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 hobbyβnothing 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 1970βwouldn'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 β 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 β 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 β 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.
have_a_heart
Bonnie Raitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shut up
Don't lie to me
You think I'm blind but I got eyes to see
Hey!
Mister, how do you do
Oh pardon me I thought I knew you
Would you stand back baby 'cause I want to get a better look
The big man who couldn't handle the little bit of love you took
Hey, hey, have a heart, hey, have a heart
If you don't love me, why don't you let me go?
Have a heart, please, oh don't you have a heart?
Little by little you fade while I fall apart, oh, oh
Oh darling, I love you so
I told you yes, and then you told me no
Baby, how can you say
You should be free and I should pay and pay
And you talk and talk about you and what you need
But sooner or later your love is gonna make me bleed
Hey, hey, have a heart, hey, have a heart
If you don't love me, why don't you let me go?
Have a heart, please, oh don't you have a heart?
Little by little you fade while I fall apart, oh, oh
Talk on, talk on, but love is what you need
And sooner or later that love is gonna make you bleed
Hey, hey, have a heart, hey, have a heart
If you don't love me, why don't you let me go?
Have a heart, please, oh don't you have a heart?
Little by little you fade while I fall apart
But don't you run away baby
Hey, hey, have a heart
Hey, hey, have a heart
Hey, hey, have a heart
The song "Have a Heart" by Bonnie Raitt is a plea for transparency and honesty in a relationship that's deteriorating due to a lack of communication. In the first verse, the singer admonishes her partner to be forthright with her, telling him to "shut up" and stop lying. She's aware that he's trying to deceive her, but she can see through his facade. In the second verse, she addresses him even more directly, urging him to "have a heart" and let her go if he truly doesn't love her, rather than stringing her along with half-truths and denials.
The chorus is a repeated call to action, begging her partner to have a heart and consider her feelings. She can see that he's pulling away from her, gradually fading out of her life, while she remains committed to the relationship. She accuses him of talking endlessly about his own needs and desires without taking her feelings into account, warning him that eventually, his selfishness will cause her pain. The final verses reiterate the plea for honesty and mutual love, a kind of last-ditch attempt to repair what's been broken before it's too late.
Overall, "Have a Heart" is a powerful expression of vulnerability and heartbreak in a situation where both partners are struggling to reconcile their own needs and desires with those of the other person. The singer, in particular, comes across as brave and self-aware, willing to confront her partner's deceit head-on and demand the truth, even when it's painful.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey!
The singer is trying to grab her partner's attention to address her concerns.
Shut up
She wants her partner to stop lying to her.
Don't lie to me
She is telling her partner to be honest with her.
You think I'm blind but I got eyes to see
The singer is telling her partner that she can see through the lies.
Hey! Mister, how do you do
The singer is addressing a man who is probably trying to hit on her.
Oh pardon me I thought I knew you
The singer is apologizing to the man for mistakenly thinking that she knew him.
Would you stand back baby 'cause I want to get a better look
She wants the man to give her some space so she can assess the situation.
The big man who couldn't handle the little bit of love you took
The singer is referring to her partner as a 'big man' who couldn't handle the little love that she gave.
Hey, hey, have a heart, hey, have a heart
The singer is pleading with her partner to show some compassion and empathy.
If you don't love me, why don't you let me go?
She is asking why her partner is holding her back if she doesn't love her.
Have a heart, please, oh don't you have a heart?
The singer is imploring her partner to have some sensitivity and humanity.
Little by little you fade while I fall apart, oh, oh
She is getting weaker and more fragile while her partner is slowly drifting away from her.
Oh darling, I love you so
The singer is affirming her love to her partner.
I told you yes, and then you told me no
The singer is referencing changing attitudes and feelings between herself and her partner.
Baby, how can you say
She is questioning her partner's rationale for their situation.
You should be free and I should pay and pay
The singer believes that her partner is treating her unfairly and unjustly.
And you talk and talk about you and what you need
The artist is frustrated with her partner's selfishness and egocentricity.
But sooner or later your love is gonna make me bleed
She is warning her partner that their love will eventually cause her some emotional pain.
Talk on, talk on, but love is what you need
She is advising her partner to focus on the love they share, instead of their differences.
And sooner or later that love is gonna make you bleed
The singer warns her partner that if they keep ignoring their issues, it will eventually cause them both some pain.
Hey, hey, have a heart, hey, have a heart
The singer is reminding her partner to have some empathy and sensitivity.
But don't you run away baby
She is pleading with her partner to not run away from their problems.
Hey, hey, have a heart
The singer reiterates her plea for the partner to show some sensitivity and empathy.
Hey, hey, have a heart
The singer reiterates her plea for the partner to show some sensitivity and empathy.
Hey, hey, have a heart
The singer reiterates her plea for the partner to show some sensitivity and empathy.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BONNIE HAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Iyke Harrison
This song just popped into my head today and I decided to listen to it again after a very long time. What a great classic from back in the day.
rudy rivera
πππsame here
happysunnyrain
Me too just now! β€ bc I kiddingly told someone to have a heart β€ it reminded me of the song π΅ and I immediately looked it up :)
David Scott
Me too! I listened to this CD all the time around the time it came out!
APTA
Same here!!!!
It popped in my head in the shower and had play it as soon as I was done ππππ
Shadizar Silverhand
Same thing just happened to me today.
Rebecca Tavel
Her voice is amazing!! β€οΈ
Steve Careskey
Amazing voice, really hadn't noticed, please
Richard Taylor
Hello Rebecca how are you doing?
jc riseling
The woman is a National Treasure