Born Earl Zebedee Hooker in Quitman County, Mississippi, his impoverished family moved to Chicago, Illinois when he was still an infant. Influenced by parents and relatives who played music, he was a cousin of John Lee Hooker and began playing guitar as a teenager. An instrumentalist, within a few years Hooker put together a band that toured the United States and made some of his first recordings for Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. He eventually became an important part of the Chicago blues scene. Hooker played in the American Folk Blues Festival in England in 1969. Although he never received the public recognition to the same extent as some of his contemporaries, Jimi Hendrix proclaimed Earl Hooker as the "master of the wah-wah" and his talent was greatly respected by other notable musicians such as B.B. King, Ike Turner, Junior Wells, and Buddy Guy. Hooker played slide guitar on the 1962 Muddy Waters recording, "You Shook Me." He was the only slide player on a Muddy Waters recording besides Muddy himself. Hooker also helped popularized the double-neck guitar.
Earl Hooker died at the age of 40 after a lifelong struggle against tuberculosis, which is alluded to in the title of a 1972 compilation album of his work, "There's a Fungus Among Us." He was interred in the Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. His story was told in a 2001 book by author Sebastian Danchin titled Earl Hooker, Blues Master.
You Shook Me
Earl Hooker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know you shook me, baby
You shook me all night long
You know you shook me, baby
You shook me all night long
Whoa, you kept on shakin' me, darlin'
Oh, you messed up my happy home
Just like a hurricane
You know you move me baby
Just like a hurricane
Oh, you know you move me, darlin'
Just like a earthquake move the land
Oh, sometimes I wonder
What my poor wife and child gon' do
Oh, sometimes I wonde
What my poor wife and child gon' do
Oh, you know you made me mistreat them, darlin'
Oh, I'm madly in love with you
You know you shook me, baby
You shook me all night long
Hmm
You shook me all night long
Earl Hooker's song "You Shook Me" is a blues classic that speaks to the transformative power of love. The song is both an ode to and a warning about the electric effects of being with the person you love. The opening lines, "You know you shook me, baby / You shook me all night long" speak to the intensity of this experience; the kind of electric fire that comes with being enamored with someone.
The verses in the song go on to describe how the singer is moved, not just emotionally, but physically by their love interest. The lyrics state, "You know you move me baby / Just like a hurricane / You know you move me baby / Just like a hurricane." It's as if the singer is helpless in the face of their love interest's power.
However, the lyrics also point to the dangers of this intensity. The line "Oh, you know you made me mistreat them, darlin'" suggests that the singer's love has come at a cost. The people closest to them, their wife and child, are being neglected because of the pull of this love. In the end, though, the singer can't help but be consumed by this force of nature, even with the consequences.
Overall, "You Shook Me" is a powerful song that speaks to the all-consuming power of love. It's a reminder that love can come in many forms, from the gentle stirrings of the heart to the devastating force of a hurricane.
Line by Line Meaning
Hmm
Instrumental intro
You know you shook me, baby
You have a profound impact on me, my love.
You shook me all night long
You kept having that impact throughout the night.
You know you shook me, baby
Again, you have a profound impact on me, my love.
You shook me all night long
And again, you kept having that impact throughout the night.
Whoa, you kept on shakin' me, darlin'
You continuously had that profound impact on me, my love.
Oh, you messed up my happy home
You caused chaos and ruined the peace I had in my home.
You know you move me baby
You move me emotionally, my love.
Just like a hurricane
With great force and intensity.
You know you move me baby
Again, you move me emotionally, my love.
Just like a hurricane
With great force and intensity.
Oh, you know you move me, darlin'
You know how you affect me emotionally, my love.
Just like a earthquake move the land
Just like an earthquake moves the ground.
Oh, sometimes I wonder
I sometimes think about.
What my poor wife and child gon' do
How my wife and child will manage.
Oh, sometimes I wonder
I sometimes think about.
What my poor wife and child gon' do
How my wife and child will manage.
Oh, you know you made me mistreat them, darlin'
You caused me to mistreat them, my love.
Oh, I'm madly in love with you
I am deeply and passionately in love with you.
You know you shook me, baby
You have a profound impact on me, my love.
You shook me all night long
You kept having that impact throughout the night.
Hmm
Instrumental outro
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: J.B. LENOIR, WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anthony Nassar
A guitarist's guitarist, perpetually underrated. His touch on slide is unsurpassed.
Wreckless James
Spot on
surfercrow
An Earl Hooker original, 1962 — Before Willie Dixon added lyrics to it (and Muddy sang it), THREE years before Jeff Beck & The Yardbirds cut “Steeled Blues”, SIX years before Jeff Beck Group cut “You Shook Me” and SEVEN years before Led Zeppelin did the same. Earl Hooker, Chicago Blues Legend.
Mario Santana
Thanks for the info, I was looking in the internet and couldn't find it., great discovery for me this musician.
New Falconer Records
Hard to listen to this without singing: "you know you shook me babeh..." to yourself, be it either Muddy Waters or Led Zeppelin. Jeff Beck was obviously a big fan too. Just listen to the Yardbirds' "Steeled Blues" plus his own version of "You Shook Me" on the Truth album. Thanks for posting! Great quality audio.
Henry Krinkles
Wonderful example of slide guitar in standard tuning...never heard it without Muddy singing!
Craig McCauley
Love the blues!
Craig McCauley
Love the blues!
Drinbeats
Sou viajante do tempo e vim dizer que venho de 1960 pra apreciar essa bela musica no YouTube
Nick Salvatore
This is right up there with Green Onions for me, as far as Instrumental Blues is concerned.