James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California, on 25th January 1938, to an unmarried fourteen-year-old mother, Dorothy Hawkins. According to Etta, her mother claimed that her father was the white Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and that they received financial support from him on the condition that they keep his paternity a secret. This seems unlikely, though it has not been definitively disproved. Etta was born in Los Angeles in 1938. At the time, Wanderone was known to be managing a pool hall in Washington, D.C. and had not yet become known to be the cross-country traveller he later became.
She received her first professional vocal training at five years old from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir at St Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Her family moved to San Francisco in 1950, and she teamed up with two other girls to form a doo-wop singing group. When the girls were fourteen, band leader Johnny Otis had them audition. They sang an answer to Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie" called "Roll Wwth Me Henry". Otis particularly liked the song, and against her mother's wishes, James and the trio went to Los Angeles to record the song in 1954. The song was recorded on the label Modern Records. By this time, the trio renamed the song "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" and released it in 1955. James named her vocal group The Peaches. Richard Berry, a Los Angeles doo-wop luminary, is featured on some of their records.
"The Wallflower" reached number two on the rhythm and blues charts in February 1955, but was undercut in the wider market by a rushed-out cover version by Georgia Gibbs on Mercury Records; in fact, the very first time Gibbs was recorded in studio, they used the first take recorded and it became number one on the top 100 songs nationally. The song's royalties were divided between Hank Ballard, Etta James, and Johnny Otis, and its huge success attracted the attention of the R&B world, resulting in James going on tour with Little Richard. On the tour, though, according to James, she witnessed and experienced situations to which minors are not usually privy, and she allegedly acquired a drug habit.
Soon after the success of "Wallflower", The Peaches and James parted company, but this did not halt her career. Shecontinued to record and release albums throughout much of the decade, and enjoyed more success. Her follow-up, "Good Rockin' Daddy", became another fifties hit. Other songs however, such as "Tough Lover" and "W-O-M-A-N" failed to gain any significant success. James toured with Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Otis Redding in the fifties, and has cited Watson as the most significant influence on her style..
In 1960, James signed a recording contract with Chess Records. She went on to have the biggest success of her career from this label, recording her biggest and most memorable hits. Chess went into high gear with James, releasing many duets with her then boyfriend, the married Harvey Fuqua, who was the lead singer of the Moonglows. One of her duets with Fuqua, "If I Can't Have You", became a hit on the R&B charts in 1960. As a solo artist however, she had more enduring success. One of her first singles released by Chess in 1960 was called "All I Could Do Was Cry"; this blues number became a big hit on the R&B charts in 1960. Leonard Chess, one of the founders of Chess Records, helped James along the way. He saw the potential for her to go in a more pop-oriented direction, and she started recording more pop tunes for the label.
The year 1961 became a year of great change for James. In 1961 came the release of one of her first pop-oriented tunes called "At Last". The song became a big hit in 1961, reaching number two on the R&B charts. The song even went as far as twenty-two on the pop charts that year. It became her signature song. Other songs, such as "Trust in Me", also became hits, and the 1962 tune "Something's Got a Hold On Me" showed more of James' gospel side, a genre she had sung since childhood.
She had other big hits in the 1960s, but mainly on the R&B charts: the song "Pushover" in 1963 and "Stop the Wedding", "Fool That I Am", and "Don't Cry Baby", were hits for her between 1961 and 1963. Her 1963 album Etta James Rocks the House, recorded at Nashville's "New Era" club, also gave her career a boost. James then became one of the most successful R&B artists of the 1960s, having many more top ten and top twenty hit singles. Performing in Memphis, Tennessee helped make her into a blues icon.
In 1967, James released her next hit single, "Tell Mama", and it became a top ten hit on the R&B charts. After a dry period of no hits for almost four years, the song once more made James a household name. The follow-up, "Security", was also a success, and proved that James had staying power on the charts again. Whilst less success came for James after this hit, she was still on the charts regularly and, despite the death of Leonard Chess, stayed with the Chess label into 1975. Towards the end of the Chess years though, she went into more rock-based songs. She recorded for many other labels, and continued to release albums, such as 1978's Deep In the Night on Atlantic Records.
Despite a dry period during the early to mid 1980s, James got back on track and began to record music again. She received accolades for her 1981 rendition of Randy Newman's "God's Song". Her 1988 album Seven Year Itch proved this comeback capability; the album showed more of her soul side. In 1989, she recorded the song "Avenue D" with David A. Stewart of Eurythmics. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the Robert Wise film Rooftops. She also performed with the Grateful Dead for two shows in 1982. In the 1990s she continued to record and perform. Her albums widely varied in styles and genres. Her 1992 album, The Right Time, was another soul album that was released by Elektra Records. She also began to record more jazz, which became the style for many of her 1990s albums.
Drug-related and romantic problems interfered with her career, but James managed to maintain a career throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. Later in life, she struggled with obesity, experiencing mobility and knee problems. In 2003, she underwent gastric bypass surgery.
In 2011, a vocal sample from Etta's "Something's Got a Hold on Me" was used in "Levels" by Avicii. "Levels" became a monster EDM hit, making Etta's "sometimes I get a good feeling" one of the most recognizable samples in 21st century music.
She died on 20th January 2012.
Anything To Say You're Mine
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so blue
Cause I'm worried over you
I, I sometimes wonder
Why I never hear from you
You promised to write me
Each and everyday
Since you went away
Oohh oohh
I sit by my window pane
Hoping for a letter
One that never came
My heart cries for just
One little line
Anything to say you're mine
Oohh, oohh, oohh, oohh
I said a prayer
Every night, hoping
Hoping and praying
Someday, someday you'd write
Oohh, oohh
My heart cries
For one little line
Anything to say you're mine
In "Anything to Say You're Mine," Etta James delivers a heartfelt soul ballad about a lover who has disappeared without a trace, leaving her feeling lost and alone. Written by James and her regular songwriting partner, the legendary bluesman Ellas McDaniel (better known as Bo Diddley), the song showcases James's formidable voice, which is equal parts tender and powerful.
The opening lines set the scene for the song's emotional rollercoaster with "Ohh Ohh, I'm so blue // Cause I'm worried over you // I, I sometimes wonder // Why I never hear from you," James sings with a sense of understated melancholy. As the verses unfold, we learn that the singer is waiting for a letter that never arrives, and her longing for her absent lover intensifies with each passing day.
The chorus, meanwhile, provides the emotional catharsis that the song has been building towards. When James sings "My heart cries for just // One little line // Anything to say you're mine," her voice soars with emotion as she pleads with her lover to reestablish their connection.
Ultimately, "Anything to Say You're Mine" is a timeless classic that showcases Etta James at her finest. Through her stirring vocal performance and expertly crafted lyrics, James captures the longing, sadness, and hope that come with being in love and losing someone you care about deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Ohh Ohh
Expression of emotional distress and sadness
I'm so blue
Feeling depressed and dejected
Cause I'm worried over you
Experiencing anxiety about the well-being and whereabouts of loved one
I, I sometimes wonder
Thoughts of uncertainty and doubt
Why I never hear from you
Questioning the lack of communication and contact from loved one
You promised to write me
Recollection of a vow made by loved one
Each and everyday
Frequency of promised communication
And I haven't heard from you
Recognition of the lack of fulfillment of promise
Since you went away
Realization of the separation from loved one
I sit by my window pane
Visual depiction of the waiting and yearning for communication
Hoping for a letter
Desire to receive a written message
One that never came
Disappointment from the absence of expected communication
My heart cries for just
Emotional longing and yearning
One little line
The smallest amount of communication would bring happiness and comfort
Anything to say you're mine
Indication of the importance of communication in maintaining connection and relationship
I said a prayer
Expression of religious or spiritual appeal for intervention
Every night, hoping
Continued desire and anticipation
Hoping and praying
Repetition of the same idea, signifying deep desire and urgency
Someday, someday you'd write
Future expectation and hope
My heart cries
Continued emotional longing
For one little line
Reiteration of what would bring happiness and comfort
Anything to say you're mine
Final and most important statement signifying the importance of communication in expressing and maintaining love and affection
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Sonny Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erik brodland
on I Just Want to Make Love to You
Love this song so much, it makes me think of my son's Beautiful mommy jasmin and her amazing.voice.