She was born Barbara Lynn Ozen in Beaumont, Texas, and attended Hebert High School. She played piano as a child, but switched to guitar, which she plays left-handed. Inspired by blues artists Guitar Slim and Jimmy Reed, and pop acts Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee, and winning several local talent shows, she created an all-female band, Bobbie Lynn and Her Idols.
She began performing in local clubs in Texas. Singer Joe Barry saw her and introduced Lynn to producer Huey P. Meaux, who ran SugarHill Recording Studios and several record labels in New Orleans. Her first single, "You'll Lose A Good Thing", co-written by her and Meaux, was recorded at Cosimo Matassa's J&M studio with session musicians including Mac Rebennack (Dr. John). Released by Jamie Records, it was a number 1 US Billboard R&B chart hit and Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1962. The song was later recorded by Aretha Franklin and became a country hit record for Freddy Fender. Lynn also released an album, also titled You'll Lose A Good Thing, which featured ten of her compositions.
Unusually for the time, Lynn was a female African American singer who both wrote most of her own songs and played a lead instrument. Soon Lynn was touring with such soul musicians as Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, James Brown, Al Green, Carla Thomas, Marvin Gaye, Ike and Tina Turner, The Temptations, and B.B. King. She appeared at the Apollo Theater, twice on American Bandstand, and had her song, "Oh Baby (We've Got A Good Thing Goin')" (1964) covered by The Rolling Stones on their album The Rolling Stones Now! (1965). She continued to record for the Jamie label until 1966 and had several more minor hits.
In 1966 she signed to Meaux's Tribe label, and recorded "You Left the Water Running," which was covered by Otis Redding among others. She signed for Atlantic the following year, and recorded another album, Here Is Barbara Lynn, in 1968. She married for the first time at age 28, in 1970 and had three children. This, together with dissatisfaction with poor promotion by the record company, contributed to her decision to largely retire from the music business for most of the 1970s and 1980s. However, while living in Los Angeles, she occasionally appeared at local clubs, and released several singles on Jetstream and other small labels.
In 1984 she toured Japan, and recorded a live album, You Don't Have to Go, which was released later in the US. She resumed her recording career after her husband's death, and returned to Beaumont, Texas, where her mother lived. She also undertook further international tours, to Europe and elsewhere. In 1994, she recorded her first studio album for over twenty years, So Good, and released several more albums for various labels in later years.
She continues to reside in Beaumont, and was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999. In 2002, electronic musician Moby sampled Lynn's "I'm A Good Woman" on his album, 18.
You're Losing Me
Barbara Lynn Lyrics
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About you and your new girl
You're flying high now, Jack
And you're seeing the world
But you're gonna need me
You're gonna need me, daddy
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
You're telling everybody
Walking papers coming through
But I don't know anything about that
Seems like only you
But you're gonna need me
You're gonna need me, daddy
And it won't be long
When she leaves you
And says goodbye
Don't come back to me
With tears in your eyes
You had a good thing once
And you done me wrong
But I warned you, yes, I did
That it won't be long, no, no
So you've got your girl
Walking papers too
It's all cleared up
Our marriage is through
But you're gonna need me
You're gonna need me, daddy
And it won't be long
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You're gonna need me, daddy
And it won't be long
I knew you'd be right on back
You're gonna need me, daddy
And it won't be long
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You're gonna need me, daddy
And it won't be long
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You're gonna need me, daddyb
In Barbara Lynn's song "You're Gonna Need Me," the singer is addressing her former lover who has moved on with a new woman. She points out that despite his new relationship, he will eventually need her again. The whole town is talking about his new girl and how he's seeing the world, but the singer knows that it won't last. When she leaves him, the singer warns that he shouldn't come back to her with tears in his eyes because he had his chance and he treated her poorly. The singer also mentions that she doesn't know anything about any "walking papers" that he may be preparing despite his claims that they are coming through. She is calm and sure of herself, knowing that he will eventually come back to her.
The song employs a call-and-response format with a catchy refrain that emphasizes the singer's confidence in her prediction that he will need her again. It's a powerful song, conveying a sense of self-assurance and a message of warning that he shouldn't take her for granted. The theme of the song is one that has been explored in many other classic soul and R&B tracks, and it speaks to the complex power dynamics at play in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
The whole town's talking
Everyone in town is talking about your new relationship.
About you and your new girl
Specifically, they are talking about you and your new girlfriend.
You're flying high now, Jack
You are very happy and successful now, Jack.
And you're seeing the world
You have many new experiences and opportunities now.
But you're gonna need me
However, you will eventually need me.
You're gonna need me, daddy
I am addressing you specifically as 'daddy' and emphasizing that you will need me.
And it won't be long
It will happen soon.
You're telling everybody
You are telling everyone that you are leaving.
Walking papers coming through
You are getting ready to sign divorce papers.
But I don't know anything about that
However, I don't have any information about the process you are going through.
Seems like only you
It appears that you are the only one who knows about this.
When she leaves you
When your girlfriend leaves you.
And says goodbye
And ends the relationship.
Don't come back to me
Don't try to come back to me.
With tears in your eyes
Especially not crying and showing weakness.
You had a good thing once
We had a good relationship once.
And you done me wrong
But you hurt me and did wrong by me.
But I warned you, yes, I did
I warned you about this happening.
That it won't be long, no, no
I knew it would not be long before this happened.
So you've got your girl
You have your new girlfriend.
Walking papers too
However, she is preparing to sign divorce papers too.
It's all cleared up
It appears that things are resolved between us.
Our marriage is through
However, our marriage is over now.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Repeating the same phrase for emphasis.
I knew you'd be right on back
I knew you would eventually want to come back to me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER, BRIAN HOLLAND, EDDIE HOLLAND, RICHARD WAYNE WYLIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind