Carter's earliest releases were as half of the duo Clarence And Calvin. Also known as the "C And C Boys", the blind duo made seven singles, the last of which was recorded at Fame's Muscle Shoals studio. When his partner, Calvin Thomas (aka Scott), suffered serious injuries in a car accident in 1966, Carter became a solo act (Calvin himself later reappeared as a solo act to record two Dave Crawford-produced Atco Records singles in 1969/70 and a Clarence Paul-produced 1971 album for Stax Records, I'm Not Blind ... I Just Can't See, from which two singles were also taken). "Tell Daddy", released in January 1967, began a fruitful spell of Fame-produced hits by Carter, released on the Atlantic Records label. Noteworthy were "Thread The Needle", "Looking For A Fox" and "Slip Away", where the singer combined his outstanding voice with his skill as an arranger and musician.
"Patches", first recorded by Chairmen Of The Board, was a UK number 2 and a US number 4 in 1970, but despite further strong offerings, Clarence was unable to sustain the momentum. He remained with Fame until 1973, where he also helped guide Candi Staton, who was now his wife, before moving to ABC Records the subsequent year.
Further recordings on Venture and Big C took Carter's career into the 1980s and later the artist found a sympathetic outlet with the Ichiban Records label. Despite being blinded as a child, he developed a distinctive guitar style that complemented his earthy delivery, and was just as comfortable on keyboards, writing songs or arranging sessions. The first two albums, This Is Clarence Carter and The Dynamic Clarence Carter show off his versatile talent to good effect.
Clarence returned in the late Eighties with the album Dr. CC, which spawned the bawdy, comedic single "Strokin'", which has evolved into a favorite at clubs and weddings. He later followed it up with a sequel, "Still Strokin'", in 1989.
Tell Daddy
Clarence Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One who would love you and give you the world.
Then you find, babe, that you've been misused,
Come to me, honey, I'll do what you choose.
She'd embarrass you anywhere,
She'd make her friends think that she didn't care
And I just want to take care of you and I want you to
Tell Mama, all about it, tell Mama, what you need
Tell Mama, what you want and I'll make everything alright
The girl you had didn't have no sense,
She wasn't worth all the time that you spent
Had another man throw you out the door,
Now that same man is wearing your clothes
I want you to
Tell your Mama, what you want, tell your Mama, what you need
Tell your Mama, what you got to have
Clarence Carter's "Tell Daddy" is a soulful track about a man who offers comfort to a heartbroken friend who feels like he's been mistreated and taken for granted by his girlfriend. The song's message is clear: if you feel like you're being used, come to me, and I'll do what you wish.
The lyrics begin by describing the friend's relationship with his girlfriend, whom he thought to be a good girl. However, he eventually realizes that she doesn't treat him well and humiliates him in public. The singer offers himself as an alternative and says that he will give the friend what he wants if he only tells him about it. The lyrics go on to describe the ex-girlfriend's flaws and how she was ultimately replaced by another man.
The song's tone is compassionate and kind, with the singer acting as a shoulder to cry on for his heartbroken friend. It highlights how sometimes people are too blinded by their love in a relationship to see what's happening to them. Carter wrote the song with a rawness that's both heartbreaking and soul-stirring.
Line by Line Meaning
You thought you had found yourself a good girl,
You were convinced that you had found the right woman for yourself.
One who would love you and give you the world.
Someone who would love you truly and make you feel like the world was at your feet.
Then you find, babe, that you've been misused,
You realized that you were being mistreated and taken for granted.
Come to me, honey, I'll do what you choose.
Come to me, and I'll take care of you in any way that you would like.
She'd embarrass you anywhere,
She would humiliate you no matter where you were or who was present.
She'd make her friends think that she didn't care
She would project a disinterested attitude towards you in front of her friends.
Give me the chance and I'd been begging
If you give me the opportunity, I would fervently plead with you.
And I just want to take care of you and I want you to
All I desire is to care for you and for you to allow me to do so.
Tell Mama, all about it, tell Mama, what you need
Share with me everything that's troubling you, and I will provide you with the support that you require.
Tell Mama, what you want and I'll make everything alright
Let me know what you desire, and I promise to make everything okay again.
The girl you had didn't have no sense,
The girl you were with lacked any sort of common sense.
She wasn't worth all the time that you spent
She wasn't worth the efforts you had put in to make the relationship work.
Had another man throw you out the door,
Another man had the audacity to toss you out of his house.
Now that same man is wearing your clothes
The man who threw you out is now wearing your clothes, which is disgraceful.
I want you to
All I am asking for you to do is
Tell your Mama, what you want, tell your Mama, what you need
Express your wishes and desires to me, and I will do my best to help you.
Tell your Mama, what you got to have
Tell me what you absolutely must have, and I will go to great lengths to secure it for you.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHESTER BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
georgethedj
Tell Daddy entered the charts in January 1967. I was in a band then, and we opened our shows with Tell Daddy, with good response. Most people had not heard it, but they liked it. In the spring of 1967, we auditioned for Six Flags Over Georgia with Tell Daddy. We were not hired, but the kids in the audition crowd loved it. In November 1967, Tell Mama entered the charts. To us, Tell Mama was a weak rip-off, and we paid no attention. Tell Mama did better on the charts. Tell Daddy served us well.
spazhat
The band gets in a great groove here. I used to turn this up to ear-splitting level and go nuts.
jay1beaux
Thanks, I've been looking for this original version for a long time. I like both his and Etta's versions.
Robbie Frantz
No rip off, simply none. She made money for him that he may not have made for himself, as he was the writer and was credited on the Etta James record. Both versions sound very, very similar. This has been happening since the beginning of the recording business. It will continue on this way and it is a good thing.
Thomas Tarwater
I didn’t know that “Tell Mama” by Etta James was based on “Tell Daddy” by Clarence Carter. Both versions are great!
Irma J. Gutierrez
Whoa, Clarence wrote BOTH !
Im Yu
1/No need to prefer CC's or EJ's version. Both great; both should be listened to & loved for their soulful performances. 2/ This was NOT a 'rip-off": A "rip-off' is a theft. If you don't credit, you ripped-pff credit, don't pay, you ripped-off money. Malicious intent has nothing to do with it. This was credited & paid for. (Did CC's record company / management rip him off? That's another matter. Anybody?)
NicNac13c
People, it's not a rip off if the original writers get credit. In that case it's a COVER of a song and the original writers are paid for their music.
Carlos Arturo Sousa Garrido Lecca
NicNac13c Clarence Carter co-wrote this with Marcus Daniel and Wilbur Terrell. This is the original version.
Lloyd Pitts
. Clarence Carter was the original artist but just like Aretha Franklin hyjacked Otis Redding with with Respect, Etta did a number on Carter! :)