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've Been Loving You Too Long
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There were times, and you want to be free
My love is growing stronger, as you become a haven to me
I've been loving you (a tiny bit) too long
I don't wanna stop now
This is the soulful part
With you my life
Has been so wonderful I can't stop now
There were times.. and your love is growing cold
My love is growing stronger as our affair (affair) grows old
I've been loving you (about that much) too long To stop now
I've been loving you a little bit too long
I don't wanna stop now
No
No
No
Don't make me stop now
No baby
I'm down on my knees Please, don't make me stop now
I love you, I love you,
I love you with all of my heart
And I can't stop now
Don't make me stop now
Please, please don't make me stop now
(Good god of mine) I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you in so many different ways
I love you in so many different ways
The lyrics to Etta James's song "I've Been Loving You Too Long" express the desperation and intensity of a love that has been enduring for too long. Etta's powerful voice conveys the emotion behind the lyrics, which are about continuing to love and cherish someone even when they seem to be losing interest. The opening lines of the song state, "I've been loving you too long to stop now," which immediately sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics.
The following lines allude to the challenges that come with long-term relationships. There are times when one or both partners might feel like they want to be free, but despite these moments of doubt, the love between them continues to grow stronger. Etta sings, "My love is growing stronger, as you become a haven to me," which suggests that she relies on her partner for comfort, support, and security. She also acknowledges that their love might be getting colder as their relationship ages, but even so, she can't stop loving them.
The repetition of the line "I've been loving you too long to stop now" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's unwavering commitment and devotion to her partner. The passionate plea at the end of the song, in which Etta begs her partner not to make her stop loving them, adds to the sense of desperation that permeates the entire song.
Overall, "I've Been Loving You Too Long" is a powerful expression of the complexities of love and relationships. It shows that even when things are tough, and the future seems uncertain, love can endure and strengthen over time, and people can remain passionately devoted to one another.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been loving you too long to stop now
I have loved you for so long that it's impossible for me to stop now.
There were times, and you want to be free
There were moments in our relationship when you wanted to be free and away from me.
My love is growing stronger, as you become a haven to me
As you become a refuge for me, my love for you gets stronger and stronger.
I've been loving you (a tiny bit) too long
I have been loving you more than necessary and this might have caused some problems, but I'm not ready to let go.
I don't wanna stop now
I cannot and will not stop loving you now.
With you my life
Has been so wonderful I can't stop now
Since I met you, my life has been amazing, and I cannot imagine life without you.
There were times.. and your love is growing cold
There were times when you were falling out of love with me, and I could sense that.
My love is growing stronger as our affair (affair) grows old
As we spend more time together, my love for you becomes stronger and deeper.
I've been loving you (about that much) too long To stop now
I might have gone overboard with my love for you, but I can't and won't stop now.
No
No
No
The singer is begging not to have to stop their love.
Don't make me stop now
No baby
I'm down on my knees Please, don't make me stop now
The singer is on their knees, begging not to have to stop loving the other person.
I love you, I love you,
I love you with all of my heart
And I can't stop now
The singer loves the other person wholeheartedly and cannot stop loving them.
Please, please don't make me stop now
The singer pleads not to be asked to stop loving the other person.
(Good god of mine) I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you in so many different ways
I love you in so many different ways
The singer repeats their love for the other person, in multiple ways and intensities.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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.