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.
He's Funny That Way
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just glad I'm livin' I'm lucky to be
I've got a man crazy for me
He's funny that way
I can't save a dollar, ain't worth a cent
He doesn't holler, he'd live in a tent
I've got that man crazy for me
Though he loves to work and slave for me every day
Oh, he'd be, he'd be so much, so much better off
If I went away
Oh, but why should I leave him? Why should I go?
He'd be unhappy without me I know
I've got a man crazy for me
Oh, he's funny, funny that way
(Play it)
(Ooh)
Never had nothin', no one to care
That's why I seem to have more than my share
I've got a man that's crazy for me
Oh, he's funny that way
When I hurt his feelings, once in a while
His only answer is one, one little smile
And I've got that man so crazy for me
He's funny, funny that way
I can see no other way
Oh, and no, no better plan
End it all, end it all and let him go, let him go
To some better, some better gal
Oh, I'm only human, a coward at best
And I'm more than certain he'll follow me west
I've got a man wild about me me
He's funny that way
I've got a man
I've got a man
He's funny that way
The song "He's Funny That Way" is a classic love ballad that captures the heart of an unlikely pair. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who was once wealthy, beautiful, and glamorous but somehow ended up falling for an ordinary man who cannot offer her the same luxuries she is used to. The contrast between the two characters is highlighted through the imagery - the woman is "dressed in silks and lace" and "owned a Rolls-Royce car," while the man emphasizes that he is "not much to look at" and "can't save a dollar, ain't worth a cent." Yet despite their differences, the woman is devoted to the man, and he cannot help but wonder why she would want him.
The song's refrain emphasizes the woman's loyalty and devotion to the singer: "I got a woman crazy for me, she's funny that way." The line "she'd be so much better off if I went away" suggests the man may be insecure about their relationship, but he reassures himself that she would be unhappy without him. The final verse reveals that the man has considered leaving her, but he knows that she would follow him. The song ends with the man acknowledging that he has been blessed with a woman who is crazy about him, even if it seems unlikely.
Overall, the lyrics of "He's Funny That Way" underscore the idea that love can be unpredictable and that what one person finds attractive may not be what others do. The song also speaks to the power of loyalty and devotion in a relationship, even when it appears that the two people might be mismatched.
Line by Line Meaning
Once she dressed in silks and lace, Owned a Rolls Royce car
She used to be wealthy and luxurious but now seems down on her luck and struggling like a fading star.
Now she seems quite out of place, like a fallen star
She's uncomfortable and a little out of place in my humble home, but makes the best of it and remains happy.
Draped around my kitchen sink , Happy as can be
She enjoys doing everyday things like housework and being home with me, and does so with contentment.
I just have to stop and think, Why she fell for me.
I'm amazed and grateful that she chose me and wonder what it is that she sees in me.
I'm not much to look at, nothing to see
Just glad I'm livin' and lucky to be
I got a woman crazy for me
She's funny that way.
I may not be much to look at, but I'm glad to be alive and appreciate that she loves me for who I am, even if it seems funny.
I can't save a dollar, ain't worth a cent
She doesn't holler she'd live in a tent
I got a woman crazy for me
She's funny that way.
I'm not good at saving money and don't have much, but she doesn't complain and is willing to live a simple life with me. It's funny how devoted she is.
Tho' she loves to work and slave for me ev'ry day
She'd be so much better off if I went away.
She works tirelessly to take care of me every day, but I can't help feeling that she would be better off if I left her alone.
But why should I leave her, why should I go
She'd be unhappy without me I know
I got a woman crazy for me
She's funny that way.
I can't bring myself to leave her because I know how much she loves me and how unhappy she would be without me. It's funny how much she cares.
She should have the very best, Anyone can see
Still she's diff'rent from the rest, satisfied with me.
She deserves the best in life, but she's content with what we have and finds satisfaction in being with me. It's funny how she can be so happy with so little.
While I worry plan and scheme, Over what to do
Can't help feeling it's a dream, Too good to be true.
I worry and stress about our future, but sometimes it seems like a dream come true to have such a loving partner by my side. It's funny how surreal it can feel.
Never had nothin'; no one to care
That's why I seem to have more than my share,
I got a woman, crazy for me,
She's funny that way.
I've never had much in life and nobody to care about me, which is why I feel so fortunate to have her love. It's funny how fate works sometimes.
When I hurt her feelings, once in a while,
Her only answer is one little smile,
I got a woman crazy for me.
She's funny that way.
Even when I accidentally hurt her feelings, she forgives me easily and responds with a loving smile. It's funny how forgiving she is.
I can see no other way and no better plan,
End it all and let her go to some better man;
But I'm only human, coward at best
I'm more than certain she'd follow me west,
I got a woman crazy for me,
She's funny that way.
Sometimes I feel like ending our relationship for her own good, but I'm too afraid to leave her. I'm sure she would follow me anywhere, even to the ends of the earth. It's funny how deep her love is.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Neil Moret, Richard Whiting
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.