Bessie Regina Norris (born December 21, 1953 - died May 10, 2020), better k… Read Full Bio ↴Bessie Regina Norris (born December 21, 1953 - died May 10, 2020), better known professionally as Betty Wright, was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist born in Miami, Florida, who rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight is the Night". Wright was also prominent in regard to the use of whistle register, the highest human singing register. She influenced a generation of female singer-songwriters and also influenced the world of hip hop who sampled some of her more popular material.

Starting singing gospel with the family group, the Echoes of Joy, Wright began switching to R&B music in 1965 when she was only 11. In 1968, she released her first album, My First Time Around, at the age of 15, and scored her first hit, "Girls Can't Do What Guys Can Do".

It was not until the end of 1971 that Wright's most successful phase of her career took place. The song, "Clean Up Woman", became a Top 5 pop and R&B hit, and would later influence a remix of Mary J. Blige's "Real Love" single with the sample of its guitar riffs; R&B girl group trio SWV's "I'm So Into You" also featured a sample from "Clean Up Woman", as did Afrika Bambaataa's song "Zulu War Chant". In 1974, Wright scored big with the songs "Tonight is the Night" (about a real-life love affair that happened with Wright when she was a teenager) and "Where is the Love" (which won her a Grammy for Best R&B Song).

After experiencing a brief slump in the early 1980s, she rebounded founding her own record label, Ms. B Records, and in 1988 made music history by being the first woman to have a gold record on her own label, with the release of Mother Wit, which featured two of her biggest hits in years, "No Pain (No Gain)" and the "After The Pain". On both songs, Wright displays her powerful upper register capabilities and five-octave range. In 1989, Wright released 4u2njoy which features the hit songs "From Pain To Joy", "Quiet Storm" and "Keep Love New". Her subsequent albums Passion and Compassion, B-Attitudes and Fit For A King kept her fanbase satisfied.

By 2001, a compilation album, The Very Best of Betty Wright, was released. In 2007, Wright scored her most successful single in over a decade with "Baby", a duet with fellow Soul singer, Angie Stone. The song peaked at #22 on the R&B chart and #2 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Wright mentored several young singers, and did vocal production for the likes of Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and Joss Stone.

In December 2010, Wright was given another Grammy Award nomination for the song, "Go", for the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.

In January 2011, Wright released her first album in ten years, Betty Wright: The Movie, and was credited to Betty Wright & The Roots .

On May 10, 2020, Wright sadly passed away due to cancer at age 66.

Let Me Be Your Lovemaker
Betty Wright Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let me be your lovemaker
Let me be your soul shaker
Let me be your lovemaker
Let me be your soul shaker

Around this time last summer
When you and I first met
I thought I was cool

Living by the rules
Trying to play hard to get

So you found some good time chick
To give you the love you needed
I didn't know a thing
About the thrills love could bring
I was young, selfish, and conceited

I know you don't think I'm ready
But open your eyes and see
As sure as my name is Betty
I can love away all your misery

So let me be your lovemaker
Let me be your soul shaker
Why don't ya, let me be your lovemaker
Let me be your soul shaker

About this time last year
I was blind to all the good things you said
The sweet words you spoke
I took them for a joke
Though they were strong enough to raise the dead

So you thought you wasted
Both your time and mine
But now I'm ready to do
What you want me to
'Cause I'm your woman
And I ain't lyin'

I know you don't think I'm ready, oo oo
But open your eyes and see
As sure as my name is Betty
I can love away all your misery

So, let me (umh) be your lovemaker (I need to be)
Let me be your soul shaker (umh)
Let me be your lovemaker
Let me be your soul shaker
Why don't let me be it baby, wow, hey baby, hey baby
I wanna be, I got ta got ta be, ooo

Don't it be nice baby
If ya let me be your lovemaker

Let me be good to ya
Honey, honey, yah

Overall Meaning

The song "Let me be your Lovemaker" by Betty Wright speaks of a desire to express love and passion to a person. The lyrics describe the events of the past where the singer has missed the chance to show love and played hard to get. The person, therefore, found another love interest, but the singer now realizes his mistake and wants to express his love.

The lyrics conveys that the singer is now willing to do whatever it takes to make the other person happy and remove all the misery. The chorus repeats the lines "Let me be your lovemaker and soul shaker" to emphasize the desire to bring passion and joy into the relationship. The song's tone is emotional and expressive, reflecting a deep desire for love and passion.

Overall, the lyrics of "Let me be your Lovemaker" express the need for a deep emotional connection in a relationship. The singer wants to be the person who brings happiness, love, and fulfillment to the other person's life.

Line by Line Meaning

Let me be your lovemaker
I want to be the one you love and make love with

Let me be your soul shaker
I want to be the one who excites and moves your soul

Around this time last summer
I am recalling a memory from the past

When you and I first met
When we first started our relationship

I thought I was cool
I believed I was confident and in control

Living by the rules
I was following the guidelines of how to act in a relationship

Trying to play hard to get
I was attempting to make it seem like I was not interested

So you found some good time chick
You met someone else to spend time with

To give you the love you needed
She gave you the affection that you desired

I didn't know a thing
I was ignorant of the joys of love and affection

About the thrills love could bring
I was unaware of the excitement and pleasure that love could provide

I was young, selfish, and conceited
I was immature, self-centered, and full of myself

I know you don't think I'm ready
I understand if you think I am not prepared for a serious relationship

But open your eyes and see
Please look closely and realize

As sure as my name is Betty
I am one hundred percent certain

I can love away all your misery
I can alleviate all your troubles and pain with my love

About this time last year
I am recalling a memory from the past

I was blind to all the good things you said
I did not appreciate or take notice of your positive words

The sweet words you spoke
The kind and affectionate things you said

I took them for a joke
I did not take them seriously, I brushed them off

Though they were strong enough to raise the dead
Even though they were very powerful and impactful

So you thought you wasted
You believed you had squandered

Both your time and mine
Both of our time and energy on this relationship

But now I'm ready to do
But now I am eager to do

What you want me to
Whatever you desire from me

'Cause I'm your woman
I belong to you and am devoted to you

And I ain't lyin'
And I am being completely truthful

Don't it be nice baby
Wouldn't it be pleasant, my dear

If ya let me be your lovemaker
If you allowed me to be the one who loves and makes love to you

Let me be good to ya
Allow me to treat you with kindness and affection

Honey, honey, yah
An expression of endearment to my love

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BETTY REGINA WRIGHT, CLARENCE HENRY REID, WILLIE JAMES CLARKE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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