Albert King (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992) was an American blues guit… Read Full Bio ↴Albert King (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992) was an American blues guitarist and singer.

One of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with B.B. King and Freddie King), Albert King stood 6' 4", weighed 250 lbs and was known as "The Velvet Bulldozer". He was born Albert Nelson on a cotton plantation in Indianola, Mississippi. During his childhood he would sing at a family gospel group at a church. One of 13 children, King grew up picking cotton on plantations near Forrest City, Arkansas where the family moved when he was eight years old. He began his professional work as a musician with a group called In The Groove Boys in Osceola, Arkansas. He had also briefly played drums for Jimmy Reed's band and on several early Reed recordings. Influenced by blues musicians Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson, but also interestingly Hawaiian music, the electric guitar became his signature instrument, his preference being the Gibson Flying V, which he named "Lucy".

King was a left-handed "upside-down/backwards" guitarist. He was left-handed, but usually played right-handed guitars flipped over upside-down so the low E string was on the bottom. In later years he played a custom-made guitar that was basically left-handed, but had the strings reversed (as he was used to playing). He also used very unorthodox tunings (i.e., tuning as low as C to allow him to make sweeping string bends). Some believe that he was using open E minor tuning (C-B-E-G-B-E) or open F tuning (C-F-C-F-A-D). A "less is more" type blues player, he was known for his expressive "bending" of notes, a technique characteristic of blues guitarists.

He recorded his first record in 1953 for Parrot Records in Chicago, but it had no impact. His first minor hit came in 1959 with Lonely Man written by Bobbin Records A&R man and fellow guitar hero Little Milton, responsible for King's signing with the label. However, it was not until his 1961 release Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong that he had a major hit, reaching number fourteen on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart. In 1966 he signed with the Stax record label. Produced by Al Jackson, Jr., King with Booker T. & the MG's recorded dozens of influential sides, such as Crosscut Saw and As The Years Go Passing By, and in 1967 Stax released the album, Born Under a Bad Sign. The title track of that album (written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell) became King's best known songs and has been covered by many other artists.

Another landmark album followed in Live Wire/Blues Power from one of many dates King played at promoter Bill Graham's Fillmore venues. It had a wide and long-term influence on Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Robbie Robertson, and later Gary Moore and Stevie Ray Vaughan (Criminal World, on David Bowie's 1983 release Let's Dance, features a guitar solo copied note-for-note from his hero Albert King by young session musician Stevie Ray Vaughan).

In the 1970s, King was teamed with members of The Bar-Kays and The Movement (Isaac Hayes's backing group), including bassist James Alexander and drummer Willie Hall adding strong funk elements to his music. Adding strings and multiple rhythm guitarists, producers Allen Jones and Henry Bush created a wall of sound that contrasted the sparse, punchy records King made with Booker T. & the MG's. Among these was another of King's signature tunes with I'll Play the Blues For You in 1972.

Recorded in December 1983, In Session captures an in-concert jam between Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan
As he hit his mid-sixties King began to muse about retirement, not unreasonable given that he had health problems. Nevertheless, when near to death, he was planning yet another overseas tour.
King died on December 21, 1992 from a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee.

Oh Pretty Woman
Albert King Lyrics

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Oh, pretty woman
Sure's the rising sun
Says all your cheap paint and powder
Ain't gonna help you none
'Cause she's a pretty woman
Right down to her bone
So you might as well
Leave your skin alone

chorus:
Pretty woman
What's the matter with you?
Can't make you love me
No matter what I do
Oh, pretty woman
What you gonna do?
You kept on foolin' around
Till I got stuck on you
So you can drop your mess
And come down off your throne
Stop using my poor heart
As just a stepping stone
chorus
Oh, pretty woman
That's all right for you
Now you just go on doing
What you wanna do
But someday when you think
That you've got it made
You're gettin' water deep enough
So you can't wade
chorus
Oh, pretty woman
Oh, pretty woman
Oh, pretty woman
Oh, pretty woman
Can't make you love me
No matter what I do
Can't make you love me
No matter what I do
Can't make you love me

No matter what I do
Oh, pretty woman

Overall Meaning

In Albert King's song "Oh Pretty Woman," the singer is professing his love to a woman who he believes is beautiful from the inside out. He tells her that all the makeup and powder she may use does not change her inherent beauty. The song essentially tells the story of a man who is hopelessly in love with a woman who is playing hard to get. The singer tells the woman that she has been fooling around for too long and that he's grown emotionally attached to her. He asks her to stop using his heart as a stepping stone and to drop her act.

The chorus of the song repeats the singer's lament: "What's the matter with you? Can't make you love me no matter what I do." The song concludes with the man staving off his heartbreak by telling the woman that she can continue to do as she pleases. However, he warns her that someday, she too may find herself in too deep with no way out.

Overall, "Oh Pretty Woman" speaks to the universal experience of falling in love with someone who may not reciprocate those feelings. It's a song that is both bittersweet and relatable in its message.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, pretty woman
The singer addresses a woman who catches his eye and is physically attractive to him.

Sure's the rising sun
The woman is absolutely stunning and captivating to anyone who sees her, much like the sun rising every day.

Says all your cheap paint and powder
The singer is suggesting that the woman is using makeup and other such products to enhance her beauty, but it is of no use since she is already beautiful.

Ain't gonna help you none
The use of cheap makeup isn't really benefiting the woman's looks, as she is already pretty.

'Cause she's a pretty woman
The woman is so naturally attractive that she needs no enhancement, it's just who she is.

Right down to her bone
Her beauty runs deep, all the way through her being.

So you might as well Leave your skin alone
Since the woman's beauty comes from within her, there's no point in trying to enhance her skin or surface features.

Pretty woman What's the matter with you? Can't make you love me No matter what I do
The singer expresses his frustration over not being able to win the affections of the pretty woman, no matter what he does or says. He is questioning why she won't love him back.

Oh, pretty woman What you gonna do? You kept on foolin' around Till I got stuck on you
The singer is asking the woman what she intends to do now that he's enamored with her, after stringing him along for a while.

So you can drop your mess And come down off your throne Stop using my poor heart As just a stepping stone
The singer is telling the woman to stop playing games with him and using him as a stepping stone in her romantic conquests. He wants her to be genuine with him and treat him with respect.

That's all right for you Now you just go on doing What you wanna do
The singer concedes to the woman that she can continue to do as she pleases and not worry about him.

But someday when you think That you've got it made You're gettin' water deep enough So you can't wade
The singer warns the woman that one day she might find herself in trouble, thinking she's made it to the top, but really getting in over her head so deep that she won't be able to handle it.

Can't make you love me No matter what I do Can't make you love me No matter what I do Can't make you love me No matter what I do Oh, pretty woman
The singer ends the song lamenting that no matter how hard he tries, he can't make the woman love him back. This unrequited love is frustrating and painful for him.

Lyrics © Orbi-Lee Music, Barbara Orbison Music Company, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, R-Key Darkus
Written by: Bill Dees, Roy Orbison

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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