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.
The Very Thought Of You
Albert King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I forget to do
The little ordinary things
That everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem
The mere idea of you
The longing here for you
You'll never know how slow
The moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's the thought of you
The very thought of you, my dear
The "The Very Thought Of You" is a romantic ballad that Albert King, the American Blues musician, sings with deep emotions. The song's lyrics reveal how deeply in love the singer is with someone who is always on their mind. King sings about how just the mere thought of this person takes over their mind and heart to the extent that they forget about the mundane things that they should be doing. The lyrics suggest that the singer is living in a daydream, which may make him look foolish, but that's how he likes it because the person he's thinking about encompasses everything for him.
King's lyrics are poetic, and they describe how intensely he's captivated by his lover's presence in his life. He portrays how his love's presence makes him feel incredibly happy and majestic, which is a genuinely touching ode to his love. King also expresses how he longs to be near his partner and how time seems to pass slowly until he's with them. He uses the romantic metaphor of seeing his lover's face in every flower and his eyes in every star above, which is a beautiful way of conveying how much he's in love with her. Overall, the song is an excellent example of poignant and soulful blues music that expresses the language of love through music.
Line by Line Meaning
The very thought of you
The mere idea of you is enough to exhilarate me and fill me with joy.
And I forget to do
In that moment, I tend to overlook and neglect even the smallest of tasks that I was supposed to do.
The little ordinary things
The minor tasks that are essential for daily living and functioning.
That everyone ought to do
The things that are expected and necessary for every person to carry out, regardless of their status or situation.
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I am currently drifting away in a happy thought or dream-like state, consumed by the thought of you.
I'm happy as a king
In this dream-like state, I am carefree and overjoyed, feeling like a king in his kingdom.
And foolish though it may seem
Although my actions or thoughts might be considered silly or irrational, they feel significant and important to me.
To me that's everything
This thought or feeling of you is what gives my life meaning and purpose.
The longing here for you
The desire and strong yearning that I have for you, which is felt deep inside me.
You'll never know how slow
You are not aware of the gradual passage of time that I experience until I am close to you.
The moments go till I'm near to you
Those moments feel like an eternity until I am close to you once again, and then they seem to pass by quickly.
I see your face in every flower
I imagine and picture your face in everything beautiful around me, such as flowers.
Your eyes in stars above
I envision your eyes as the stars in the sky, shining down on me.
It's just the thought of you
It is simply the thought of you that brings me happiness and contentment.
The very thought of you, my love
Thinking of you fills me with affection, passion, and romantic feelings.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ray Noble
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beverlyharris9859
Beautiful voice. Sensational!
@beverlyharris9859
SENSATIONAL!
@jasongordon13
This has got to be the greatest version of this song ever thanks!!! I’m listening to this again in Jan 24…. I heard Johnny Mathis version but had to go back to the greatest version ever again!!!!
@euniceflournoy1982
I am loving this version 😍Very soulful!
@MrTwenty20video
That is fire! ❤️
@shirleybrown4271
Aww... so sweet the king took that Road to show his tender side, i remember him dointhis song long before he RECORDED it when i was a young girl opening up for him ,omg
Rip!! paw paw,love you forever & Evermore ,thank you for all thst you Done
Nevet shall i forget you., your
ladies and gentlemen
Lil Shirley Brown'
Lil Shirley Brown
@meCrazydiamond
I believe Albert King had just this very tender side, always a lover, you can see it in his live performances, especially in As the years go passing by, live version of the very thought of you, and many other songs.
@cyrildelarosa4020
This... Is just badass
@MrStanleyMilton
Best version ever...hands down.
@jlblabanca4740
One of my favorites from this great man..