I’m Somebody

[THE DREAMS]
I'm somebody somebody

[ANNOUNCER]
Hello, Chicago! For one night only, the dazzling Deena Jones and the Dreams!

[THE DREAMS]
And nobody's gonna hold me down
No, nobody nobody
Nobody's gonna hold me down
I'm somebody

[MR. MORGAN, spoken]
Is Curtis Taylor around?

[SECURITY GUARD, spoken]
No one's admitted backstage.

[THE DREAMS]
Somebody

[C.C, spoken.]
Look, we've got something to settle. Now you just go find Curtis.

[THE DREAMS]
Somebody

[MARTY, spoken]
Tell him that some old friends are here.

[SECURITY GUARD, spoken]
What's it about?

[THE DREAMS]
I'm somebody
And nobody nobody

[C.C., spoken]
He knows what it's about. Now just go find him.

[THE DREAMS]
Nobody's gonna hold me down

[SECURITY GUARD, spoken]
I can't do that, mister.

[CC., spoken]
Well, I'll just go find him myself.

[SECURITY GUARD, spoken]
Hey, you can't— come back here!

[C.C., MARTY & MORGAN]
You can't keep us out!

[FRANK, spoken]
I don't think Curtis wants to see any of you.

[MARTY, spoken]
He's got no choice. This is no social call!

[C.C.]
And we're not talking to any henchmеn at all

[CURTIS]
It's okay, Frank, I can handle this

[MARTY]
Come on, Curtis
Let's see you try

[CURTIS]
Wеll, Marty
It's been a long time

[MARTY]
Curtis, you're still a second-class snake

[CURTIS]
Gentlemen, please, give me a break

[EFFIE]
Why, Curtis, did you give me one?

[C.C]
I could kill you, Curtis, for what you've done

[EFFIE]
C.C., I'll handle this
Curtis, how could you do somethin' so wrong?
You have no right stoppin' my song

[CURTIS]
Stop it, Effie
You got no claim

[EFFIE]
After all these years
And you're still the same
You never believed in me
You never believed in me
But I believed in me
I went out and made it on my own
And now I've got the best break I've ever known
And you're not taking it away
This time I know what to do
And this is Mr. Morgan, my lawyer
And he wants to talk to you

[MR. MORGAN, spoken]
Mr. Taylor, we're going to the federal authorities.

[C.C., spoken]
Yes, the U.S. attorney.

[MARTY, spoken]
You're gonna have to explain how you've been killing Effie's record. Payola, baby.

[MR. MORGAN, spoken]
We have documented evidence.

[C.C., spoken]
You know I have proof of your whole payola operation, going back all the way to Jimmy's recording of "Steppin' to the Bad Side".

[MARTY, spoken]
All the money? All the drugs...

[CURTIS, spoken]
Don't let nobody else backstage.

[C.C., spoken]
You are going to jail, mister.

[CURTIS, spoken]
Yeah? What about you? I didn't do it myself, you know.

[C.C., spoken]
You don't understand. I don't mind going to jail if it means they put you away for a long time.

[CURTIS, spoken]
Gentlemen, can we discuss this somewhere more private?

[FRANK, spoken]
There's an empty dressing room just down the corridor. After you.

[MR. MORGAN, spoken]
Miss White, aren't you coming?

[EFFIE]
No
I wanna stay and talk
I wanna talk to the great Miss Jones

[DEENA]
(spoken)
Effie.
(sung)
Believe me, Effie
I never knew what Curtis was doing to you
I'm sorry
I'm sorry we had to meet like this
How many times, oh, Effie
How many times
I wanted to see you

[EFFIE]
I saw you, Deena
At your mama's funeral
How I wanted to speak to you that day
But I couldn't reach you
There were so many people in our way

[DEENA]
Always so many people in our way
You were my closest friend

[EFFIE]
And you were mine

[DEENA]
I kept wondering, how is Effie?

[EFFIE]
I kept wondering, how is Deena?

[DEENA]
I kept wondering
How is she feeling?

[EFFIE]
I kept wondering
How is she feeling?

[DEENA]
Is she all right?

[EFFIE]
Is she all right?

[DEENA]
Are you all right?

[EFFIE]
Oh, I'm so happy, Deena
I have a child who loves me
And that love pulls me through
Oh, I'm so happy
I'm happy
Are you?

[DEENA, spoken]
You have a baby?

[EFFIE, spoken]
Well, she's not exactly a baby anymore. She's seven. I wanted to tell you, Deena. At the time, I really wanted to tell you.

[CURTIS]
Our lawyers will meet at the beginning of the week

[EFFIE, spoken]
Deena, he doesn't know.

[CURTIS]
I'm sure we can work out a solution

[C.C.]
And just remember, Curtis
If our negotiations fail
You're gonna wind up in jail

[MARTY]
Yeah, Curtis
No more payoffs or slimy attacks

[C.C.]
And keep your flunkies off our backs

[MR. MORGAN, C.C. & MARTY]
Our record's movin' up
We're movin' in

[EFFIE]
Yeah, Curtis
You stopped me once
But you're never gonna stop me again, no
'Cause this time, Effie White's gonna win

[DEENA]
Curtis, what kind of man are you?
Why would you try to stop Effie?

[CURTIS, spoken]
It had nothing to do with her.

[DEENA]
Then why would you do it?

[CURTIS]
I had dreams of creating a new sound

[DEENA]
Your dreams are dangerous
Look what they've done to you
And where do you stop?
Where do you draw the line?
You don't care about other people's dreams
Like Effie's, like mine
That's why I'm going

[CURTIS]
I love you

[DEENA]
I'm going

[CURTIS]
You're all I can see
I love you

[DEENA]
I'm going
And nothing you say
Nothing you do will stop me

[CURTIS]
You are my dreams

[DEENA]
Curtis, I'm going to be free

[CURTIS]
You can never leave me, no

[DEENA]
This time I'm sure

[CURTIS]
You are my dreams

[DEENA]
I'm just beginning my dreams

[CURTIS]
I will never let you go

[DEENA]
I can't stay anymore
(spoken)
I can't stay anymore.

[CURTIS]
When I first saw you
I said "Oh, my!"

[DEENA, spoken]
I'm sorry, Curtis.

[CURTIS]
You're my dream

[DEENA, spoken]
Goodbye.

[CURTIS]
(spoken)
Ladies and gentlemen of the press. I'm glad you could all make it out on such short notice. Now you probably won't print this but, for the record, I would like to congratulate Miss Effie White, whose recording of "One Night Only" is the number one hit in the country. That's all I have to say. Now, as to the rumors about Miss Jones and I: yes, my wife and I are separating. And the talk about her doing her first film is true. We're both very excited about that. Now here's something you don't know: the Dreams are breaking up. Yes. And their final performance will be in New York, which is only fitting since that's where we all got started together.
(sung)
And oh, how impossible it seems
That somehow I could destroy my dream