Praise You: A forgotten love letter to black men

DJ Fatboy Slim’s Praise You is a song you might have heard in a Hollywood movie or danced to in a club - to this day, it is still his biggest hit. But there is something you won’t know - the singer behind it or the true meaning of the lyrics.

Civil rights activist Camille Yarbrough first released Take Yo’ Praise 50 years ago. It was written as a love letter to African-American men, inspired by a moment of spiritual awakening and family secret. After its release, radio stations refused to play it and she felt she was labelled a “troublemaker”.

When Fatboy Slim picked up an old copy of Camille’s song, he turned it into a hit. But there is an irony - it is now played by radio stations around the world, but the true meaning of the music has been lost.

Reporter Emily Webb goes to meet Camille in her New York apartment.

This programme includes discussion of sexual violence against a child.

Producer/presenter: Emily Webb
Executive producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno

(Photo: Carmille Yarbrough. Credit: Emily Webb)