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.
I'll Drown In My Own Tears
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I begin to realize
I've cried so much since you've been gone
I guess I'll drown in my own tears
I've been crying just like a child
My pouring tears are running wild
If you don't think you'll be home soon
I know it's true
Into each life
Oh, some rain, rain must pour
I'm so blue
Here without you
It keeps raining more and more
Why don't you come home so I won't be all alone
If you don't think you'll be home soon
I Guess I'll (drown in my own tears
Oh, don't let me (drown in my own tears)
When I'm in trouble, baby (drown in my own tears)
Oh, don't let me (drown in my own tears)
I guess I'll drown in my own tears
The lyrics to Etta James's song "Drown in My Own Tears" tell the story of heartbreak and the overwhelming sadness that comes with losing someone you love. The song starts with the singer admitting that the tears keep flowing since the person she loves has left. As she realizes the full extent of her pain, she admits that she may drown in her own tears.
The second verse reveals the depth of the singer's emotion as she has been reduced to crying like a child, and her tears are "running wild." She pleads with her lover to come home so she won't be alone, but the rain keeps pouring, and she continues to drown in her own tears.
The chorus repeats the haunting words "drown in my own tears," as the singer begs for her lover to return and save her from the sadness and despair she's feeling. The message is clear: she needs him to survive. This song is a powerful ode to the pain of lost love and the desperation that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
It brings a tear into my eyes
The sadness of losing you makes me cry.
When I begin to realize
As I take time to reflect on my situation,
I've cried so much since you've been gone
I can't stop crying because you're no longer here.
I guess I'll drown in my own tears
I'm so overwhelmed with sadness that it feels like I'm drowning.
I've been crying just like a child
My tears are uncontrollable and I feel helpless like a child.
My pouring tears are running wild
My tears won't stop flowing and I can't control them.
If you don't think you'll be home soon
If you don't plan on returning anytime soon,
I guess I'll drown, oh yeah, in my own tears
I'll continue to be consumed by sadness and cry uncontrollably.
I know it's true
I understand that this is reality.
Into each life
Everyone will experience
Oh, some rain, rain must pour
Sadness and difficult times are inevitable.
I'm so blue
I feel extremely sad.
Here without you
Without your presence,
It keeps raining more and more
My sadness continues to grow and I can't shake it off.
Why don't you come home so I won't be all alone
I need you to come back so I won't feel so lonely.
Oh, don't let me (drown in my own tears)
I don't want to be consumed by my own sadness.
When I'm in trouble, baby (drown in my own tears)
When I'm going through hard times, my sadness takes over.
Oh, don't let me (drown in my own tears)
I'm hoping you'll help me overcome this sadness so I won't drown in my own tears.
I guess I'll drown in my own tears
If I can't find help, I'll continue to be consumed by my sadness and cry uncontrollably.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENRY GLOVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D' ARTICULATE
Words cannot describe what I feel when i listen to her Voice of voices..!
Reymundo Armendariz
Voice like a supernova, runs down your spine and give you the chills. Powerful voice like hers graces this world once every few thousand years. Buenas Noches Reyna.
catherine ortiz
i love her voice ,love the way she takes a song and makes it her own,wish i could have seen her in concert
REM700sniper@playstation network
It brings tears to my eyes to know that ETTA is gone, Thank you Etta for the greatest blues music ever!!!!
R.I.P. we will miss.
ConnieAnna1
THAT VOICE..oh my goodness...so pure
arthanel collins
Some great music from a great woman. R.I.P to a beautiful person. She will live on through her songs.
Anthony Mann
MS. Etta what a voice evokes emotions even after all these years R.I.P.
linda barnes-walker
Etta, that voice of yours reaches down deep in my soul an touches it so powerfully...What will we do without you?..Your passing leaves me with a heavy heart.
Kathy Harrington
Just. Great nothing like her great voice 😍
Regina Velez-Bossone
One of the best female vocalist of her time. Her voice is unique, and deep. It hit the core of your soul.