Washington was born Ruth Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As she was growing up in Chicago, she played piano and directed her church choir. Later, she studied in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. For a while, she split her time between performing in clubs as Dinah Washington while singing and playing piano in Salle Martin's gospel choir as Ruth Jones.
Washington began performing in 1942 and soon joined Lionel Hampton's band. In 1943, she began recording for Keynote Records and released "Evil Gal Blues", her first hit. By 1955, she had released numerous hit songs on the R&B charts, including "Baby, Get Lost", "Trouble in Mind", "You Don't Know What Love Is" (arranged by Quincy Jones), and a cover of "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. In 1958 she made a well-received appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.
With "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" 1959, Washington won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance; the song was her biggest hit, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The commercially driven album of the same name, with its heavily reliance on strings and wordless choruses, was slammed by jazz and blues critics as being far too commercial, not keeping with her blues roots. Despite this, the album was a huge success and Washington continued to favor more commercial, pop-oriented songs rather than traditional blues and jazz songs. She also dealt in torch songs; her rendition of The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was well-regarded.
She was married seven times, and divorced six times while having several lovers, including Quincy Jones, her young arranger. She was known to be imperious and demanding in real life, but audiences loved her. In London she once declared, "...there is only one heaven, one earth and one queen...Queen Elizabeth is an impostor", but the crowd loved it.
Dinah Washington died from an accidental overdose of diet pills and alcohol at the age of 39 in 1963.
I Wanna Be Loved
Dinah Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to be loved starting tonight
Instead of merely holding conversation
Hold me tight
I want to be kissed until I tingle
I want to be kissed starting tonight
Embrace until our heartbeats intermingle
I feel like acting my age
I'm past the stage of merely turtle-doving
(Be careful, be careful what you do)
I'm in no mood to resist
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I want to be thrilled to desperation
I want to be thrilled starting tonight
(Love me, love me, love me)
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I want to be loved
I feel like acting my age
I'm past the stage of merely turtle-doving
I'm in no mood to resist
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I want to be thrilled to desperation
I want to be thrilled starting tonight
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I want to be loved
In Dinah Washington's song "I Wanna Be Loved," the singer expresses a deep desire to be loved with passion and intensity. She wants her lover to show her more than just casual conversation, instead holding her tightly and kissing her until she tingles. The singer insists that at her age, she is past the stage of "merely turtle-doving," and wants the world to owe her some real love. She craves thrilling sensations and the intermingling of heartbeats.
This song speaks to a universal desire for true and intense love. The singer has reached a point in her life where she knows what she wants and refuses to settle for anything less. She wants a love that ignites her senses and leaves her feeling alive. The repetition of "starting tonight" emphasizes her urgency and readiness for this kind of love.
Additionally, the lyrics suggest a sense of empowerment and confidence. The singer insists that she deserves this kind of love, and is in no mood to resist it. She is unapologetic about her desires and her pursuit of them.
Overall, "I Wanna Be Loved" is a passionate plea for an all-encompassing love that leaves the singer thrilled and satisfied. It speaks to a deep need within us all to be loved fiercely and completely.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to be loved with inspiration
I desire to be loved passionately and creatively.
I want to be loved starting tonight
My longing for love is immediate and urgent.
Instead of merely holding conversation
I don't want superficial talks, but real intimate connection.
Hold me tight
I want to feel safe and secure in your arms.
I want to be kissed until I tingle
Kiss me with passion until it sends shivers down my spine.
Embrace until our heartbeats intermingle
I want us to feel each other's heartbeat and merge as one.
Wrong or right
It doesn't matter if it's wrong or right, as long as we have love.
I feel like acting my age
I want to express myself as a mature adult who knows what she wants.
I'm past the stage of merely turtle-doving
I don't want a slow-moving, passive relationship anymore.
(Be careful, be careful what you do)
You should be careful how you treat me because I am not to be taken for granted.
I'm in no mood to resist
I am ready and willing to give in to love.
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I deserve to be loved deeply and fully by someone who appreciates me for who I am.
I want to be thrilled to desperation
I want love to make me feel like I am living on the edge of passion and desire.
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I want to experience all the amazing feelings and emotions that come with being in love.
Love me, love me, love me
I want to be adored and cherished completely.
I want to be loved
Above all else, I desire to be loved with all the passion, intensity, and tenderness that comes with true love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FARNELL G. JENKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rebeccadavila8882
I love this song! Tantalizing, seductive and classy!!!💜✨
@adrianamarques-saudacaolou1813
Só eu que ouço músicas internacional, imaginando que estou em Los Angeles, Nova York, naqueles bailes ? Kkk❤❤❤❤
@lisamcmahon1462
She can make you fall in love even when there's no one to love.
@carygray8540
Lisa McMahon tell me about it
@shelly5596
For sure
@nadiaalsaadi
I do 🙃
@bobpevere2456
Exactly!
@noellewaters9306
I could listen to her sing all day & night. What a magnificent voice that brings such joy and peace. Thank you for sharing this extraordinary talented artist!
@deenahsclub1665
Noelle Waters ikr
@unCarlFarbmanLike
nonpareil