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.
Leap of Faith
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wouldn't even go outside
When my friends tried to fix me up
I crawl under my bed and hide
I knew I was never gonna change my look
Till I got my [Incomprehensible] up to try
And when I went ahead and spread my wings
Sometime, all it takes is a leap of faith
(Leap of faith)
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith
(Leap of faith)
I had no way of knowing
What would come from our first kiss
It scares me now to think about
The good love that I might have missed
I was just tryin' to find some help
Tryin' to see myself as a survivor
I had to rise up from the ashes of love
And jump back into the fire
Sometime, all it takes is a leap of faith, oh yeah
(Leap of faith)
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith
(Leap of faith)
Sometimes, you gotto believe
Before you see the proof
You can wait a lifetime
For one moment of truth
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith
Yeah, oh yeah
You gotto believe
Before you see the proof
You can wait a lifetime
For one moment of truth
Oh yeah, sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith
Sometimes, all it takes
(Leap of faith)
Sometimes, all it takes
(Leap of faith)
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith, oh yes, it does
(Leap of faith)
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith
(Leap of faith)
Oh, sometimes, all it takes
(Leap of faith)
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith, oh yeah
(Leap of faith)
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith, oh yes, it does
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith
In "Leap of Faith," Etta James tells the story of picking herself up after a breakup and taking a risk to find love again. She shares her fear and hesitation after being hurt deeply, such that she prevented herself from going out or meeting new people, and instead hid herself away. But at some point, she realized that nothing would change if she didn't take a chance and try again. She was uncertain of what lay ahead, but was determined to take that leap of faith to have a chance at a fulfilling relationship. James encourages listeners that sometimes all it takes is that leap of faith to find the love and happiness we desire.
Throughout the song, James underscores the importance of trusting in ourselves and in the world, even when we can’t foresee what’s to come. She calls on us to be brave enough to take risks, because sometimes the greatest rewards come from taking chances. James reminds us that we have to believe before we see the proof, and that sometimes we have to wait a lifetime for one moment of truth.
Overall, “Leap of Faith” is a hopeful call to action for those who may have lost hope or feel weighed down by fear. It urges us to trust our instincts, take chances, and keep moving forward, even when it seems scary or uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
After my baby quit me
After my significant other left me
I wouldn't even go outside
I was too heartbroken to leave my home
When my friends tried to fix me up
When my friends attempted to set me up with someone new
I crawl under my bed and hide
I avoided their attempts and hid away
I knew I was never gonna change my look
I knew I wouldn't change my appearance
Till I got my [Incomprehensible] up to try
Until I built up the courage to try
And when I went ahead and spread my wings
When I took a risk and tried something new
I found out that I could fly
I discovered that I was capable of succeeding
Sometime, all it takes is a leap of faith
Sometimes taking a risk is all it takes
(Leap of faith)
I had no way of knowing
I couldn't predict
What would come from our first kiss
The outcome of our first kiss
It scares me now to think about
It frightens me to reflect on
The good love that I might have missed
The possibility of missing out on love
I was just tryin' to find some help
I was looking for assistance
Tryin' to see myself as a survivor
Attempting to view myself as a survivor
I had to rise up from the ashes of love
I had to recover from a failed relationship
And jump back into the fire
And take a risk with a new relationship
Sometimes, you gotto believe
Sometimes it's important to have faith
Before you see the proof
Before seeing evidence
You can wait a lifetime
It could take a long time
For one moment of truth
To have a moment of clarity
Oh yeah, sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith
Often, taking a risk is all that is needed
Sometimes, all it takes
Sometimes that's all that's necessary
(Leap of faith)
Oh, sometimes, all it takes
Yes, sometimes that's all it needs
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith, oh yeah
Oftentimes, taking a risk is all that's needed
Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith
Sometimes taking a risk is all it takes
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GARY TOLBERT NICHOLSON, GLEN A. ARLEN CLARK
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.