Born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston, Texas, when she was an adolescent, her parents divorced, and she was forced to divide her time between her father in Houston and her mother in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Because she was brought up singing in church, she was hesitant to enter a talent contest at a local blues club, but her sister insisted and she complied. A mature singer at age fourteen, she won the amateur talent contest in 1949 at the Barrelhouse Club owned by Johnny Otis. Otis was so impressed that he recorded her for Modern Records and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, billed as 'Little Esther Phillips' (she reportedly took the surname from a gas station sign).
Her first hit record was Double Crossing Blues, recorded in 1950 for Savoy Records. After several hit records with Savoy, including her duet with Mel Walker on Mistrusting Blues, which went to number one that year, as did "Cupid Boogie". Other Phillips records that made it onto the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1950 include "Misery" (number 9), "Deceivin' Blues" (number 4), "Wedding Boogie" (number 6), and "Faraway Blues" (number 6). Few female artists, R&B or otherwise, had ever enjoyed such success in their debut year. Phillips left Otis and the Savoy label at the end of 1950 and signed with Federal Records.
But just as quickly as the hits had started, they stopped. Although she recorded more than thirty sides for Federal, only one, Ring-a-Ding-Doo, charted; the song made it to number 8 in 1952. Not working with Otis was part of her problem; the other part was her drug usage. By the middle of the decade Phillips was chronically addicted to drugs.
In 1954, she returned to Houston to live with her father to recuperate. Short on money, she worked in small nightclubs around the South, punctuated by periodic hospital stays in Lexington, Kentucky, stemming from her addiction. In 1962, Kenny Rogers re-discovered her while singing at a Houston club and got her signed to his brother Lelanβs Lenox label.
Phillips ultimately got well enough to launch a comeback in 1962. Now billed as Esther Phillips instead of Little Esther, she recorded a country tune, Release Me, with producer Bob Gans. This went to number 1 R&B and number 8 on the pop listings. After several other minor R&B hits on Lenox, she was signed by Atlantic Records. Her cover of The Beatles' song And I Love Him nearly made the R&B Top Ten in 1965 and the Beatles flew her to the UK for her first overseas performances.
She had other hits in the 1960s on the label, but no more chart toppers, and she waged a battle with heroin dependency. With her addiction worsening, Phillips checked into a rehab facility. While undergoing treatment, she cut some sides for Roulette in 1969, mostly produced by Lelan Rogers. On her release, she moved back to Los Angeles and re-signed with the Atlantic label. A late 1969 gig at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper club produced the album Burnin'. She performed with the Johnny Otis Show at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1970.
One of her biggest post-1950s triumphs was in 1972 with her first album for Kudu Records. The song penned by Gil Scott-Heron, Home Is Where the Hatred Is, - an account of drug use β was lead track on From a Whisper to a Scream which went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award. When Phillips lost to Aretha Franklin, the latter presented the trophy to Phillips, saying she should have won it instead.
Taylor continued to cut albums with her until in 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco-style update of Dinah Washington's What a Diff'rence a Day Makes. It reached a high of a Top 20 chart appearance in the U.S., and Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. On November 8, 1975 she performed the song on an episode of NBC's Saturday Night hosted by Candice Bergen. The accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet, with arranger Joe Beck on guitar, Michael Brecker on tenor sax, David Sanborn on alto sax, and Randy Brecker on trumpet to Steve Khan on guitar and Don Grolnick on keyboards.
She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, completing a total of seven albums on Kudu and four with Mercury Records, for whom she signed in 1977. In 1983, she charted for the final time on a tiny independent label, Winning with Turn Me Out, which reached #85 R&B. She completed recording her final album a few months before her death, but it was not until 1986 that the label (Muse) released the record.
Phillips died at UCLA Medical Center in Carson, California in 1984, at the age of 48 from liver and kidney failure due to drug use. Her funeral services were conducted by Johnny Otis, and she was buried in the Morning Light section, at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. The bronze marker recognizes her career achievements, as well as quoting a Bible passage, "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions" - St. John 14:2
I Can Stand a Little Rain
Esther Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can stand a little rain,
I can stand a little rain,
Ooh, I can stand a little pain,
But when the rain comes up through the floorboards,
I can stand a little rest!
I can stand a little sorrow,
I can stand a little sighin',
Oh, just another taste of lyin'!
Oh, I can stand a little love,
I feel I can stand a little love,
And when I'm on my bicycle ride,
I can stand another test.
And I mean it, mean it for ever!
And I can make it, make it,
I said make it somethin' more, oooh-ooh!
Made it before,
Yeah, I'm gonna make it some more!
The lyrics to Esther Phillips's song I Can Stand a Little Rain express the resilience and determination of the singer in the face of difficult times. The repeated refrain "I can stand a little rain" represents the idea that the singer can handle whatever life throws at her, even if it can be painful. She acknowledges that life is full of difficulties and challenges, and she accepts that the rain may come, but she is not going to let it bring her down.
The second verse talks about how the singer can handle sorrow and lying, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect her. She can stand it until tomorrow, but eventually, she needs a break from it. Even in the midst of love, which can be joyous and amazing, the singer knows that life is about endurance and testing oneself, which she can handle. Ultimately, the song is about perseverance, the ability to keep going no matter what happens.
Overall, the lyrics to I Can Stand a Little Rain are about having the courage to face the difficulties that come with life, whether it's pain, sorrow, or love. The song is a testament to the human spirit, which can endure even the toughest of situations.
Line by Line Meaning
I can stand a little rain,
I am capable of enduring difficult times and hardships in my life.
I can stand a little pain,
I can tolerate physical and emotional pain to some extent.
But when the rain comes up through the floorboards,
However, when problems and difficulties arise unexpectedly and from multiple sources, it's too much to handle.
I can stand a little rest!
I need a break to rest and recover from the difficulties I'm facing.
I can stand a little sorrow,
I can handle feelings of sadness and grief.
I can stand it until tomorrow,
I can tolerate these emotions for a limited time.
I can stand a little sighin',
I can deal with expressing my sadness through sighs.
Oh, just another taste of lyin'!
But I cannot tolerate any more lies or false promises.
Oh, I can stand a little love,
I am open to and capable of experiencing love.
I feel I can stand a little love,
I believe that I can handle the emotional intensity of a loving relationship.
And when I'm on my bicycle ride,
During times when I feel like I'm in control and can move forward.
I can stand another test.
I can handle new challenges and obstacles thrown my way.
And I mean it, mean it for ever!
I am serious and committed to my beliefs and feelings.
And I can make it, make it,
I have the ability to succeed and overcome challenges.
I said make it somethin' more, oooh-ooh!
I want to turn my difficulties and hardships into something meaningful and positive.
Made it before,
I have faced and overcome difficulties in the past.
Yeah, I'm gonna make it some more!
I am confident that I will continue to overcome any challenges I face in the future.
Contributed by Matthew T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@eirinimakropoulou
"I Can Stand A Little Rain"
I can stand a little rain
I can stand a little rain
I can stand a little rain
I can stand a little pain
But when the rain comes to the floorboards
I can stand a little rest
I can stand a little sorrow
I can stand it till tomorrow
I can stand a little strife
Just another taste of life
I can stand a little love
I can stand a little love
But when I'm on my last go-round
I can stand another test
I can stand another test
Cause I've made it before
And I can make it some more
I've made it before
And I know I can make it some more
Made it before
And I know I can make it some more
Made it before
And I know I can make it some more
I've made it before
I can make it some more
@mustertherohirrim7315
Level 10 absolute soul.
@anidgomes2380
Eternamente MARAVILHOSAβ¦.uma das formas amorosas da Fonte.πππππππππ₯°π§π·πΉ
@lastrada52
Great, great brass backup. Esther has a peculiar voice but that's what her charm is all about. She has been around for years and is never disappointing.
@oswaldoyaselli6195
lo mejor de hace 40 aΓ±os
@slofootcrofoot
My song since the late 70's...
@oswaldoyaselli6195
lo mas comercial
@chimpsnaps
Love this track, just beautiful...
@oswaldoyaselli6195
musica de los 70
@baidawibai
i have this vinyl.. sampled it for a track. such a big tune
@SoulKingBK
I want that effect