She has also been nominated for numerous Soul Train Music Awards and American Music Awards, having won seven of the former and four of the later.

In 1994, Anita Baker received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Between 1996 and 2003, Anita Baker took a seven year break from touring. She came back part way through 2003 to much acclaim. In early 2017, Baker announced her retirement from singing just ahead of her 59th birthday.

January 21, 2026
Ray McGinnis

References:
Teresa Wiltz, “Anita Baker Quietly Storming Back,” Washington Post, May 22, 2003.
Anita Baker, “Give You The Best That I Got“, Elektra Records, 1988.
Anita Baker and the Winans, “Ain’t No Need to Worry“, Qwest Records, 1988.
Anita Baker, “Lately“, Blue Note, 2012.
“Anita Baker Has No Regrets: Anita let go of fame to raise her sons, save her marriage and hold her dying mother in arms,” Essence, December 16, 2009.
Elle Breezy, “Aw Man! Anita Baker Hangs Up The Mic, Confirms Retirement on Twitter,” Singers Room, January 18, 2017.
Lynn Norment, “The Anita Baker Pages,” Ebony, July 1, 1991.

CFML 940-AM Burnaby (BC) | February 2, 1987 (2nd non-consecutive week at #9)
It would reach #6 the following week, jumping past Gregory Abbott, Billy Ocean and Benjamin Orr