Freeman was born in Alameda County and raised in San Francisco, California. He attended Mission High School. He started singing in a doo-wop group, the Romancers, in his early teens, and first recorded with them for Dootone Records in 1956. Their recordings included "House Cat", included on several later rock and roll compilations. However, the group soon fell apart, and Freeman started a new group, the Vocaleers (not to be confused with an earlier group of the same name who recorded "Is It a Dream").
When asked by a local DJ if he had written any songs, he wrote several and recorded them as solo demos. These included "Do You Want to Dance", which were heard by a visiting record label executive, Mortimer Palitz of Jubilee Records. He signed Freeman to the label and had the original recording overdubbed in New York by session musicians including guitarist Billy Mure. Released on the Jubilee subsidiary label Josie, "Do You Want to Dance" quickly rose to number 5 on the pop chart and number 2 on the R&B chart in early 1958, when Freeman was still only 17. The song was covered later (as "Do You Wanna Dance") by Del Shannon, Bobby Vee, the Beach Boys, Johnny Rivers, Bette Midler, John Lennon, Cliff Richard, Marc Bolan & T.Rex, the Mamas & The Papas and the Ramones.
Freeman appeared on American Bandstand and toured with such musicians as Fats Domino, the Coasters, and Jackie Wilson. Several of his follow-ups on Laurie, including "Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes" and "Need Your Love", a ballad, also made the pop charts. He left Laurie in 1960 and signed with King Records, reaching the charts again with "Shimmy Shimmy".[6] However, several of Freeman's later recordings for King in the early 1960s went unreleased, for unexplained reasons. He did not return to the charts again until 1964, after signing for the Autumn label, when he had his second top ten hit with "C'mon and Swim". The song was co-written by label owner and radio DJ Tom Donahue (credited under his birth name, Thomas Coman), and 20-year-old Sylvester Stewart, later known as Sly Stone, and was produced by Stewart. Freeman's final hit was "S-W-I-M", later in 1964.
In 1964, Bobby Freeman played nightly at the Condor Club in San Francisco where Carol Doda performed her topless go-go dancing shows. Mainly supporting himself as a singer in clubs by the late 1960s, he continued to release singles on various small local labels through to the mid-1970s but met with little commercial success. He performed at the Bay Area Music ("Bammy") Awards in later years.
He died of natural causes on 23 January 2017.
Discography
Notable singles
1958 "Do You Want to Dance" (#5 Pop, #2 R&B)
1958 "Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes" (#37 Pop, #20 R&B)
1958 "Need Your Love" (#54 Pop, #29 R&B)
1959 "Mary Ann Thomas" (#90 Pop)
1959 "Ebb Tide" (#93 Pop)
1960 "(I Do the) Shimmy Shimmy" (#37 Pop)
1961 "Mess Around" (#89 Pop)
1964 "C'mon and Swim" (#5 Pop)
1964 "S-W-I-M" (#56 Pop)
1974 "Everything's Love" (Uncharted)
Albums
1958 Do You Wanna Dance (Jubilee)
1959 Get in the Swim (Josie)
1960 Lovable Style of Bobby Freeman (King)
1964 C'mon and Swim (Autumn)
Bibliography
The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Pareles, Jon & Romanowski, Patricia, eds., Summit Books 1983
Big Fat Woman
Bobby Freeman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a big fat woman and she weighs 500 pounds
You oughta see her when she wiggles
Then she wants to go lay down
I got a big fat woman and she weighs 103
I got a big fat woman and she weighs 103
That big fat woman she′s really nice to me
I got a big fat woman and I love the way she rocks
My big fat woman she knows how to flop
Hey hey
I got a big fat woman and she loves to hold me tight
I got a big fat woman and she loves to hold me tight
My big fat woman loves me every night
I got a big fat woman
I got a big fat woman
I got a big fat woman
I got a big fat woman
I got a big fat woman and I love her so
The lyrics to Bobby Freeman's song "Big Fat Woman" are about the singer's love for his overweight partner, who he describes as weighing 500 pounds (although later in the song he contradicts himself and says she weighs 103 pounds). Despite her size, the singer finds her attractive and loves the way she moves and holds him close.
The chorus of the song, "I got a big fat woman and I love her so," is a powerful affirmation of the singer's affection for his partner, despite the social stigma attached to being overweight. The lyrics can be seen as a celebration of love beyond physical appearance, and a provocative statement against societal norms and prejudices.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a big fat woman and she weighs 500 pounds
I have a significant other who is overweight and weighs a substantial amount.
You oughta see her when she wiggles
Her movements are entertaining and a sight to behold.
Then she wants to go lay down
After wiggling, she usually feels exhausted and needs to rest.
I got a big fat woman and she weighs 103
My significant other is still considered big, but has lost weight and now weighs 103 pounds.
That big fat woman she's really nice to me
Despite her size, my significant other is kind to me and treats me well.
I got a big fat woman and I love the way she rocks
I adore how my significant other moves and dances to music.
My big fat woman she knows how to flop
She has a particular way of moving her body that involves flopping, which I find endearing.
I got a big fat woman and she loves to hold me tight
My significant other enjoys hugging me and holding me close.
My big fat woman loves me every night
My significant other is affectionate and loving towards me on a consistent basis.
I got a big fat woman and I love her so
I am in love with my significant other, regardless of her size.
Writer(s): Bobby Freeman
Contributed by Zoe P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.