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.
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heard they crowded the floor
Couldn't bear it without you
Don't get around much anymore
Though I'd visit the club
Got as far as the door
They'd have asked me about you
Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease
But nevertheless why stir up memories?
Been invited on dates
Might have gone but what for?
Awf'lly diff'rent without you
Don't get around much anymore
The lyrics of Etta James's song "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" describe the feeling of heartbreak and loneliness after a breakup. The singer admits that she used to enjoy going out and dancing on Saturdays, but now she hasn't been able to bring herself to go anymore because she can't bear being without her former partner. She even tries to visit the club one night but can't make it past the door, knowing that she would be asked about her former lover. The lyrics capture both the physical and emotional isolation that come with losing someone you love.
The singer acknowledges that her mind is more at ease without her former partner, but she still can't help but stir up memories by imagining what it would be like if they were still together. She has been invited on dates but has not felt motivated to go, recognizing that everything would feel "awf'lly diff'rent" without her former partner by her side. Overall, the lyrics of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" paint a poignant picture of the aftermath of a broken relationship, in which the singer is unable to move on completely and is left to confront her own feelings of sadness and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Missed the Saturday dance
I was unable to attend the dance on Saturday
Heard they crowded the floor
I heard that the dance floor was full of people
Couldn't bear it without you
I couldn't stand being there without you
Don't get around much anymore
I don't go out much anymore
Though I'd visit the club
I thought about going to the club
Got as far as the door
I went to the door, but didn't go in
They'd have asked me about you
People would have asked me about you
Don't get around much anymore
I don't go out much anymore
Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease
I feel more relaxed now, my mind is at ease
But nevertheless why stir up memories?
But why bring up memories that might cause pain?
Been invited on dates
I have been invited to go out on dates
Might have gone but what for?
I might have gone, but what's the point?
Awf'lly diff'rent without you
It's really different without you
Don't get around much anymore
I don't go out much anymore
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Duke Ellington, Bob Russell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ariel israd
Missed the Saturday dance
Heard they crowded the floor
Couldn't bear it without you
Don't get around much anymore
I thought I'd visit the club
Got as far as the door
They'd have asked me about you
Don't get around much anymore
Well darling, I guess that my mind's more at ease
But nevertheless, why stir up memories?
I've been invited on dates
Might have gone but what for
It's awfully different without you
Don't get around much anymore
Darling, I guess, my mind's more at ease
But nevertheless, why stir up memories?
They've been invited on dates
I might have gone but what for
It's awfully different without you
Don't get around much anymore
Oh baby, don't get around much anymore
KnocksX
I'm a big fan of Etta's vocals here, but can't say the same about the arrangement. The big band arrangement of Tony Bennett's version (and the more recent Michael Buble version that definitely uses Tony Bennett as inspiration) is probably the best treatment of this fantastic (and timeless) song.
King Bee
I did NO T know Miss Peaches did this song! Sounds like a mid-60s Chess production w/Riley Hampton's Orchestra. What great tunes she did besides her classic R&B....my late girlfriend (R IP Phyllis Kay, 2007) looked a lot like Etta!
Cindy Jones
Like all her she has great voice
Wolf251982
Classic!
Oleg Ilyasov
Precious Gem of all Times and Nations like she was named at birth "Jamesetta"
Ariel israd
Missed the Saturday dance
Heard they crowded the floor
Couldn't bear it without you
Don't get around much anymore
I thought I'd visit the club
Got as far as the door
They'd have asked me about you
Don't get around much anymore
Well darling, I guess that my mind's more at ease
But nevertheless, why stir up memories?
I've been invited on dates
Might have gone but what for
It's awfully different without you
Don't get around much anymore
Darling, I guess, my mind's more at ease
But nevertheless, why stir up memories?
They've been invited on dates
I might have gone but what for
It's awfully different without you
Don't get around much anymore
Oh baby, don't get around much anymore
Tish Sharay
They’d have asked about you daddy lol gotta say daddy when u mention ms James
Wolf251982
Jamesetta Hawkins
Etta James
January / 25 / 1938 – January / 20 / 2012
Rest In Peace
Hanna Zina
Iconic
Praise Jesus
Talk about unsung greatness.