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 Lelan’s 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 — 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
S.O.S
Esther Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
Hey, hey, hey
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
Because I'm in so much distress
So if you see my baby
Stop her on sight
Hey, hey, hey
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
Hey, hey, hey
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
I'm gonna tell the F.B.I.
I'm likely to get myself a secret spy
Because I lost my baby
So if you see my baby
Stop her on sight
You can tell her by the way she walks
You can tell her by the way she talks
You can tell her by the way she smiles
I guarantee you it will drive you wild
So if you see my baby
If anybody sees my baby
Stop her on sight
Hey, hey, hey
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
Hey, hey, hey
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
Esther Phillips's song "S.O.S" is an upbeat track conveying the desperation of a woman who has lost her lover. The song's chorus ends with the repeating line "I'm sending out an S.O.S," with the artist's voice feeling urgent and frantic. The lyrics suggest that Phillips is open to extreme measures to find her partner, such as seeking help from the F.B.I. or hiring a spy.
The woman's love for her partner is evident in the lyrics, with verses describing how he walks, talks, and smiles. But the loss of this love drives her into a panicked state, which she communicates through the song's dynamic rhythm and repetition. Throughout the song, Phillips pleads with anyone who sees her lover to "stop her on sight," underscoring her desperation.
Overall, "S.O.S" is a song that speaks to the anguish of heartbreak and the lengths people will go to recapture lost love. The artist's delivery is powerful and memorable, making this a standout track in her discography.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, hey, hey
The singer is calling out for attention.
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
The singer is trying to signal for help.
Hey, hey, hey
The singer is still calling out for attention.
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
The singer reiterates that she needs help.
Because I'm in so much distress
The singer is in a state of extreme emotional pain.
So if you see my baby
The singer is looking for her lost love.
If you see my baby
The singer repeats this line to emphasize the importance of finding her love.
Stop her on sight
The singer wants anyone who sees her love to immediately stop and help.
I'm gonna tell the F.B.I.
The singer is willing to go to great lengths to find her love.
I'm likely to get myself a secret spy
The singer is considering hiring someone to find her lost love.
Because I lost my baby
The singer has lost her love.
You can tell her by the way she walks
The singer is describing her love's distinct characteristics.
You can tell her by the way she talks
The singer is describing her love's distinct characteristics.
You can tell her by the way she smiles
The singer is describing her love's distinct characteristics.
I guarantee you it will drive you wild
The singer is so sure of her description that it will make someone go crazy when they see her love.
So if you see my baby
The singer repeats the call for help.
If anybody sees my baby
The singer wants everyone to be on the lookout for her love.
Stop her on sight
The singer reiterates the urgency to immediately stop and help.
Hey, hey, hey
The singer ends with another call for attention.
I'm sending out an S.O.S.
The singer reiterates the need for help.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Delisha Thomas, Eric M Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DJ3KEY
This is wicked. Love it! I mainly only ever hear the Side Effect's version of this. Thanks for the nice upload.
@piewonders5135
PERFECT DESCRIPTION....WICKED!!
@mickparsons62
Tune!! havent heard this for years!! Great upload
@heldersufiano2816
awesome !!!
@nightimelady
great!
@UBZUKI
actually makes a welcome change to the side effect version