With one of her first singles turning into a national hit, 1962's "Let Me Down Easy", Detroit-raised LaVette would seem a natural soul star, but she was never able to cut an album deal. In 1972 her album A Child of the Seventies was shelved by Atlantic Records, then thought lost forever in a fire. She eked out a living on the European festival circuit, occasionally surfacing such as with the disco single "Doin' the Best that I Can", but remained obscure until French soul collector Gilles Petard tracked down the lost masters and persuaded Atlantic to let him release them on his vanity label as Souvenirs. A live album and 2005's cover album I've Got My Own Hell to Raise followed.
With the release of The Scene of the Crime, Bettye Lavette inches closer to the mainstream, or at least a much bigger cult following. Backed by The Drive-by Truckers and released on -Anti, The Scene of the Crime is recorded at the legendary FAME studios in Muscles Shoals, Alabama. The same place as her lost album. The connection doesn't end there - Patterson Hood of the Drive-by Truckers is the son of David Hood, who played on the 1972 album.
In 2009, she appeared at President Barack Obama's Inaugural Celebration, singing "A Change Is Gonna Come" with Jon Bon Jovi. It was televised globally.
Joy
Bettye Lavette Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause you took my joy
I don't want you anymore
You took my joy
[Chorus]
You took my joy
I want it back
I want it back
I'm gonna go to west Memphis and look for my joy
Go to west Memphis and look for my joy
Maybe in west Memphis I'll find my joy
Maybe in west Memphis I'll find my joy
I'm gonna go to slidell and look for my joy
Go to slidell and look for my joy
Maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
Maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
You got no right to take my joy
I want it back
You got no right to take my joy
I want it back
[Chorus]
I'm gonna go to west Memphis and look for my joy
Go to west Memphis and look for my joy
Maybe in west Memphis I'll find my joy
Maybe in west Memphis I'll find my joy
I'm gonna go to slidell and look for my joy
Go to slidell and look for my joy
Maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
Maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
I don't want you anymore
Cause you took my joy
I don't want you anymore
You took my joy
[Chorus]
You took my joy
I want it back
You took my
I want it back
I'm gonna go to west Memphis
I'm gonna go to slidell
The song "Joy" by Bettye LaVette is about a person who has lost their happiness, or "joy," due to a relationship that has ended. The lyrics express the singer's frustration with the heartbreak caused by their former partner. The singer repeats the line "you took my joy" to emphasize the impact their former partner had on their emotional state. The chorus expresses the singer's desire to reclaim their joy, and the verses discuss their search for it.
The singer mentions two locations, West Memphis and Slidell, that they plan to visit in search of their joy. These locations are likely used symbolically to represent a possible new start or a fresh perspective. The repetition of these locations in the chorus suggests that the singer is determined to find their joy, wherever it may be.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the emotional pain caused by a broken relationship, and the journey to rediscover happiness. The lyrics are simple and direct, but convey a powerful message about the human experience of love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want you anymore
I no longer desire your presence
Cause you took my joy
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
I don't want you anymore
I no longer desire your presence
You took my joy
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
You took my joy
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
I want it back
I desire to regain my happiness
You took my joy
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
I want it back
I desire to regain my happiness
I'm gonna go to west Memphis and look for my joy
I plan on traveling to West Memphis to search for the source of my happiness
Go to west Memphis and look for my joy
I plan on traveling to West Memphis to search for the source of my happiness
Maybe in west Memphis I'll find my joy
I hope to find the source of my happiness in West Memphis
Maybe in west Memphis I'll find my joy
I hope to find the source of my happiness in West Memphis
I'm gonna go to slidell and look for my joy
I plan on traveling to Slidell to search for the source of my happiness
Go to slidell and look for my joy
I plan on traveling to Slidell to search for the source of my happiness
Maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
I hope to find the source of my happiness in Slidell
Maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
I hope to find the source of my happiness in Slidell
You got no right to take my joy
You did not have the authority to take away my happiness
I want it back
I desire to regain my happiness
You got no right to take my joy
You did not have the authority to take away my happiness
I want it back
I desire to regain my happiness
You took my joy
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
I'm gonna go to west Memphis and look for my joy
I plan on traveling to West Memphis to search for the source of my happiness
Go to west Memphis and look for my joy
I plan on traveling to West Memphis to search for the source of my happiness
Maybe in west Memphis I'll find my joy
I hope to find the source of my happiness in West Memphis
Maybe in west Memphis I'll find my joy
I hope to find the source of my happiness in West Memphis
I'm gonna go to slidell and look for my joy
I plan on traveling to Slidell to search for the source of my happiness
Go to slidell and look for my joy
I plan on traveling to Slidell to search for the source of my happiness
Maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
I hope to find the source of my happiness in Slidell
Maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
I hope to find the source of my happiness in Slidell
I don't want you anymore
I no longer desire your presence
Cause you took my joy
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
I don't want you anymore
I no longer desire your presence
You took my joy
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
You took my joy
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
I want it back
I desire to regain my happiness
You took my
You are the one responsible for stealing my happiness
I want it back
I desire to regain my happiness
I'm gonna go to west Memphis
I plan on traveling to West Memphis to search for the source of my happiness
I'm gonna go to slidell
I plan on traveling to Slidell to search for the source of my happiness
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lucinda Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnalves5979
Amazing, raw, mean, love it.
@claudiarejeanehartmann9420
Great song and she is fantastic!!!
@serenawilliams6138
So good💕
@alisyd5645
Love this... i found this in comments from The Original LW song. Happy to find Ms LaVette, great interpretation, She has made it wholly her own. Deeply Soulful. Thank you ❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
@teriwallace1658
I frickn love this jazz mama!! One of my favorite songs!! Her voice, sanded #raw and consumed by #emotion #powderfuldiva #onehellofavoice
@markm3561
Two of my favorite artists meet and BOOM! What else can I say? I just know somebody better give BL her Joy back.
@clausmannsperger4432
heart&soul💯
@SherwoodAnderson
Thank you for uploading!
@funkdrunk
Great start to a day today! Seems sunny despite the gloom outside. People visit cemeteries, while I turn on a disrespectfully loud funk. Sorry!
@honeybozo
101 on how to do a cover: knock it out of the ballpark