With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "no one could match Howlin' Wolf for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits." A number of songs written or popularized by Burnett—such as "Smokestack Lightnin'", "Back Door Man", "Killing Floor" and "Spoonful"—have become blues and blues rock standards.
At 6 feet, 6 inches (198 cm) and close to 300 pounds (136 kg), he was an imposing presence with one of the loudest and most memorable voices of all the "classic" 1950s Chicago blues singers. This rough-edged, slightly fearsome musical style is often contrasted with the less crude but still powerful presentation of his contemporary and professional rival, Muddy Waters. Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Little Walter Jacobs, and Muddy Waters are usually regarded in retrospect as the greatest blues artists who recorded for Chess in Chicago. Sam Phillips once remarked, "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.'" In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #51 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Burnett died at Hines VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois on January 10, 1976 and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Hillside, Cook County, Illinois in a plot in Section 18, on the east side of the road. His large gravestone, allegedly purchased by Eric Clapton, has an image of a guitar and harmonica etched into it.
The Howlin' Wolf Memorial Blues Festival is held each year in West Point, Mississippi. Wolf's Juke Joint Jam is another annual Howlin' Wolf tribute festival held in West Point. Some of the artists who have played 'Wolf Jam' include Wolf's lead guitarist Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters' back band of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and "Steady Rollin" Bob Margolin, Willie King, Blind Mississippi Morris, Kenny Brown, Burnside Exploration, etc. The festival is held at the 500-acre (2.0 km2) festival grounds known as Waverly Waters Resort.
A popular music venue in New Orleans, Louisiana was named The Howlin' Wolf when it opened in 1988.
Burnett was portrayed by Eamonn Walker in the 2008 motion picture Cadillac Records.
Shake It For Me
Howlin' Wolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sure look good, but it don't mean a thing to me
I got a hip-shaking woman, shake like a willow tree
You better wait baby, you got back a little too late
You better wait baby, you got back a little too late
I got a cool-shaking baby, shake like jello on a plate
When my baby walk, you know she's fine and mellow
When my baby walk, you know she's fine and mellow
Every time she stops, her flesh it shake like Jello
Oh, shake it baby, shake it for me
Oh, shake lil' baby, shake it for me
Oh, shake it little baby, shake like a willow tree
Oh, shake it
The lyrics to Howlin' Wolf's song "Shake for Me" are about his love for his woman's ability to shake and move her body sensually. The opening line, "Sure look good, but it don't mean a thing to me" implies that physical appearances are meaningless to him, but what really matters is his woman's ability to "shake like a willow tree" and "shake like jello on a plate". He's fascinated by the way she moves, and he finds it impossible to resist her when she starts to shake for him. The repetition of the phrase "shake it baby, shake it for me" throughout the song emphasizes the importance of his woman's movement and how much he enjoys watching her move for him.
The lyrics also suggest that Wolf believes his woman's movements are a sign of her sexual prowess. He describes the way her flesh shakes like Jello when she stops walking, which implies that her body is soft and pliable - a desirable trait in a sexual partner. The lines "you got back a little too late" and "you know she's fine and mellow" suggest that he's been waiting for his woman to come back to him, and that he's happy to see her looking good and feeling relaxed. Overall, "Shake for Me" is a song that celebrates sensuality, movement, and sexual attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
Sure look good, but it don't mean a thing to me
Although you may look good, it doesn't impress me or have any value to me.
I got a hip-shaking woman, shake like a willow tree
I have a woman who has excellent hip movements when she dances, like the movements of a willow tree swaying.
You better wait baby, you got back a little too late
Stay put, baby, you've arrived just a little bit later than expected.
I got a cool-shaking baby, shake like jello on a plate
I have a smooth-shaker woman who moves very rhythmically like jello on a plate when she dances.
When my baby walk, you know she's fine and mellow
Whenever my woman walks, she is calm, cool, and collectively relaxing.
Every time she stops, her flesh it shake like Jello
Every time she stops moving, her flesh shakes like jello because of the momentum from her dance.
Oh, shake it baby, shake it for me
Ooh, baby, keep dancing and moving your body rhythmically for me.
Oh, shake lil' baby, shake it for me
Oh, baby, keep that beautiful dance going for me.
Oh, shake it little baby, shake like a willow tree
Ooh, baby, dance like a willow tree swaying and keep it going.
Oh, shake it
Ooh, keep moving rhythmically.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind