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 Want To Be Loved
Etta James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want to be loved, I want to be loved
I want to be loved, I need to be loved

I want to be loved with inspiration
I want to be loved starting tonight
Instead of merely holding conversation
Oh, hold me tight

I want to be loved, I crave affection
Those kisses of your's I gladly share
I want your eyes to shine in my direction
Oh, make me care

I want a can't of romance
That should be strong and equally as tender
I only asked for the chance to know the meaning
The word surrender, surrender, come on, surrender

I want to be thrilled by only you, dear
I want to be thrilled by your caress
I want to find each dream of mine come true, dear
I want to be loved

I want the can't of romance
That should be strong and equally as tender
I only asked for the chance to know the meaning
Come on, come on, surrender, surrender, surrender, surrender

I want to be thrilled by only you, dear
I want to be thrilled by your caress
I want to find each dream of mine come true, dear

Oh, I want to be loved, oh, I want to be loved
I want to be loved, oh, I want to be loved, I need to be loved

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Etta James's song "I Want To Be Loved" express a deep desire for love and affection. The singer addresses her lover, telling him that she wants to be loved and needs to be loved. She speaks of wanting to be loved with inspiration, of wanting more than just idle conversation. She craves affection and wants kisses from him, for him to hold her tight and for his eyes to shine in her direction. She longs for a "can't miss" romance and wants to be thrilled by him and for all of her dreams to come true.

The repetition of "I want to be loved" emphasizes the singer's desire for affection and emotional connection. She is not satisfied with just casual conversation or physical intimacy, but rather seeks a deeper emotional bond with her lover. The repeated use of the phrase "I need to be loved" underscores the urgency and importance of this emotional connection for her.

Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and openness, as the singer bares her heart and expresses her needs and desires. The song captures the universal longing for love and connection that many people relate to.

Line by Line Meaning

I want to be loved, I want to be loved
The singer desires to receive love from another individual.

I want to be loved, I need to be loved
The singer believes love to be an essential part of their life and requires it from another person.

I want to be loved with inspiration
The singer wishes to be loved in a way that inspires them or fills them with creative energy.

I want to be loved starting tonight
The artist desires to begin receiving love immediately.

Instead of merely holding conversation
The artist wishes for a deeper emotional connection than just surface-level conversation.

Oh, hold me tight
The singer wants physical embrace and comfort.

I want to be loved, I crave affection
The singer has a strong desire to receive physical affection from another person.

Those kisses of your's I gladly share
The artist wants to share physical expressions of love with their partner.

I want your eyes to shine in my direction
The artist desires attention and admiration from their partner.

Oh, make me care
The artist wants to feel emotionally invested in their relationship.

I want a can't of romance
The singer wants an intense and passionate romance with their partner.

That should be strong and equally as tender
The artist wants a romance that is both strong and gentle or compassionate.

I only asked for the chance to know the meaning
The singer wants the opportunity to experience and understand the concept of surrender in love.

The word surrender, surrender, come on, surrender
The singer encourages their partner to give themselves over to their love and relationship.

I want to be thrilled by only you, dear
The singer wants their partner to be the only person who can excite or thrill them.

I want to be thrilled by your caress
The artist desires physical touch that arouses strong emotions and sensations.

I want to find each dream of mine come true, dear
The artist desires a relationship in which all their romantic dreams are fulfilled.

I want to be loved
The singer reiterates their desire to receive love.

I want the can't of romance
The singer repeats their desire for passionate and intense romance.

Come on, come on, surrender, surrender, surrender, surrender
The artist continues to encourage their partner to let go and give themselves up to their love.

Oh, I want to be loved, oh, I want to be loved
The artist expresses their longing for love.

I want to be loved, oh, I want to be loved, I need to be loved
The artist emphasizes their need to receive love from another person.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SVANNAH CHURCHILL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS