You know that feeling when a song starts and the entire room just... shifts? That’s what happens every single time "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" comes on. It’s been decades since D’Angelo dropped Voodoo in 2000, and honestly, we’re still talking about it. But if you strip away the famous music video—the one with the camera panning over his chiseled frame—you’re left with something much more interesting. You’re left with the D'Angelo how does it feel lyrics, which are basically a masterclass in raw, vulnerable soul.
It’s not just a "sexy song." Calling it that feels like a bit of a disservice.
The Prince Connection and Those "Borrowed" Lines
Most people don't realize that this track started as a literal tribute to Prince. D'Angelo and Raphael Saadiq were sitting in Electric Lady Studios—Jimi Hendrix’s old spot—trying to channel that specific Controversy-era vibe. If you look closely at the D'Angelo how does it feel lyrics, they aren't trying to be revolutionary with complex metaphors. They’re simple. Intentionally simple.
Music journalist Greg Levine once pointed out that the lines feel like they were lifted straight from the playbooks of Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield. And that was the point. D’Angelo wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel; he was trying to prove he could spin it better than anyone else in the modern era.
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"Love to make you wet / In between your thighs / Cause I love when it comes inside of you"
Yeah, it’s explicit. But listen to the way he sings it. It’s a plea, not a boast. There’s a desperation in the falsetto that makes it feel less like a "club banger" and more like a private conversation you weren't supposed to overhear.
Why the Song Ends So Abruptly (It Wasn't a Mistake)
If you’ve ever listened to the full seven-minute album version, you know the ending is jarring. It builds and builds—guitars screaming, D’Angelo wailing—and then snap. Silence.
There’s a lot of urban legend stuff around this. Some people say it represents a... well, a physical climax. Others thought the CD was scratched. The real story? According to engineer Russell Elevado, they literally ran out of tape.
They were recording on 2-inch analog tape, not a digital hard drive. When they reached the end of the reel, the music just stopped. D’Angelo originally wanted to fade it out like a normal song, but Elevado played him "I Want You (She’s So Heavy)" by The Beatles, which does the same thing. D’Angelo loved it. It kept the tension alive. It left the listener hanging, asking the very question the song poses: How does it feel?
The Spirit vs. The Flesh
Here’s the thing that kinda breaks my heart about this track. D’Angelo grew up in the Pentecostal church. His father and grandfather were preachers. To him, the intensity of the music wasn't just about sex—it was about the Holy Ghost.
When director Paul Hunter was filming that video, he didn't tell D’Angelo to "act sexy." He told him to think about his grandmother’s cooking. He told him to think about the smell of greens in the kitchen and the feeling of being in church.
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- The Hook: "Girl it's only you / Have it your way." This is total submission.
- The Middle: It transitions from sweet talk to raw physical demand.
- The Shift: By the end, the lyrics barely matter because he’s just screaming in a way that feels like an exorcism.
The tragedy is that the world saw the body and missed the soul. D’Angelo struggled with that for years. He felt like a "stripper" on stage because fans would scream for him to take his shirt off during his most spiritual songs. It’s probably why we didn't get another album for 14 years.
How to Actually Listen to It Now
If you’re looking up the D'Angelo how does it feel lyrics today, do yourself a favor: skip the radio edit. You need the full 7:10 version.
Listen for the "pocket." That’s the timing between the drums and the bass. Questlove (from The Roots) played drums on this, and he intentionally played "behind the beat." It makes the song feel like it’s leaning back, taking its time, refusing to rush.
Actionable Takeaways for the Soul Music Fan:
- Check out Raphael Saadiq’s solo work: If you love the composition of "Untitled," Saadiq is the secret weapon behind the scenes.
- Listen to the "Voodoo" album in order: The song hits differently when you hear the tracks leading up to it. It’s a journey.
- Watch the live versions from 2000 vs. 2015: You can see how D'Angelo's relationship with the song changed from a burden to a classic.
Honestly, we don't get songs like this anymore. In a world of perfectly quantized digital beats, "Untitled" is messy, analog, and incredibly human. It’s the sound of a man trying to find God in the middle of a bedroom. And that’s why, even in 2026, it still feels like the first time you’ve heard it.
To truly appreciate the artistry, try listening to the track with high-quality headphones to catch the subtle analog hiss and the layered vocal harmonies that D'Angelo tracked himself. You'll realize the lyrics are just the surface of a much deeper ocean.