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.
You
Bonnie Raitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one could hurt me like you do
You were the only one that mattered
Then you were gone
Love had moved on
Left me alone
Thinking of you
You and I were created to dream
Isn't it love that keeps us breathing
Isn't it love we're sent here for
Wasn't that love we were feeling
Deep in our soul
Deeper than we know
Keepin' me whole, out for you
There was never any question
You'll forever on my mind
You and I were meant to be together
True hearts and the world of love is done
I might as well have been dyin'
When we were apart
When you came back
I felt the beating of my heart
You and I there was never any question
You will forever hold my heart
You and I were meant to be together
You
It was always you
Always
The song "You" by Bonnie Raitt is a confession of love, heartbreak, and an amalgamation of the complexities that come with relationships. The opening lines of the song convey a sense of vulnerability and dependence on the one that the singer loved. The lyrics "Nobody else can make me happy, no one could hurt me like you do," reveal the deep-rooted emotions of love and pain that the singer feels, which are interdependent. The song talks about the overpowering force of love and how it can give meaning and purpose to one's life, and simultaneously can make one's life miserable.
The lines "Thinking of you; there was never any other. You, and I were created to dream" highlight the idea of destiny and how two people are destined to be together. The song discusses how love is central to human existence and how it gives meaning to our existence. The lines "Isn't it love that keeps us breathing, isn't it love we're sent here for" emphasize the idea that love is what binds us all together and gives us a sense of belongingness.
The chorus of the song "You" talks about how the singer's heart was shattered when the one they loved went away. However, when the loved one returned, it made the singer feel alive again. The lines "I felt the beating of my heart" depict the idea that love can bring a person back to life. The song ends with the singer declaring how it was always the one they loved, and there was never any question about it.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody else can make me happy
I am so deeply in love with you that no one else can bring me happiness like you do.
No one could hurt me like you do
At the same time, you have the power to hurt me more deeply than anyone else ever could.
You were the only one that mattered
In my eyes, you are the only person that truly mattered.
Then you were gone
But when you left me, my entire world fell apart.
Love had moved on
Even though time moves on, my love for you has remained as strong as ever.
Left me alone
However, I was left to face the world on my own without you by my side.
Thinking of you
Despite everything, my thoughts have constantly been consumed by you.
There was never any other
I was certain that you were the only one for me.
You and I were created to dream
Together, we were meant to dream and bring our dreams to life.
Isn't it love that keeps us breathing
I believe that love is what gives our lives meaning and keeps us going.
Isn't it love we're sent here for
Perhaps the purpose of our existence is to find and experience true love in our lives.
Wasn't that love we were feeling
I know that what we had was true love - a love that was deeper than we could ever imagine.
Deep in our soul
This love was a part of our very being.
Deeper than we know
It was even deeper than we could ever comprehend.
Keepin' me whole, out for you
Being with you made me feel complete and whole, and I will always be here for you.
There was never any question
I never doubted that we were meant to be together.
You'll forever on my mind
Even if we're not together, you will always be on my mind.
You and I were meant to be together
I am convinced that our souls were meant to be together for eternity.
True hearts and the world of love is done
With our true love for each other, we have conquered the world of love and all its challenges.
I might as well have been dyin'
Without you, it felt like a part of me had died.
When we were apart
During the time when we were not together.
When you came back
When you returned to my life.
I felt the beating of my heart
I was overwhelmed with a surge of emotions and my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest.
You and I there was never any question
I knew from the beginning that you and I were meant to be.
You will forever hold my heart
You will never lose the special place you have always held in my heart.
You and I were meant to be together
Our love is undeniable and we will always be meant to be together.
You
You were and always will be the one for me.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Thiele Jr, John M Shanks, Steven M Krikorian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Randy Hannum
Every single time I hear Allison sing I get the chills, and Bonnie has been a favorite of mine for years and really can do no wrong. Her voice is beautiful, and she can play guitar and slide right up there with the best if them. I would love to see the 2 of them do a complete record together. We all know how good that it would be. Remember back 5-6 years ago when Robert Plant and Allison did an album together? Two completely different ends of the musical style and they made it work so well. I love it when different musicians get together and pound out solid music that can open the eyes to those people who may not be familiar with both styles of music. That is what makes Crossroads such a great idea and tv program.
bossladym80
They are both so talented. And the song is one of my favorite Bonnie Raitt songs.
Seams Latasha
This song is just magic. Just the phrasing and turn in the melody is so great. So special.
Justine Cooper
I get chills every time I hear this.
David Pacheco
LOVE LOVE LOVE this song. One of my all time favorites!
David Pacheco
I love this song. Love Bonnie and singing this with Allison what a treat 💗💞💕😊
Greg Kelley
Pure magic when these great singers get together, and that fiddle!
Lisa F
chills when I hear her sing this.............................pure perfection............
Adventure Jenni
So Brilliant and Breathtaking.... every single note, every harmony, all the vocals on both their parts!!!! OMGGOODNESSSS!!!! HEAVEN!!!!!!
Ron Wood
Beside having great voices, Both Bonnie and Alison are great musicians and excellent at harmony. This is SO great. Two favorites together.