Etta James (1938-2012) was a U.S. blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll, and jazz … Read Full Bio ↴Etta James (1938-2012) was a U.S. blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll, and jazz singer and songwriter. She is the winner of four Grammies, seventeen Blues Music Awards, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (in 1993), the Blues Hall of Fame (in 2001), and the Grammy Hall of Fame (in both 1999 and 2008).

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 Believe I Can Fly
Etta James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I can see it and that's when I'm like about anything
If I can see it, I can do it

I used to think that I could not go on
And life was nothing but an awful song
But now I know the meaning of true love
I'm leaning on the everlasting arms

If I can see it then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I could fly
I believe I can touch the sky
Think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away

I believe, I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence, it can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me

If I can see it, I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I could fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

'Cause I believe in me
I believe in me

If I can see it then I can do it
If I just, if I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe, I believe I could fly
I believe I can touch the sky
Think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away

I believe, I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly, I believe, I believe
I believe I can fly and I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly
I know, I know I can fly
I know, I know I can soar

See me running through that open door
I, I can fly

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Etta James's song "I Believe I Can Fly" are about hope, self-belief and determination. The song tells the story of someone who used to feel hopeless and believed that they could not go on, but now they have found true love and the strength to overcome their struggles. The person believes that if they can see their dreams and desires clearly, they can achieve anything they set their minds to. The lyrics state, "If I can see it then I can do it, If I just believe it, there's nothing to it."

The lyrics also address the internal struggles that the person has faced. They were on the verge of breaking down, but they found the power within themselves to rise up and achieve the miracles they want to achieve. The person believes that the journey to achieving their dreams starts from within and that they need to believe in themselves first before they can soar. The lyrics emphasize this point "...Miracles in life I must achieve, But first I know it starts inside of me."

Overall, the lyrics of "I Believe I Can Fly" are about empowering oneself, believing in oneself and having hope despite the odds. The song encourages listeners to find strength in their struggles and to always have faith in themselves, especially during tough times.

Line by Line Meaning

If I can see it and that's when I'm like about anything
If I can visualize my goal and have a positive attitude, I can accomplish anything.

I used to think that I could not go on And life was nothing but an awful song But now I know the meaning of true love I'm leaning on the everlasting arms
I used to feel despair, but now I've found something to believe in that gives me hope and strength.

If I can see it then I can do it If I just believe it, there's nothing to it
Visualizing my success and believing in myself are the keys to achieving my goals.

I believe I could fly I believe I can touch the sky Think about it every night and day Spread my wings and fly away
I have faith in myself that I can achieve my dreams and soar to great heights with determination.

I believe, I believe I can soar I see me running through that open door I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly I believe I can fly
I have confidence that I can overcome obstacles and run towards opportunities, leading to success.

See I was on the verge of breaking down Sometimes silence, it can seem so loud There are miracles in life I must achieve But first I know it starts inside of me
I was close to losing hope, but I know that I have to look inward and believe in my own abilities to manifest miracles and change my life.

'Cause I believe in me I believe in me
I have faith in myself and my abilities to achieve greatness.

I believe, I believe I could fly I believe I can touch the sky Think about it every night and day Spread my wings and fly away
I have a strong conviction that I can succeed and I constantly think about soaring to success and achieving my goals.

I believe, I believe I can soar I see me running through that open door I believe I can fly, I believe, I believe I believe I can fly and I believe I can fly
I believe that I can rise above challenges and run towards opportunities because of my unwavering faith in myself.

I believe I can fly I know, I know I can fly I know, I know I can soar See me running through that open door I, I can fly
Through my faith, I am confident that I can achieve great things and I can visualize myself running towards new opportunities with freedom and joy.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert S. Kelly

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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