Raitt began playing guitar at an early age, something not a lot of her high school girlfriends did. "I had played a little at school and at camp," she later recalled in a July 2002 interview. "My parents would drag me out to perform for my family, like all parents do, but it was a hobby—nothing more...I think people must wonder how a white girl like me became a blues guitarist. The truth is, I never intended to do this for a living. I grew up...in a Quaker family, and for me being Quaker was a political calling rather than a religious one."
In 1967 Raitt continued her pursuit in that path when she entered Harvard's Radcliffe College as a freshman, majoring in African Studies. "My plan was to travel to Tanzania, where President Julius Nyerere was creating a government based on democracy and socialism," Raitt recalled. "I wanted to help undo the damage that Western colonialism had done to native cultures around the world. Cambridge was a hotbed of this kind of thinking, and I was thrilled."
One day, Raitt was notified by a friend that blues promoter Dick Waterman was giving an interview at WHRB, Harvard's college radio station. An important figure in the blues revival of the 1960s, Waterman was also a resident of Cambridge. Raitt went to see Waterman, and the two soon became friends, "much to the chagrin of my parents, who didn't expect their freshman daughter to be running around with 65-year-old bluesmen," recalled Raitt. "I was amazed by his passion for the music and the integrity with which he managed the musicians."
During Raitt's sophomore year, Waterman relocated to Philadelphia, and a number of local musicians he counted among his friends went with him. Raitt had become a strong part of that community, recalling that "these people had become my friends, my mentors, and though I had every intention of graduating, I decided to take the semester off and move to Philadelphia...It was an opportunity that young white girls just don't get, and as it turns out, an opportunity that changed everything."
Raitt eventually went back to school, but her time performing in Philadelphia had encouraged her to pursue music as a career. When Waterman contacted her and invited her to tour with The Rolling Stones, she made a second trip to the admissions office at Radcliffe and told them, "I'm going to take a leave of absence, but this is only going to last a year." As Raitt would later recall, "Imagine being 20 in 1970—wouldn't you have gone on tour with the Rolling Stones?"
By now, Raitt was also playing both folk as well as rhythm and blues clubs in the Boston area, performing alongside established blues legends like Howlin' Wolf, Sippie Wallace, and Mississippi Fred McDowell, all of whom she met through Waterman. In the fall of 1970, while opening for Fred McDowell at the Gaslight Cafe in New York, a reporter from Newsweek Magazine saw her and began to spread word of her performance. Scouts from major record companies were soon attending her shows to watch her play. She eventually accepted an offer with Warner Bros. who soon released her eponymously titled debut in 1971. The album was warmly received by the music press, many of which praised her skills as an interpreter and as a bottleneck guitarist; at the time, very few women in popular music had strong reputations as guitarists.
While admired by those who saw her perform, and respected by her peers, Raitt gained little public acclaim for her work. Her critical stature continued to grow but record sales remained modest. Her second album, Give It Up, was released in 1972 to universal acclaim, and though many critics still regard it as her best work, it did not change her commercial fortunes. 1973's Takin' My Time was also met with critical acclaim, but these notices were not matched by the sales.
Raitt was beginning to receive greater press coverage, including a 1975 cover story for Rolling Stone Magazine, but with 1974's Streetlights, reviews for her work were becoming increasingly mixed. By now, Raitt was already experimenting with different producers and different styles, and she began to adopt a more mainstream sound that continued through 1975's Home Plate.
In 1976, Raitt made a notable appearance on Warren Zevon's self-titled album with Warren Zevon's friend Jackson Browne and Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
1977's Sweet Forgiveness gave Raitt her first commercial breakthrough when it yielded a hit single in her cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway." Recast as a heavy r&b recording based on a rhythmic groove inspired by Al Green, Raitt's version of "Runaway" was disparaged by many critics, but its commercial success prompted a bidding war between Warner Bros. and Columbia Records. "There was this big Columbia – Warner war going on at the time," recalled Raitt in a 1990 interview. "James Taylor had just left Warner Bros. and made a big album for Columbia...And then, Warners signed Paul Simon away from Columbia, and they didn't want me to have a hit record for Columbia — no matter what! So, I renegotiated my contract, and they basically matched Columbia's offer. Frankly the deal was a really big deal."
Warner Bros. held higher expectations for Raitt's next album, 1979's The Glow, but it was released to poor reviews as well as modest sales. Raitt would have one commercial success in 1979 when she helped organize the five MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) concerts at Madison Square Garden. The shows spawned a three-record gold album as well as a Warner Bros. feature film, No Nukes. The shows featured co-founders Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, John Hall, and Raitt as well as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Gil Scott-Heron, and numerous others.
For her next record, 1982's Green Light, Raitt made a conscious attempt to revisit the sound of her earlier records, but to her surprise, many of her peers and members of the press would compare her new sound to the burgeoning New Wave movement. The album received her strongest reviews in years, but her sales did not improve and this would have a severe impact on her relationship with Warner Bros.
In 1983, as Raitt was finishing work on her follow-up album, titled Tongue & Groove, Warner Bros. cleaned house, dropping a number of major artists from their roster. Van Morrison and Arlo Guthrie were two of the most high-profile cases, and the day after mastering was completed on Tongue & Groove, Raitt was notified that she was to be dropped too. The album was shelved indefinitely, and Raitt was left without a label. By now, Raitt was also struggling with alcohol and drug abuse.
Despite her personal and professional problems, Raitt continued to tour and participate in political activism. In 1985, she sang and appeared in the video of "Sun City," the anti-apartheid record written a produced by Steven Van Zandt. Along with her participation in Farm Aid and Amnesty International concerts, Raitt would later travel to Moscow in 1987 as part of the first joint Soviet/American Peace Concert later shown on Showtime television. Also in 1987, Raitt would organize a benefit in Los Angeles, for Countdown '87 to Stop Contra Aid, featuring herself, Don Henley, Herbie Hancock, Holly Near and others.
Two years after dropping her from their label, Warner Bros. notified Raitt of their plans to release Tongue & Groove. "I said it wasn't really fair," recalled Raitt. "I think at this point they felt kind of bad. I mean, I was out there touring on my savings to keep my name up, and my ablility to draw was less and less. So they agreed to let me go in and recut half of it, and that's when it came out as Nine Lives." A critical and commercial disappointment, 1986's Nine Lives would be Raitt's last new recording for Warner Bros.
In late 1987 she joined k.d. lang and Jennifer Warnes as female background vocals for Roy Orbison's television special, Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night. By now, Raitt was clean and sober, having broken her substance abuse — for which she would credit Stevie Ray Vaughan in a Minnesota State Fair concert[1] the night after Vaughan's 1990 death. Following this highly acclaimed broadcast, she began working on new material. During this time, Raitt considered signing with Prince's own label, Paisley Park, but negotiations would ultimately fall through. Instead she began recording a bluesy mix of pop and rock under the production guidance of Don Was at Capitol Records.
Raitt had met Was through Hal Wilner, who was putting together Stay Awake, a tribute album to Disney music for A&M. Was and Wilner both wanted Raitt to sing lead on an adult-contemporary arrangement created by Was for "Baby Mine," the lullaby from Dumbo. Raitt was very pleased with the sessions, and she asked Don to produce her next album.
After more than twenty years of singing and recording popular music, Bonnie Raitt achieved immense success with her 10th album. Released in 1989, Nick of Time went to the top of the U.S. charts and won three Grammy Awards. At the same time, she walked away with a fourth Grammy Award for her duet "In the Mood" with John Lee Hooker on his album "The Healer".
She followed up this success with three more Grammy Awards for her 1991 album, Luck of the Draw, then, in 1994 she added two more Grammy's with her album Longing in Their Hearts. Both of these albums were multiplatinum successes. Raitt's collaboration with Was would amicably come to an end with 1995's live release, Road Tested. Released to solid reviews, it sold well enough to be certified gold.
For her next studio album, Raitt hired Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake as her producers. "I loved working with Don Was but I wanted to give myself and my fans a stretch and do something different," Raitt said. Her work with Froom and Blake was released on Fundamental in 1998.
In March of 2000, Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Silver Lining was released in 2002 while Souls Alike was released in September of 2005.
Unintended Consequence of Love
Bonnie Raitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lately seems like all we ever do
Can't remember when things got so crazy
All I know is I don't know what to do
I guess we oughta stop and think it over
Decide if what we want there's enough of
It's tearing us apart, it cuts right through the heart
Remember how we fell into each other, baby
Was all we could do to get up out of bed
You used to say nobody loved you better
I used to hang on every word you said
What happened to those brave and tender lovers?
How could we break the mighty promise of?
I guess time wore us down, expectations run aground
It's an unintended consequence of love
Now baby, I'm the one that's taking chances
I know we've got a love worth fighting for
Let's drop them petty games and pick up dancing
Get back to where we're wanting nothing more
I'm calling on you, baby, now or never
Let's dig in deep and get out of this rut
We'll get back to what brought us both together, baby
And find a way to resurrect our strut
'Cause baby, you're my brave and tender lover
I know we'll find the mighty promise of
So come on, baby, back
We'll get this love on track
You're my one intended consequence of love
Oh, consequence of love
The lyrics of "Unintended Consequence of Love" by Bonnie Raitt explore the challenges that can arise in a committed relationship. The singer describes how they and their partner have been having constant arguments, and they feel like they are drifting apart. They remember the early days of their relationship, when they were deeply in love, and wonder how things could have turned out so differently. Despite the difficulties, the singer still believes that the love they share is worth fighting for, and they are asking their partner to join them in working to mend their relationship.
The song touches on several themes related to love, including the highs and lows of a long-term commitment, the importance of communication and compromise, and the way that love can change over time. The lyrics suggest that even when a relationship is going through a rough patch, it may be possible to rediscover the connection that originally brought two people together.
Line by Line Meaning
Looks like we've been butting heads again, baby
It seems like we're having disagreements again.
Lately seems like all we ever do
Recently, it feels like all we do is argue.
Can't remember when things got so crazy
I don't remember when things got so out of hand.
All I know is I don't know what to do
I'm not sure what to do about our situation.
I guess we oughta stop and think it over
Perhaps we need to take a break and reflect on things.
Decide if what we want there's enough of
Let's determine if what we have is still enough for us.
It's tearing us apart, it cuts right through the heart
Our conflict is driving us apart and it's hurting us deeply.
It's an unintended consequence of love
This conflict is an unintentional result of being in love.
Remember how we fell into each other, baby
Do you remember how we first fell in love?
Was all we could do to get up out of bed
We were so in love that we couldn't wait to wake up together.
You used to say nobody loved you better
You once believed that I loved you better than anyone else could.
I used to hang on every word you said
I used to cherish every word that you spoke to me.
What happened to those brave and tender lovers?
What happened to the two of us who were once bold and gentle in our love?
How could we break the mighty promise of?
How were we able to betray such a powerful commitment?
I guess time wore us down, expectations run aground
Perhaps we've been worn down by time, our expectations have failed us.
It's an unintended consequence of love
Our current predicament is a consequence of being in love.
Now baby, I'm the one that's taking chances
I'm willing to take a risk to get us back on track.
I know we've got a love worth fighting for
I believe that our love is worth fighting for.
Let's drop them petty games and pick up dancing
Let's stop playing childish games and start enjoying life together again.
Get back to where we're wanting nothing more
Let's return to the time when we needed nothing more than each other.
I'm calling on you, baby, now or never
I'm reaching out to you, we need to act now before it's too late.
Let's dig in deep and get out of this rut
Let's put forth a lot of effort to move past this difficult time in our relationship.
We'll get back to what brought us both together, baby
We'll remember what it was that made us fall in love in the first place, and we'll return to that.
And find a way to resurrect our strut
We will discover a way to restore our self-confidence and swagger.
'Cause baby, you're my brave and tender lover
I still think of you as my courageous and gentle partner.
I know we'll find the mighty promise of
I believe that together, we can fulfill the powerful commitment we once made.
So come on, baby, back
Please come back to me.
We'll get this love on track
We'll fix our relationship and put it on the right path.
You're my one unintended consequence of love
You're the only unintended outcome of being in love that I care about.
Oh, consequence of love
Being in love has resulted in this situation, and we need to work together to resolve it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JONATHAN CLEARY, BONNIE RAITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@51tomtomtom
she's not only great as musician, she make's a lot of songs "believable" !
@nicmart
Bonnie keeps making worthy music decades after her peers have faded or become self-parodies.
@illuminutteh_2033
I can relate to this song's lyrics. Part of the human experience I guess. This is my favorite Bonnie Raitt song actually. I probably hear it at least a couple of times a day on the blues station up here where I am.
@lwiedemer
IMHO, "Dig in Deep" is Bonnie's best album in years: gotta-dance rockers and gorgeous, tender ballads. I've played it almost every day for the past week.
@VCT3333
Bonnie has written a great tune. Kinda reminiscent of a Delbert McClinton kind of song. What a great groove.
@johnjohnson9110
I sooo love this lady!
@jonnydotnet
Love this!
@jonnydotnet
@Bonnie Raitt Like all great performers/musicians, you have given so much of yourself over the years. Your music has given untold joy and pleasure to millions over the years and I'm sure all your fans will join with me in wishing you the very best of health and happiness during the next chapter of your career. Much blessings to you ❤️❤️
@1stSaintsFan
I got her new digital album "Dig in Deep" free with Amazon Prime. Not a bad cut on the whole record and I have been following Bonnie since her "Blue Plate" LP. Too bad this Video not up to par like her last one.
@benbarclay5546
$50 doesn't get you much in videos these days. Too bad if she wants to make a video for it, she doesn't have the resources, for all her talent. Her vocals are just so good these days.