Penn grew up in Vernon, Alabama and spent much his teens and early twenties in the Quad Cities/Muscle Shoals area. He was a regular at Rick Hall's FAME Studios as a performer, songwriter and producer. It was during his time with FAME that Penn cut his first record, "Crazy Over You" in 1960, and wrote his first hit, "Is a Bluebird Blue?" which was recorded by Conway Twitty in the same year. The success of "I'm Your Puppet," a #6 pop hit for James & Bobby Purify, convinced him that songwriting was a worthwhile (and lucrative) career choice.
In early 1966, Penn moved to Memphis, began writing for Press Publishing Company, and worked with Chips Moman at his American Studios. Their intense and short-lived partnership produced some of the best known and most enduring songs of the genre. Their first collaboration, the enduring classic "Dark End of the Street", was first a hit for James Carr and has been recorded by many others since, notably by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris and by Linda Ronstandt. A few months later, during the legendary recording sessions that saw Jerry Wexler introduce Aretha Franklin to FAME Studios and her first major success, the pair wrote "Do Right Woman" in the studio for her. In early 1967 Penn produced "The Letter" for The Box Tops. He and long-time friend and collaborator Spooner Oldham also wrote a number of hits for the band, including "Cry Like a Baby"
Penn continued writing & producing hits for numerous artists during the 60s and finally released a record of his own, Nobody's Fool, in 1972. He was coaxed into the studio again in 1993 to record the acclaimed "Do Right Man" which saw him reunited with many of his friends and colleagues from Memphis & Muscle Shoals.
He now lives in Nashville and continues to write with Oldham and other contemporaries such as Donnie Fritts, Gary Nicholson & Norbert Putnam. He and Carson Whitsett have had their collaborations recorded by Irma Thomas and Johnny Adams and often teamed with writers Jonnie Barmett and later, Hoy Lindsey. The Penn/Whitsett/Lindsey team are responsible for Solomon Burke's "Don't Give Up On Me", and Penn produced 2005's Better to Have It by Bobby Purify that featured twelve songs from the team.
I Do
Dan Penn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who needs sweet kisses ev'ry night? I do
What kind of fool would lose his head
Every time he thought of you?
Who wants to fall in love? I do
Who wants to see the same old face every day? I do, yes I do
Who wants to hear the foolish things you say? I do (I do)
Start a new life with you?
Who wants to fall in love? I do
Someone wants to fall in love
Guess who?
Someone wants to give all his love to you
Guess who?
Oh yeah
Uh-huh
Who needs a tender hand to hold? I do, I do (I do)
Who needs someone when nights are cold? I do (I do)
Who wants to tie himself up off of you
Spend the rest of his life with you?
Yeah, who wants to say "I do"? I do
Yeah, who wants to say "I do"? I do, I do
The lyrics of Dan Penn's song, "I Do" are about the desire for love and companionship. The opening lines of the song, "Who needs two arms to hold him tight? I do, I do / Who needs sweet kisses ev'ry night? I do" emphasize the need for physical intimacy and connection. The following lines express the desire to commit to a person despite potential obstacles, "What kind of fool would lose his head / Every time he thought of you? / Who would change his carefree ways / Start a new life with you? / Who wants to fall in love? I do." The repetition of the phrase "I do" throughout the song serves as a declaration of the singer's commitment and desire for love. The song concludes by asking the listener to guess who wants to fall in love and give themselves completely to another person.
Line by Line Meaning
Who needs two arms to hold him tight? I do, I do
I need two arms to hold me tight, I am in search for love and affection
Who needs sweet kisses ev'ry night? I do
I need your love to light up my nights
What kind of fool would lose his head
Every time he thought of you?
Thinking of you makes me go crazy, I am head over heels for you
Who wants to fall in love? I do
I am ready to fall in love with you
Who wants to see the same old face every day? I do, yes I do
I want to be with you every day, your face is the only one I want to see
Who wants to hear the foolish things you say? I do (I do)
I want to hear you talk and I find all the silly things you say endearing
Who would change his carefree ways
Start a new life with you?
I am ready to change my ways and start a new life with you
Someone wants to fall in love
Guess who?
I want to fall in love with you, it's no secret
Someone wants to give all his love to you
Guess who?
I want to give all my love to you, can you guess who that is?
Who needs a tender hand to hold? I do, I do (I do)
I want someone to hold my hand tenderly, and that someone is you
Who needs someone when nights are cold? I do (I do)
I need you to comfort me when nights are cold and dark
Who wants to tie himself up off of you
Spend the rest of his life with you?
I want to be tied to you and spend the rest of my life loving you
Yeah, who wants to say "I do"? I do
I want to say "I do", I want to marry you
Yeah, who wants to say "I do"? I do, I do
I am ready to commit my life to you, I am excited to say "I do"
Writer(s): Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham
Contributed by London L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mushtaque Ali
What a voice. What talent 💓
Ryan Mcmurray
My uncle dan is amazing, when i was a kid he would play his guitar while i danced
mtunpleasant
National treasure.
Gypsy Roller
Cool track !
andre sampson
beautiful song
ELŻBIETA KNAPIK
Piękny song