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.
Let's Straighten It Out
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't care how old you are or how young you are
But I want you to think about the last time
That you heard somebody say, "Let's straighten it out"
And I'll bet it was a man that said it, why?
Because most of the time it's a man
Who makes it crooked in the first place
But I believe, a woman feels things deeper than a man
And I believe, that a woman loves stronger than a man
Sit yourself down and talk to me
Tell me what's on your mind
Don't you keep on telling me everything's okay
'Cause if it was, you wouldn't be crying
You've been tossin' and turnin' in your sleep lately, babe
Sittin' around poutin' all day long
How in the hell do you expect me to understand?
When I don't even know, don't know what's wrong, yeah
Let's straighten it out
Ah baby, let's straighten it out
Honey, let's straighten it out
Ah, let's straighten it out
Let's straighten it out
Oh baby, let's straighten it out
Can't hear you honey, ah, let's straighten it out
C'mon, let's straighten it out
For the last five nights, honey
When we went to bed, I could tell something wasn't right
When you turned your back on me
And you covered your head, didn't even say goodnight
If you're tired and don't wanna be bothered, baby
Just say the words, I'll leave you alone
Instead of laying there, cryin' your eyes out
You and me ought to be gettin' along
Ah, let's straighten it out
Mmm, let's straighten it out
Let's straighten it out, baby
Ah, let's straighten it out
C'mon, let's straighten it out
Just say the words, I'll straighten it out
Instead of laying there, cryin' your eyes out
You and me ought to be gettin' along
Oh, let's straighten it out
Oh, baby, let's straighten it out
Hey, honey, let's straighten it out
Ahh, let's straighten it out
Let's straighten it out
Let's straighten it out
Let's straighten it out
Let's straighten it out
Etta James’s song Let’s Straighten It Out is a plea for communication and honesty in a relationship. The song starts by acknowledging that everyone has something they need to clear up at some point, regardless of age or gender. The singer suggests that it's usually men who make things crooked, but then goes on to say that women feel things deeper and love stronger. The song then becomes a direct address to a partner who has been acting distant, perhaps even crying themselves to sleep at night. The singer begs for the two of them to talk through their problems, to say what’s bothering them rather than pretending everything is fine. The repeated refrain - “Let’s straighten it out” - serves as a powerful mantra, urging the couple to work through their troubles and get back on track.
The song is both a plea and a warning; the singer recognises that ignoring problems can lead to a breakdown in the relationship, and that pretending everything is fine is never the solution. The song is an invitation to vulnerability, to admit when things are not okay and work towards a solution. At its core, then, Let’s Straighten It Out is a song about the power of communication and honesty in maintaining healthy relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's got to straighten out somethings, sometime
We all have issues that we need to fix at some point in our lives.
I don't care how old you are or how young you are
Age doesn't matter when it comes to addressing problems.
But I want you to think about the last time
Take a moment and reflect on the last time...
That you heard somebody say, "Let's straighten it out"
When someone suggested fixing the problem at hand.
And I'll bet it was a man that said it, why?
Most likely because men often create problems in the first place.
Because most of the time it's a man
Because it's usually men who cause the problem.
Who makes it crooked in the first place
Men have a habit of making things complicated from the beginning.
You see, men have a tendency to take women for granted
They often overlook the value of women and the hard work they put in.
But I believe, a woman feels things deeper than a man
Women are more emotional and often feel things more intensely.
And I believe, that a woman loves stronger than a man
Women have a special ability to love more deeply than men do.
Sit yourself down and talk to me
Let's take some time to communicate.
Tell me what's on your mind
Share your thoughts and feelings with me.
Don't you keep on telling me everything's okay
Stop pretending that everything is fine when it's not.
'Cause if it was, you wouldn't be crying
If everything really was okay, you wouldn't be upset.
You've been tossin' and turnin' in your sleep lately, babe
I've noticed you seem restless at night.
Sittin' around poutin' all day long
You've been sitting around feeling sad all day.
How in the hell do you expect me to understand?
I can't help if I don't know what's going on.
When I don't even know, don't know what's wrong, yeah
I don't have any idea what's bothering you.
For the last five nights, honey
Recently, every night for the past five nights,
When we went to bed, I could tell something wasn't right
I could tell that something was bothering you when we went to bed.
When you turned your back on me
Instead of facing me, you turned away.
And you covered your head, didn't even say goodnight
You didn't even say goodnight or show any affection.
If you're tired and don't wanna be bothered, baby
If you're tired and want some space,
Just say the words, I'll leave you alone
Let me know if you need some time alone.
Instead of laying there, cryin' your eyes out
Rather than lying in bed crying.
You and me ought to be gettin' along
We should be getting along better.
Ah baby, let's straighten it out
Let's fix the problem together.
Honey, let's straighten it out
Let's work it out, my love.
Can't hear you honey, ah, let's straighten it out
I want to hear your thoughts, let's fix it together.
C'mon, let's straighten it out
Let's work together to resolve this problem.
Just say the words, I'll straighten it out
Tell me what you need, and I'll do my best to help.
Oh, let's straighten it out
Let's fix it together.
Hey, honey, let's straighten it out
My love, we need to work it out.
Ahh, let's straighten it out
Let's fix the problem together.
Let's straighten it out
We need to work it out and fix the problem.
Contributed by Evelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@gijsschubert7901
Fantastic interpretation, great band.... Thank you Etta!
@rem700sniperplaystationnet9
Love Etta's spin on this song ...She will always be the Queen of Blues!
@theshallowsea
What a voice ! Fantastic !
@coravisser727
Fantastic her voice and the music we real miss her still,but her music we keep it alive,
@coravisser727
thank you very much for the awesome music.
@royglosomful
Love it !!. Different and sweet ! and it jammed. i appreciated the classical Guitar Sweet Love you Etta James I grew up listen to your music my Mom Loved you music
@ross3490
This is Soo amazing
@KeyForsat
beautiful song
@mstein3225
Great ❤
@GilGraywolf
Straight up...This is the Blues baby. Thanks.