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 Got The Will
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm tryin' to get him back but he won't accept me, no, no
I got the will, I can't find the way now, no, no
Let me tell you now, what my mama told me, the old sayin' is
If there's a will, girl, there's got to be a way now
Mama, I got the will but I can't find my way now, no, no
You got the will, girl, you got the power now
You got everything, Lord have mercy na, na
Every second, baby, every minute, honey
Every hour now, I'm always thinkin' of you, baby
I got the will but I can't find my way now, no, no
Let me, let me tell you, honey
I know you need me, baby, I know you love me, honey
I really want you, I got to, got to see you now
Baby, I got the will but I can't find my way now, no, no
Let me, let me tell you now
I got the will now, I got the power now
I got everything, Lord have mercy, no, no
Baby, baby, you know I need you now
Baby, baby, you know I love you, love you now
Oh baby, I got the will but I can't find my way, no, no
Let me tell you now
What my mama told me, the old sayin' is
If there's a will, girl, there's got to be a way now
Mama, I got the will but I can't find my way now, oh no
This is what you told me now
You got the will, girl, you got the power now
You got everything, good gracious Lord, have mercy
I got the will, I can't find my way
I got the will now, I can't find my way now
I got the power now, I got the will now
You got the will now, I got the will now
Can't find my way now, mama, mama
I got the will now, I can't find my way now
The lyrics to Etta James's song I Got The Will detail the experiences of a woman struggling to cope with the heartbreak of being left by her love interest. She expresses her determination to win her lover back, but constantly finds herself struggling to do so. The metaphor of having the will but not finding a way is echoed throughout the song, as the woman turns to her mother for advice on how to proceed. Her mother tells her that if she has the will to succeed, there must be a way to achieve her goal.
The song is a poignant representation of the conflict between the emotional and logical parts of the human psyche. The singer is determined to win back her lover, but at the same time, she recognizes that her task is difficult. Despite feeling triumphant in her power, she remains stuck and unable to move forward with her actions. The repetition of the refrain, "I got the will, I can't find the way now" emphasizes the dichotomy between her feelings of strength and her inability to act.
The song serves as a reminder that love is not always an easy road to travel down. Even with determination, strength, and support from loved ones, it can be difficult to overcome the pain of heartbreak and rebuild a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
A boy I used to love, he up and left me now
The singer's ex-boyfriend has left her and she is currently trying to win him back.
I'm tryin' to get him back but he won't accept me, no, no
Despite her efforts, the singer's ex-boyfriend is not interested in getting back together.
I got the will, I can't find the way now, no, no
The singer has the determination to win her ex back, but she's struggling to figure out how to make it happen.
Let me tell you now, what my mama told me, the old sayin' is
The singer is about to share some advice her mother gave her.
If there's a will, girl, there's got to be a way now
The saying means that if a person is determined enough, they will find a way to accomplish their goal.
Mama, I got the will but I can't find my way now, no, no
The singer is admitting to her mother that she is determined to get her ex-boyfriend back, but she's struggling to find a way to do it.
You got the will, girl, you got the power now
The singer's mother is telling her that she has the determination and strength to accomplish her goals.
You got everything, Lord have mercy na, na
The singer has all the tools and abilities she needs to succeed, but she's struggling to put them to use.
Every second, baby, every minute, honey
The singer is constantly thinking about her ex-boyfriend.
Every hour now, I'm always thinkin' of you, baby
The singer cannot stop thinking about her ex-boyfriend no matter how much time passes.
Let me, let me tell you, honey
The singer is addressing her ex-boyfriend.
I know you need me, baby, I know you love me, honey
The singer believes that her ex-boyfriend still loves her and needs her in his life.
I really want you, I got to, got to see you now
The singer is desperate to see her ex-boyfriend and try to win him back.
Baby, I got the will but I can't find my way now, no, no
The singer is still admitting that she has the determination but is struggling to figure out how to use it to accomplish her goal.
You got the will, girl, you got the power now
The singer's mother is reminding her that she has the determination and strength to succeed.
Baby, baby, you know I need you now
The singer expresses her need for her ex-boyfriend.
Baby, baby, you know I love you, love you now
The singer reiterates her love for her ex-boyfriend.
Oh baby, I got the will but I can't find my way, no, no
The singer is still struggling to figure out how to win her ex-boyfriend back despite her determination.
Good gracious Lord, have mercy
An exclamation of frustration, the singer is seemingly asking for divine intervention to help her win her ex-boyfriend back.
You got the will now, I got the will now
The singer and her mother both believe that she has the determination to succeed.
Can't find my way now, mama, mama
The singer is still struggling to figure out how to make her goal of winning her ex-boyfriend back a reality.
I got the will now, I can't find my way now
Despite her determination, the singer is still struggling to figure out how to win her ex-boyfriend back.
I got the power now, I got the will now
The singer believes that she has the strength and determination to succeed in winning her ex-boyfriend back.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OTIS REDDING
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.