Born in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she attended George Westinghouse High School and studied music at the Filion School of Music in Pittsburgh. Later she performed regularly in the Hill District, a jazz hotspot, as a vocalist with the Joe Westray Orchestra, a popular Pittsburgh orchestra. She next spent several years in the nightclub circuit in such cities as Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis. While in New York, she was noticed singing at a Harlem nightclub called the Baby Grand by Dave Cavanaugh, a producer for Capitol Records. She was signed and released several singles, her success leading her to win Down Beat magazine's "Most Promising Newcomer" award in 1955. In 1958, Staton wed Talib Dawud, a black Antigua-born Ahmadi Muslim trumpeter and noted critic of Elijah Muhammad. She subsequently converted to Islam and used the name Aliyah Rabia for some time. The marriage ultimately ended in divorce.
She released several critically acclaimed albums in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including: The Late, Late Show (1957), whose title track was her biggest hit, In the Night (1957), a collaboration with pianist George Shearing, Dynamic! (1958) and Dakota at Storyville (1961), a live album recorded at the Storyville jazz club in Boston. In the mid-1960s Staton moved to England, where she recorded the album Dakota ′67. Returning to the US in the early 1970s, she continued to record semi-regularly, her recordings taking an increasingly strong gospel and blues influence. She suffered a stroke in 1999, after which her health deteriorated. Staton died in New York City aged 76 in 2007.
Ain't No Use
Dakota Staton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In hanging round
No there ain't no use
I'm gonna put you down
There's no room left in my heart
For you
Ain't no use
Ain't no use
This is goodbye
You done me wrong
So many times
Now I'm through
The best years of my life
You just wasted away
You caused so many tears
Now the time has come when you must pay
Ain't no more for you say
Ain't no more for you to say
Just take your love and go away
And it's time [we can] leave
Don't return
Baby it ain't no use
If you leave, don't return
'Cause it just ain't no use
The song "Ain't No Use" by Dakota Staton talks about letting go of a toxic relationship. The singer has had enough of the pain and hurt inflicted by their partner and decides to end the relationship for good. The lyrics convey the feeling of detachment and indifference towards the other person. The singer acknowledges that there is no use in holding on to someone who has caused them too much heartache. They draw a line in their heart and vow never to take back the person who brought them misery. The chorus reinforces the message that it is time to move on and that there is no use in staying together if things are not working out.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no use
It's pointless to stay in this relationship
In hanging round
Continuing to stay together
No there ain't no use
There's no hope for us
I'm gonna put you down
Breaking up with you
There's no room left in my heart
I can't forgive you anymore
For you
Because of your actions
Ain't no use
There's no point
For you to cry
Your tears won't change anything
This is goodbye
Our relationship is over
You done me wrong
You hurt me many times
So many times
Repeatedly
Now I'm through
I'm done with you
The best years of my life
The time we spent together
You just wasted away
You made that time a waste
You caused so many tears
Your actions made me cry
Now the time has come when you must pay
You will face consequences
Ain't no more for you to say
There's nothing more to talk about
Just take your love and go away
Leave and don't come back
And it's time [we can] leave
It's time for us to go
Don't return
Don't come back
Baby it ain't no use
There's no point in trying to fix things
If you leave, don't return
I don't want you to come back
'Cause it just ain't no use
It's futile to try to fix our relationship
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ANTHONY F. HUGHES, LINDA JANSSEN, FRANK A. WARD, CHARLES MACLEAN, LINDSAY PAGE, ALISTAIR BELL, JAMES GUINEY, THEO SILVERA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DeSwiss
I grew up listening to Dakota and this album. I still have the original Mono LP. One of the best albums ever cut.
Lena Renee`
Me too, have the original press LP
Lamont Toussaint
Me three yall. I still got original mono vinyl. My auntie put me into jazz when i was 9 years old.
That was back in 1958. Stìl digging it.
The Billie Holiday Experience
I bought this LP yesterday at a used record store and it was in perfect condition. I was aware of the song "Late, Late Show" being on here, which is one reason I bought it, the other being my grandparents telling me she was a helluva singer. When I got this very final song, which was this one, I was blown away. Kids my age don't know what they're missing.
Paula Benson
You made a good choice. And you live in a city that values a RECORD STORE. I haven't seen one those in a many years. I could go in a record store and browse a l o n g time.
dustee
My Uncle had this album and this was the one song I remember that was on it. I couldn't have been more then eleven, but it touched a chord. I've been looking for it a long time and thank you for sharing!
Livin The 5th Sun
I like how theres not one dislike.
BH21206
saw her and -ray charles and the ray charles singers- at the -Lyric- in Baltimore for the first half of a concert. b. goodman was the second half. There were two shows that evening and the place was packed.
vieuxomar
Vai Dakota, vai.
Paula Benson
Yes Dakota Staton